The concept of being a freshman -- or “first-year,” if one is so inclined -- used to come with a stigma of limited playing time.
However, recent trends in lacrosse have seen freshmen not only play loads of minutes, but start from their first game onward. Talent is not measurable by class year; if you are good enough to play, you play.
The Ivy League has lost two full seasons' worth of games, so competition will be intense for starting berths. However, that doesn’t mean that the upperclassmen have an advantage -- if anything, the lack of games has eliminated that advantage entirely, and playing time is more merit-based than ever before.
With that in mind, here are several players in the Ivy League who should see the field plenty in their first collegiate seasons.