POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The date was May 4, 2019. The Marist Red Foxes had just been crowned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions for the third time in program history after defeating the Quinnipiac Bobcats, 15-14. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, one thing was in the head of just about every Red Fox player and coach: Defending that MAAC Championship, and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
With those goals in mind, Marist was off to a great start in 2020. The Red Foxes' highlight of the season was a 17-9 upset over #9/7 Army, which was the highest ranked team that Marist had defeated in program history. It was the third time in the last five years the Red Foxes had defeated a ranked opponent, and just the first time in program history they did so on their home turf. The victory put the Red Foxes at 3-1 for the season.
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After a tough loss to Bucknell on the road in late February, The Red Foxes hosted Delaware on Saturday, March 7. It was a back-and-forth affair, in which the Fightin' Blue Hens were able to come out on top 15-14. Not the ideal end to non-conference play, but it was a very good game against a very good opponent. However, the team would not dwell on the loss long, as all attention was quickly shifted towards the opening of MAAC play the following weekend.
The Red Foxes were scheduled to open conference play against Quinnipiac on Saturday, March 14, in a rematch of last year's MAAC title game. Unfortunately, that game would never come.
The coronavirus outbreak ended the 2020 season prematurely, disallowing the Red Foxes a proper chance to defend their MAAC championship. Most of the team, though devastated, is able to get through the gut-wrenching news by changing their focus to next season. They will attempt to defend the MAAC title in 2021, just a year later than originally planned. Â Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of being able to put those plans on pause.
The 2020 senior class will never get the chance to earn back-to-back championships for the first time in the history of the program. They won't get a crack at another NCAA tournament game. Heck, they may never be able to play lacrosse again.
"The 2020 class is not only one of the most talented we have ever had but also one of the closest we have ever had," Head Coach
Keegan Wilkinson said. "When you pair their athletic ability with their leadership capabilities the result is undoubtedly one of the strongest classes to ever put on the Marist lacrosse uniform. It is unfair to measure the success of their careers simply by statistics or the amount of wins they were a part of during their time here, their impact on our program goes far beyond their impressive resume on the playing field. Their leadership was massively important to our resurgence as MAAC Champions last year in 2019 and as a staff we know it was putting us in a great position to potentially repeat this spring. They have left their mark on our program, they will be sorely missed and we know the men in our locker room that are fortunate enough to return next year will be determined to help finish what the 2020 senior class started this spring."Â
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But let's not let that be the story that defines this fantastic group of student-athletes. As seniors, yes, they each had their final season cut short. But what about as juniors? As sophomores? As freshman? As juniors, this group played a major role in the program's third conference championship, and second under Wilkinson. Throughout their careers, these players set program records, cracked all-time lists, received multiple accolades, and had numerous other accomplishments both athletically and academically. This class will be remembered for their contributions both on and off the field.
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Let's take some time to recognize each senior, and everything they have accomplished throughout their careers. Â Â Â
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Peyton Smith is one of, if not the best face-off specialists in the history of the program. With the conclusion of the 2020 season, Smith ended his career with the second best career face-off percentage of any player in the history of the program, at .589. He also ended his career with 215 ground balls, which ranks him tied-for-third in the history of the program. In 2019, Smith finished the season with a .630 face-off percentage, ranking 11th in the entire NCAA, en route to being crowned the MAAC Face-Off Specialist of the Year. After being named MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year prior to this season, Smith justified it early on, winning two MAAC Defensive Player of the Week Awards, ranking in the top 10 in the NCAA in ground balls and top 11 in the NCAA in face-off percentage. Smith was also a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2018 and 2019, as well as a Senior CLASS Award Candidate in 2020.
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Joe Tierney will forever be remembered as the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship in 2019, scoring four goals in the MAAC semifinal against Canisius, and then a hat trick against Quinnipiac in the MAAC Championship game. Throughout the 2019 campaign, Tierney was third on the team in goals (19), assists (12), and points (31), leading to him making the All-MAAC Second Team. Tierney was 11 assists away from cracking the program's top-10 list, and he was on pace to do so this season. He had already tallied seven assists in 2020, including a career-high four in the final game of his career against Delaware. Tierney was the program's active leader in assists with 53, and also second on the team with 52 goals in his career. Tierney also made the MAAC All-Academic Team both years in which he was eligible.
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The program's active leader in goals scored,
Jake Weinman has had an illustrious career as a Red Fox. In just three seasons, Weinman mustered 65 goals and 10 assists, to go with 25 ground balls and three caused turnovers. He was named Preseason All-MAAC in 2020, and was on his way to defending that honor as he was leading the MAAC in goals per game (2.67), and was 10
th in the NCAA with four man-up goals on the season. Weinman also became known for his signature behind-the-back shot, as he was featured on SportsCenter's Top-10 Plays with a beautiful no-look goal in Marist's upset over #9/7 Army.
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Jake MacGregor is one of the most successful goalkeepers in the history of the program, although only residing as Marist's starting goalie for 23 games spanning two seasons. He is tied-for-third on the program's all-time goalie wins list, with 13 career wins. The only two names ahead of MacGregor on the wins list are Assistant Coach Dave Scarcello and New York Lizards goalkeeper Brian Corrigan. MacGregor's best season was in 2019, in which he helped lead the Red Foxes to the MAAC Championship title. The one-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Week finished the season with 191 saves on a .522 save percentage. For his career, he racked up 256 saves on a .512 save percentage to go along with 51 ground balls and four caused turnovers.
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Sam Ahlgrim only appeared in two games off the bench in his freshman season, but he quickly grew into an integral part of the defense in the subsequent three years. He appeared in all 38 games the next three seasons, and racked up 44 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers. He picked up a career-high four ground balls in Marist's upset over #9/7 Army this year, helping lead a stout defense that held the Black Knight's top scoring offense scoreless for nearly 30 minutes. The senior captain was also a two-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team.
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A local product from Marlboro, NY,
Chris Schlappich has played in all 38 games the past three seasons, and added 10 more games played in his freshman season in 2017. Through all of those games, he accumulated 25 goals, including a career-high 11 goals during the MAAC Championship run in 2019. He also dished out nine assists and picked up 12 ground balls for his career. In addition, Schlappich made the MAAC All-Academic Team in both 2018 and 2019.
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Michael Smith has played in all 54 games since he joined the Red Foxes as a freshman in 2017. That freshman season was the best of Smith's career, as he scored a career-best 13 goals en route to being named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team after being named MAAC Rookie of the Week twice. He continued to be a valuable contributor the next three seasons, accumulating 30 goals and 14 assists for his career, as well as eight ground balls and a caused turnover. Smith played a key role in Marist's victory over Quinnipiac in the MAAC Championship last season, dishing out a career-high three assists in the game. Smith was also a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2018 and 2019.
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Jon Constant appeared in 44 games throughout his career, making 24 starts. He had a career year in 2018, scoring a career-high seven goals, dishing out a career-best three assists, totaling a career-high 10 points. He was on his way to beating his career-best assist mark in 2020, already securing two assists before the season came to a close. For his career, he scored 12 goals and racked up six assists to go along with 30 ground balls and two caused turnovers. Constant was also a two-time member of the MAAC All-Academic team in 2018 and 2019.
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A three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team,
Jack Zukowski returned for a fifth and final season in 2020 which he sadly had cut short. He appeared in 23 games off the bench in his career, including all six games in 2020. He had a career-high five caused turnovers this year, to go along with four ground balls. For his career, he accumulated 12 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. In 2018, he scored his first and only career goal against Manhattan. Zukowski will be missed for his leadership both on and off the field.
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Avery Nesmith returned for his fifth season in 2020, looking to help the Red Foxes repeat as MAAC Champions. One of the oldest members of the team, he was looked up to as a crucial leader, and a valuable member of the team both on and off the field. He scored a career-high five goals in 2018, and added two more goals in 2019 during the Red Foxes championship run. For his career, he had seven goals and an assist, to go with two ground balls and a caused turnover.
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Wyatt Colangelo has been one of the fastest and quickest midfielders on the team throughout his four years with the program. He has appeared in eight games off the bench throughout his career, all off the bench. Although he only totaled two ground balls and one caused turnover, he also helped give the team the ability to stretch the defense with his ability to dodge every time he took the field.
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Sal Cipriano appeared in seven games in his Marist career, providing the Red Foxes with valuable depth as an attackmen off the bench. Although he didn't see much game action, Cipriano was a senior leader that many of his teammates looked up to. He was an incredible leader both on and off the field. Cipriano was also a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2018, the only year he was eligible.
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Stephen Viola appeared in six games throughout his time with the Red Foxes, although his contributions paint a better picture than his actual stats. Viola is looked up to as a senior leader by all of his teammates, and has made valuable contributions to the program both on and off the field.
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Each week, the Marist Athletics Department will spotlight the Class of 2020 from the spring sports whose seasons ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To learn more about these seniors, check back on GoRedFoxes.com, and follow Marist Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Senior Spotlights: Women's Tennis (March 23) | Men's Tennis (March 25) | Women's Lacrosse (March 30) | Baseball (April 1) | Water Polo (April 2) | Softball (April 8) | Women's Track and Field (April 7) | Women's Rowing (April 8) | Men's Lacrosse | Men's Track and Field
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