HAMDEN, Conn. - Former Quinnipiac men's lacrosse standout
Ryan Keenan '16 was the first selection in the 2016 National Lacrosse League Draft, which was held this evening in Oakville, Ontario.
Keenan was chosen with the first pick by the Saskatchewan Rush, who are the defending league champions of the NLL, an indoor box lacrosse league which runs from January through May and features teams in both the United States and Canada. The top selection also featured some intimate family ties as Keenan's father, Derek, is the general manager of the Rush.
As a senior in 2016, Keenan helped lead Quinnipiac to its first-ever NCAA Tournament after sweeping the regular season and postseason MAAC titles. The Bobcats were 6-0 in the regular season, an unblemished mark that Keenan helped secure when he tied a road game against defending MAAC champion Marist with three seconds left in regulation, and then won both MAAC tournament games on their home field. Quinnipiac kept its run going by defeating Hartford at home for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, its ninth victory in a row, before falling to No. 1 Maryland 13-6 in the Round of 16.
A native of Ontario, Keenan was a first-team All-MAAC selection in 2016 after starting all 16 games for the Bobcats. He led Quinnipiac in scoring with 51 points on 33 goals and 18 assists and finished his career ranked No. 4 on the school's scoring list with 94 goals and No. 5 on the points list with 131. He had at least one point in every game as a senior, and ended his career with a 30-game point streak, dating back to the 2015 opening day game against Brown.
The postseason saw Keenan shine his brightest as he picked up a hat trick in a MAAC semifinal win over Canisius and then had two goals and two assists in a MAAC finals win over Marist, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. He then amassed one goal and three assists in the NCAA win over Hartford and scored one of Quinnipiac's goals in its loss to Maryland.
For more information about the Saskatchewan Rush, visit the team's website
here .