LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East kicks off its men's lacrosse season this weekend as five teams will be competing for the title of conference champion. St. Mary's College of Maryland has hoisted the trophy at the end of all three seasons they've been a part of the United East but the other four teams are hungry to end the streak. Check out a preview of all five squads down below.
Check out the full 2025 men's lacrosse schedule here: 2025 MLAX SCHEDULE
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (14-7, 5-0 UEC)
Head Coach Jason Childs hits the decade mark this season as the bench captain for the Seahawks, looking to capture his fourth conference title in as many years. The squad from Maryland is coming off a 14 win season in 2024, including an opening round victory in the NCAA Championship. They return the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Josh Martel, who tucked away 65 goals over 21 games played. The defense will remain strong as well as All-Conference First Teamer, Jeremy Heath, returns to the lineup along with their anchor, goalkeeper Cullen McKay. St. Mary’s College boasts one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Division III, matching up against York College, Lynchburg, Dickinson and Salisbury all of which showing up in the USILA national poll.
Coach’s Outlook: “We are excited about the year, and return a lot of offensive and defensive threats. Josh Martel, Keegan Preis, Nate Hochrein, and Aiden Doyle are all returning and looking better than they did last year. Defensively, Quinnten Hatfield and Jeremy Heath look primed for another great year anchoring the defense. Cullen McKay will be in between the pipes for us and had a great junior season. On top of that we return the conference faceoff specialist in Matteo Ciccarello who won 63% of his faceoffs last year, and had a team high 159 ground balls. We know we are the hunted team in conference and we are working hard to fend off some very young, up and coming, hungry programs. Out of conference we will face our toughest schedule in quite some time. If we can handle that bump in the schedule we should go into May confident and excited to play for our 4th straight conference crown.”
Penn College (10-9, 4-1 UEC)
Entering his fifth season at the helm, head coach Jordan Williams looks to build on Penn College’s 2023-24 campaign, where the Wildcats posted a 10-9 overall record and went 5-2 in conference play as they fell to St. Mary’s College (Md.) in the United East Championship. With a competitive non-conference slate that includes matchups against Susquehanna (2/15), Montclair State (2/22), and Lycoming (3/5), Penn College will be tested early. Leading the charge offensively is sophomore standout Aidan McFalls, the reigning conference Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection, who tallied 48 goals and 27 assists last season. He is joined by junior AJ Dotson, a Second Team All-Conference honoree who ended the season with 75 points (43G, 32A). Defensively, senior Mason Nester earned his second First Team All-Conference nod in 2024, recording 40 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. With a talented returning core and key non-conference battles ahead, the Wildcats are poised to contend in 2024-25.
Coach’s Outlook: “We are cautiously optimistic this season as there has been a different level of focus on & off the field from this group, from summer into the end of fall ball. Our team is finally composed of entirely recruited student-athletes as our senior class were the first ones to take the leap to build our program. We think we are more dynamic on both sides of the ball, with a lot of upside in the specialty positions. The ultimate goal is to put ourselves in a position to compete for a conference championship and we will continue to work towards that each year. We think this could be a season where we take a giant step forward & really take those next steps as a program. We have a lot of youth making an impact all over the field & our older guys are hitting their strides. We hope to play with a new tempo & create chaos in all aspects of the game.”
Cairn University (4-9, 2-3 UEC)
A new sheriff is in town as Matt LoStracco takes over as the head coach of the Cairn Highlanders for the 2025 season. He’ll rely heavily on his netminder, Nico Cione, who comes back after a season that saw him gather 213 saves and earn a Second Team All-Conference nod. Aiding that defense will be senior Ethan Meiers as well. Cole Heffler will be the Highlander’s go-to on the offense as he has pocketed 23 goals in both of his first two seasons.
Coach’s Outlook: “New additions to the offense and key returners in the midfield and defense should bode well for the season as we look to build traction in my first year at Cairn. I am looking forward to what is shaping up to be a solid offense to pair with a strong goalie pairing and seeing what the season has in store.”
Bryn Athyn College (4-6, 1-4 UEC)
Bryn Athyn is looking to break into the postseason in 2025 as the team went 4-6 a season ago. Head Coach Jack Crawford returns for his sixth year leading the Lions and has built a hearty schedule which includes early contests against Delaware Valley and SUNY Purchase. Christian Kalb returns to the net, earning the goalie spot on the All-Conference First Team in 2024 after racking up 15 saves in more than five games including a 31 save performance against St. Mary's College. He will be aided by top defender, Sean Ford and fellow All-Conference member, Dylan Fesmire, who combined for 31 caused turnovers last year.
Coach's Outlook: "The 2025 team will be a very young squad, relying on a outstanding work ethic and work rate to help ensure a successful season."
Rosemont College (1-11, 0-5 UEC)
Entering his seventh season as head coach, Ernie Shapiro aims to guide Rosemont College after a 2024 campaign that saw the Ravens finish 1-11 overall and 0-5 in conference play. Senior attack Navarro Blakes, a three-year captain who has found himself a spot amongst Rosemont all-time leaders, will be a key offensive catalyst. Senior long stick midfielder Nate Edwards, and fellow upperclassman Greg Wever, both two-year captains, will provide leadership for the Ravens.
Coach’s Outlook: “We return a healthy veteran team that is eager to prove themselves in the very competitive UE Conference.”
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The United East boasts 17 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, Rosemont College, Saint Elizabeth University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.