Twelve NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament.

In the finals, Johns Hopkins used one of the all-time best defenses led by Hall of Fame goalie Mike Federico and defenseman Mark Greenberg, as well as a strong offense led by Dave Huntley and Jeff Cook, to defeat the Terrapins for the second time that season.

Also, in the second quarter, Hopkins' defense held Maryland in check where the Terps did not get a shot on goal off for over 11 minutes.

Hopkins had handed the Terrapins five of their losses over the prior three seasons, including consecutive defeats in the semifinals of the Division I tournaments in 1977 and 1978.

This was a great stretch of tournament play for the Terrapins as during the 1970s, Maryland participated in six NCAA title games, including four in a row from 1973 to 1976.