Editor's Note: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is celebrating its 40th anniversary season in 2020-21. Throughout this summer, the conference will be announcing all-anniversary teams for each sport it currently sponsors. In conjunction, the Marist Athletics Department will highlight its achievements from the MAAC era.
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Women's Lacrosse
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist men's lacrosse team joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1996, beginning a reign of great success for the Red Foxes.
The Red Foxes have won three MAAC Championships throughout their time in the conference, which is tied for the most in conference history. Marist trails only Siena in total MAAC Championship appearances, accruing five in its tenure.
The Red Foxes' first championship came in 2005. After finishing the regular season with an 8-8 record, Andrew Copeland's group stepped on the gas in the postseason and made a run through the MAAC Championship. The #4 seeded Red Foxes upset #2 Mount St. Mary 10-6 to win their first ever MAAC title. Keith Detelj was named MAAC Tournament MVP, while Bill Duerr, Stephen Gravino, and James Taylor joined Detelj on the All-MAAC Tournament Team.
10 years later,
Keegan Wilkinson earned his first MAAC Championship after leading the 2015 squad to a 13-3 record. The Red Foxes went undefeated in conference play, eventually beating Quinnipiac 16-14 in the championship game. Dave Scarcello was named the tournament's most outstanding player, while Joseph Radin, Mike Begley, and Karl Kreshpane joined Scarcello on the MAAC All-Tournament Team.
The team's success raged on, as the Red Foxes went on to win their third MAAC championship in program history in 2019. In a rematch of the 2015 title game, Marist took on the Bobcats yet again, defeating Quinnipiac 15-14 this time.
Joe Tierney was named Most Outstanding Player, and
Billy Andrle,
Jamison Embury, and
James Sarrocco all made the All-Championship Team.
Many Red Foxes have made significant contributions to the program throughout their time in Poughkeepsie, which helped lead to these MAAC Championships. Below is a look at who the MAAC has chosen to be a part of its 40th Anniversary Team, as well as some honorable mentions whose careers should not be overlooked under any circumstance.
Joseph Radin: 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 Championhip 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.
J.D. Recor: Recor is atop the Marist record books with 131 career assists, which is also the current Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference all-time record. As a senior he was 15th in the country, averaging 1.94 assists per game and ended up with 222 career points for the second highest total in Marist men's lacrosse history. In his final collegiate game Recor had a hat trick for the North squad in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association North/South All-Star Game. He became the second Marist player selected in the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft when the New York Lizards picked him up in the ninth round, 79th overall. Recor received multiple conference honors throughout his playing career, earning a spot on the All-MAAC First Team in 2016 and as an All-MAAC Second Team honoree his other three seasons in a Red Fox uniform.
Drew Nesmith: Nesmith's Marist career was hard to forget, literally as his name is entrenched in the record books. At the time of his graduation, he ranked sixth in career goals with 96. He played a pivotal role in Marist's 2015 MAAC Championship, starting all 18 games and scoring 28 goals his senior year. He dished out a career-high two assists in the championship game, helping the Red Foxes secure the victory. He was named Second Team All-MAAC after both his freshman and sophomore campaigns, and then was selected to the All-MAAC First Team both his juinor amd senior years.
Mike Begley: Begley was one of the most versatile midfielders to ever wear red and white. He was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List during his senior year, named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Star Second Team and earned United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I All-American Honorable Mention to conclude his career at Marist. He was one of five Red Foxes to surpass 100 career points in 2015 and helped lead Marist to its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title in a decade and first ever NCAA Tournament victory. He became the first alumnus of the Marist men's lacrosse program to make a final MLL roster and the second to have been on a professional lacrosse franchise. He made the All-MAAC First Team twice in his career, and All-MAAC Second Team the other two times.
Patrick Eaker: Eaker was a long-stick midfielder for Marist from 2012-2015, and played a key role in Marist's MAAC title in 2015. He tallied career-highs in ground balls (47) and caused turnovers (18) that year, and played outstanding defense all throughout the postseason. For his career, he accumulated 148 ground balls, 55 caused turnovers, and even scored four goals and dished out three assists. Eaker was named MAAC Co-Long Stick Midfielder of the Year in both 2013 and 2014, before claiming the award for himself in 2015. He was also named to the All-MAAC First Team in 2014 and 2015, and was a USILA Division 1 All-American Honorable Mention his senior year. He currently ranks ninth on Marist's all-time ground balls list with 148.
Head Coach Keegan Wilkinson: 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.
Peyton Smith: Smith was drafted by and is currently playing for the Redwoods in the Premier Lacrosse League. As it stands right now, Smith is one of the best face-off specialist in the history of the program. With the conclusion of the shortened 2020 season, he ended his career with the second best career face-off percentage of any player in Marist history at .589. Smith also ended his career with 215 ground balls, which ranks him tied-for-third in the history of the program. During Marist's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship run In 2019, Smith finished the season with a .630 face-off percentage (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 lived up to the reputation by winning two MAAC Defensive Player of the Week Awards.
Brian Corrigan: Corrigan is currently playing profesional lacrosse for the NY Lizards of the MLL. At Marist, Corrigan was one of the top goalkeepers to ever play in the program. A two-time All-MAAC First Team Selection and two-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Corrigan was named to the Tewaaraton Watchlist prior to the start of his senior year. Corrigan ranked in the top ten in the NCAA in save percentage and saves per game in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Paul Donohue: Donohue led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in goals (40), total points (65), and goals per game (2.86) as he helped lead the Red Foxes to a 5-4 league record and a berth at the inaugural MAAC men's lacrosse tournament in 2000. His sophomore campaign was one for the ages, as Donohue was the number one sophomore scorer in the nation and the only conference player in the Top 25. He ranked seventh in the nation in points per game, 11th in goals per game and tied for 15th in assists per game. Donohue also ranked first in the nation scoring 12 points in a single game (9 goals and three assists) against conference rival Wagner. Currently in the Marist record books, Donohue is ranked first in career points (229), second in career goals (145), and eighth in career assists (84).
Keith Detelj: Detelj is remembered most for his play during Marist's MAAC Championship run in 2005. He was named MAAC Tournament MVP in 2005, and was obviosly also named to the All-MAAC Tournament team. He had five goals in the game, including a stunner at the end of the third period that gave Marist the lead. He also scored a goal and dished out an assist in Marist's first ever NCAA Tournament game against Johns Hopkins. His career totals include 73 goals and 28 assists across four seasons, leading to three First Team All-MAAC honors, as well as the 2004 Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards.
Gannon Morrison: The Red Fox midfielder will go down as one of the top mids to come out of the program. Morrison finished his career ranking ninth in career points (172) and assists (78). He is the only midfielder in the history of the program to reach 150 career points at the time of his graduation. His senior year was one for the ages, as he led the team in goals (28), assists (26), and points (54). He also finished second in the MAAC in points per game (3.6) and assists per game (1.73). The senior was named First Team All-MAAC his senior year for the third time in his career, and also made the All-ECAC Second Team.
Frankie Brier: Brier was a two-time All-MAAC First team selection while playing for the Red Foxes, in 2016 and 2017. He was named to the All-MAAC Second Team in 2015, which was his first full season as a starter for the Red Fox defense. From the start of that 2015 season, Brier started in every single game from 2015-17. He totaled 48 caused turnovers through his time at Marist, which puts him fourth all-time in the program record books.
GOALS: 1. Joseph Radin (166) 2. Paul Donohue (145) 3. David Kiddney (125) 4. Peter Cleary (120) 5. Stuart MacMillan (115)
ASSISTS: 1. J.D. Recor (131) 2. Chris Pistello (115) 3. Bill Drolet (111) 4. Corey Zindel (110) 5. Connor Rice (98)
POINTS: 1. Paul Donohue (229) 2. J.D. Recor (222) 3. Peter Cleary (217) 4. Joseph Radin (213) 5. Bill Drolet (195)
GROUND BALLS: 1. Kris Miller (358) 2. Dan Needle (248) 3
Peyton Smith (215) 3. Matt Dugan (215) 5.
Matt Francis (175)
FACEOFF %: 1. Dan Needle (.600) 2. Peyton Smtih (.589) 3.
Matt Francis (.571) 4. Anthony Lucchetto (.555) 5. Jim Mekovetz (.546)
CAUSED TO'S: 1.
Ethan Fox (57) T2. James Saracco (55) T2. Patrick Eacker (55) 3. Frankie Brier (48) 4. Nick Armstrong (47) 5. Kevin Defranco (45)
GOALIE WINS: 1. Dave Scarcello (30) 2. Brian Corrigan (22) T3.
Jake MacGregor (13) T3. Brian Schumeyer (13) 5. Ryan Penner (12)
