MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Men’s Lacrosse Team
Edison, N.J. (Aug. 13, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.
The 40th Anniversary Men’s Lacrosse Team highlights some of the best student-athletes in MAAC history. MAAC Men’s Lacrosse traces back to 2000, when St. Joseph’s College captured the first MAAC Championship with an 17-7 win over Manhattan College. Since, Canisius College, Siena College, and Marist College along with two former MAAC members in Mount St. Mary’s College and Providence College are all tied for the conference lead with three championships overall. The MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championships are set to return May 6th through the 8th in 2021, with games hosted by the league’s top overall seed.
To stay up to date with all MAAC 40th Anniversary Teams and information follow @MAACSports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Join the conversation by using #MAAC40.
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Canisius College
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Connor Kearnan
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2016-18
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Cort Knodel
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1994-97
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Mark Miyashita
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2000-03
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Kevin Ross
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2003-07
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Matt Vinc – 2002-05
The first Canisius defender to earn All-MAAC honors, Matt Vinc played in 52 career games as a longstick midfielder over four seasons at Canisius. In his time on Main Street, he scored four goals to go with six assists while collecting 258 career ground balls, which ranks top-five in program history. A first-round pick in the 2005 NLL Draft by San Jose, Vinc has gone on to an amazing professional career, as he's been honored as the NLL Goaltender of the Year seven times. He is currently the goaltender for the Buffalo Bandits.
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University of Detroit Mercy
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Shayne Adams
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2010-14
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Mike Birney
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2012-15
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Paul Bitetti
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2013-16
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Jamie Hebden
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2010-13
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Jordan Houtby – 2010-13
Jordan Houtby - 3-Time MAAC LSM of the Year. Detroit Mercy's first-ever USILA Scholar All-American and earned a spot on the South’s squad in the USILA North-South College All-Star Game – the first Titan to ever appear in the contest. Tabbed an Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse. Helped lead a defense that finished in the top three in the nation in caused turnovers all four of his years and was the NCAA's all-time leader in caused turnovers when he graduated with 158. Represented Team Canada in the ‘Duel In Denver’ against Team USA in September.
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Manhattan College
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Corey Dolik
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2005-08
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Justin Otto
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2002-05
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Nick Silva
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2000-03
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Eugene Tanner
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2002-05
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James Amandola – 1998-02
James Amandola is one of the top players in program history, and led the Jaspers to their lone MAAC Championship in 2002 while also winning MVP honors. Additionally, he was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, selected to the North/South Game, received "The Wall" award for best goalie performance in a season (24 saves against Georgetown in the NCAA tournament) and had the best save percentage in the nation (67%). He also was named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team as a sophomore and averaged nearly 20 saves per game as a freshman to rank of fifth overall in Division I. His 922 career saves, career .590 save percentage and .685 save percentage as a senior in 2002 also continue to serve as the program standards.
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Marist College
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Mike Begley
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2012-15
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Patrick Eaker
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2012-15
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Drew Nesmith
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2012-15
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J.D. Recor
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2014-17
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Joseph Radin – 2013-16
Joseph Radin became the first MLL Collegiate Draft choice in Marist men's lacrosse history when he was selected in the sixth round, 45th overall, by the Charlotte Hounds on January 22, 2016. This sparked a wave of a few Red Foxes who were chosen in the MLL draft. He is the program's all-time scoring leader with 166 goals, and broke the MAAC single season record at the time with 55 goals in 2015. He won the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Awards in both 2015 and 2016, and helped lead the team to a MAAC Championship in 2015. His senior year, he made the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, was a USILA Scholar All-American, made the ALL-ECAC Second Team, and was a Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award Finalist.
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Coach Keegan Wilkinson
Keegan Wilkinson has been the head coach of the Marist men's lacrosse program for the past nine seasons (2012-20). He became the fastest head coach in conference history to 50 wins when he accomplished the feat in his 86th game in 2017. Wilkinson has led Marist to two MAAC championships (2015, 2019), and his 2015 team became the first in program history to win an NCAA Tournament game. That year, the Red Foxes went 14-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in MAAC play. In Wilkinson's tenure, he is 71-60 overall and 33-16 in MAAC play. He is a three-time MAAC Coach of the Year who has had seven of his players move on to the professional ranks. This season, Marist defeated its highest-ranked opponent in program history when the Red Foxes routed #9/#7 Army West Point, 17-9.
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Monmouth University
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Garrett Conaway
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2014-15
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Andrew Grajewski
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2014-17
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Nick Hreshko
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2014-17
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Garrett Pfeifer
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2015-18
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Bryce Wasserman – 2015-18
Bryce Wasserman played a key role on Monmouth's 2017 MAAC Championship team. He was a two-time All-MAAC First Team selection on attack and is Monmouth's all-time leader in goals (99), game-winning goals (9), hat tricks (14), assists (50) and points (149). He was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week five times in his career.
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Quinnipiac University
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Jack Brust
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2013-17
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Foster Cuomo
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2016-19
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Ryan Keenan
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2013-16
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Michael Sagl
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2012-15
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Brian Feldman – 2015-18
Feldman led the Bobcats in goals (36) in 2016, as the Bobcats went 6-0 in league play and won their first-ever conference title. He scored 123 goals in his Quinnipiac career, which ranks third all-time. Feldman is a two-time All-MAAC First Team selection.
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Siena College
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Casey Dowd
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2012-15
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Richie Hurley
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2011-15
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Bryan Neufeld
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2009-12
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Chris Viviano
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2006-09
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Brent Herbst – 2007-10
A 2017 Siena Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Herbst is currently the MAAC's All-Time leader in wins among goalkeepers (42), career goals against average (7.02) and holds the two best single-season GAA performances in league history. Siena's first ever MLL Draft pick, his career GAA mark ranks fifth in NCAA history and he was a two-time All-American selection in 2009 & 2010. Herbst was also the 2010 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2007 Rookie of the Year, a two-time First Team and two-time Second Team All-MAAC selection.
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Coach Brian Brecht
Coach Brian Brecht coached at Siena from 2005-11. In that time, he led the Saints to two MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances (2009, 2011) and four MAAC Regular Season Championships (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). He is a three-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2005, 2007, 2009) and held a 65-49 (.570) overall record, including a 37-17 (.685) mark in MAAC play. His 2011 team finished ranked No. 20 in both the USILA Coaches' Poll & Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for the first time in program history.
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Former MAAC Members
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J.T. Groarke (Fairfield)
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1996-99
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Sam Peterson (Fairfield)
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1996-97
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Spencer Steele (Fairfield)
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1997-99
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Matt Callaghan (Fairfield) – 1996-98
Matt Callaghan was the offensive catalyst for three straight MAAC Championship teams from 1996-98 - the Stags' first three campaign as members of the conference. Callaghan's teams went 24-0 against MAAC foes and added an ECAC Championship in 1998 to cap his career. Fairfield's all-time leading scorer with 247 career points, Callaghan racked up 205 of those points in his three seasons as a MAAC competitor. He was a three-time All-MAAC honoree and was named MAAC Player of the Year in 1996 and 1998.
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Coach Ted Spencer (Fairfield)
Ted Spencer was a three-time MAAC Champion, amassing a 40-25 (.615) overall and 30-2 (.938) mark in the MAAC during his tenure as a MAAC head coach (1996-99), also claiming the 1996 MAAC Coach of the Year award. He led Fairfield to the ECAC Tournament Championship in 1998 and 1999. He was later named the 2002 and 2005 GWLL Coach of the Year, leading the Stags to a pair of NCAA postseason berths. He is Fairfield's all-time wins leader at 93-90 (.508) from 1996-2008.
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Matt Warner (Mount Saint Mary’s)
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2003-06
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Steve Rucker (Mount Saint Mary’s)
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1997-00
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Matt Pymm (Providence)
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1996-99
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Randy McNeil (St. Joseph’s)
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1998-01
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About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.