For the first time this summer, there will be two professional lacrosse leagues, with the launch of the inaugural season of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) in addition to Major League Lacrosse (MLL). With games set to begin this weekend in both leagues, the Scarlet Knights are well represented. After
six alumni saw action in Major League Lacrosse last season, a record 11 Rutgers alumni are on rosters across the two leagues.
Major League Lacrosse
Denver Outlaws
The defending champions will feature two recent Rutgers All-Americans on their defensive end in
Kyle Pless and
Michael Rexrode.
Pless was a seventh round pick this season, while
Rexrode was originally a second round draft pick and played in three MLL games last summer.
Atlanta Blaze
The Blaze feature two 2018 Rutgers graduates in a pair of midfielders who are looking to make their professional debuts.
Chad Toliver played in 58 games (28 goals, nine assists, 19 ground balls) at RU while
Christian Mazzone was an All-American and All-Big Ten selection in 2018, and originally a third round draft pick.
Chesapeake Bayhawks
The Bayhawks recently picked up two recent Rutgers graduates in long-stick midfielder
Garrett Michaeli and All-American goalkeeper
Max Edelmann.
New York Lizards
2016 All-American and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
Scott Bieda is with the Lizards, set to begin the year on IR. Originally drafted by the Lizards in 2016, he has played in 17 MLL games with seven goals, 16 assists and 16 ground balls and serves as an assistant coach at Lafayette College.
Dallas Rattlers
Former four-year starting goalkeeper
Kris Alleyne will begin the year on the Dallas Rattlers roster, looking to make his MLL debut. He currently serves as an assistant coach at Canisius.
Premier Lacrosse League
The inaugural season of the PLL will feature three Rutgers' alumni. The league will utilize a touring model, with no home cities and different locations each weekend for matchups between the league's six teams. The PLL
will come to New Jersey for games on June 8-9 at Red Bull Arena. The Whipsnakes play at 1 p.m. on Saturday June 8, while the Atlas play at 2 p.m. on Sunday June 9. The league will return to Red Bull Arena on September 14 for the playoffs.
Whipsnakes
Two recent Rutgers' All-Americans will be on the Whipsnakes in faceoff specialist
Joe Nardella and attackman
Jules Heningburg. Both previously saw professional action in the MLL, with Heningburg being a first round pick that scored 15 goals and added 10 assists in eight games as a rookie. He also played box lacrosse last season in the NLL for the San Diego Seals. Nardella has played in 40 career MLL games, with a 56.1% winning percentage on faceoffs, and was named to two All-Star teams.
(
UPDATE: Heningburg was traded to the Redwoods, where he scored five goals and had three assists in his debut with the club.)
Atlas
Faceoff specialist
Chris Mattes, an All-American and All-BIG EAST selection in 2011 at Rutgers, will play for the Atlas. He has previously played in 53 games over eight seasons in the MLL.
Broadcast Information
Both leagues have a variety of broadcast options to provide fans with the ability to watch former Scarlet Knights play professionally this summer.
MLL: Games can be seen on ESPN, Stadium, LSN as well as the league's website. More
here and
here and
here.
PLL: As part of a partnership with NBC Sports, every game can be seen commercial-free and on-demand, with bonus behind-the-scenes coverage. More
here and
here.
About the Premier Lacrosse League
The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) brings the sport of lacrosse to a national stage for the first time through a tour-based model, complete with the best players the sport has to offer. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the Premier Lacrosse League is backed by an investment group comprised of The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Chernin Group, and Blum Capital. The PLL season will begin in June 2019, with six teams, embarking on a 14-week season that concludes with a playoff and PLL championship game. The PLL season will be distributed through an exclusive media-rights agreement with NBC Sports Group. For more information, visit PremierLacrosseLeague.com, and follow on social media:
Instagram: @PLL
Twitter: @PremierLacrosse
Facebook: @PremierLacrosseLeague
YouTube:
YouTube.com/PLL
About Major League Lacrosse:
Major League Lacrosse (MLL), based in Boston, is the premier professional field lacrosse league. MLL has led lacrosse's growth into the mainstream of competitive team sports since 2001. In the spring of 2018, MLL entered into new leadership for the first time in 14 years when it selected Alexander Brown as the Commissioner. Since that time MLL has been on an aggressive path towards sustainably developing and growing the league. The league currently features six teams: The Atlanta Blaze, Boston Cannons, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Dallas Rattlers, Denver Outlaws, and New York Lizards. Tickets for the 2019 season and the 2019 All-Star Game are available on majorleaguelacrosse.com
Additional League Info
Instagram:
instagram.com/majorleaguelax
Twitter:
twitter.com/MLL_Lacrosse
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