Men’s Lacrosse Selected for NCAA Tournament
May 09 | Men's Lacrosse
NCAA BracketVideo: Coach Brecht Press ConferenceVideo: Kieran Mullins Press ConferenceVideo: NCAA Reaction
Scarlet Knights earn first bid since 2004, will face Lehigh in opening round
PISCATWAY, N.J. – No. 6 Rutgers men's lacrosse is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004. The Scarlet Knights will face No. 8 seed Lehigh on Saturday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va.
"I'm very excited for our guys," head coach Brian Brecht said. "I'm proud of all the hard work that they've put in, the sacrifice and the commitment. I'm very thankful to our alumni base and our administration to take this next step and play in the month of May. I'm excited for our senior class, they've been through a lot and have been great leaders for us. And I'm proud of the whole team, the sacrifices that they made to make this happen. We had eight Big Ten wins – what a great job they did all year long."
The Scarlet Knights had an excellent season, entering the NCAA Tournament with an 8-3 record. Rutgers has been nationally ranked the entire season and has been in the top-10 of the poll every week since February 22. RU claimed three top-15 ranked wins during the season, downing No. 6 Penn State, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 14 Johns Hopkins and No. 14 Ohio State. While competing in a schedule against teams only from the Big Ten Conference, a league perennially ranked in the top-2 nationally in conference RPI, the Scarlet Knights had a .800 winning percentage, their best conference winning percentage since joining the league. Two of the team's three losses came to No. 1 ranked and undefeated Maryland. Rutgers' 8-2 record through the regular season marked the first time that RU had less than three losses in the regular season since 1982. Rutgers ranks in the top-10 nationally in turnovers (third), scoring offense (fifth) and clearing percentage (ninth).
"It's one of the best feelings ever," captain Kieran Mullins said. "I'm so grateful to be a part of this. We sacrificed for these moments, and it was all worth it, that made it all sweeter."
The team was led by a program record six All-Big Ten selections. Goalkeeper Colin Kirst and attackmen Adam Charalambides and Connor Kirst were both named First Team All-Big Ten. Defenseman Jaryd Jean-Felix, attackman Kieran Mullins and long-stick midfielder Ethan Rall were named Second Team All-Big Ten. Colin Kirst was the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and Shane Knobloch was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Head Coach Brian Brecht, who was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year this season for the second time in his career, leads a program into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in his career. Prior to arriving at Rutgers, he led Siena to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in the program's history. Brecht has led Rutgers to 68 victories over his 10 seasons at the helm 'On the Banks'.
Rutgers will make its 10th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights previously reached the NCAA Tournament in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 2003 and 2004. The NCAA playoff system for men's lacrosse was implemented in 1971. RU last won an NCAA Tournament game in 1990 and are 2-9 all-time in the event.
"I'm extremely excited," captain Adam Charalambides said. "It was an awesome feeling to celebrate that selection. I'm thankful to be a part of this team. Everyone had to make sacrifices this year and there was great buy-in from everyone on the team."
Lehigh finished the season with a 10-1 record and a Patriot League championship. The Scarlet Knights are 39-8-1 all-time against the Mountain Hawks and have won 13 of the past 14 meetings.
"I'm very excited for our guys," head coach Brian Brecht said. "I'm proud of all the hard work that they've put in, the sacrifice and the commitment. I'm very thankful to our alumni base and our administration to take this next step and play in the month of May. I'm excited for our senior class, they've been through a lot and have been great leaders for us. And I'm proud of the whole team, the sacrifices that they made to make this happen. We had eight Big Ten wins – what a great job they did all year long."
The Scarlet Knights had an excellent season, entering the NCAA Tournament with an 8-3 record. Rutgers has been nationally ranked the entire season and has been in the top-10 of the poll every week since February 22. RU claimed three top-15 ranked wins during the season, downing No. 6 Penn State, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 14 Johns Hopkins and No. 14 Ohio State. While competing in a schedule against teams only from the Big Ten Conference, a league perennially ranked in the top-2 nationally in conference RPI, the Scarlet Knights had a .800 winning percentage, their best conference winning percentage since joining the league. Two of the team's three losses came to No. 1 ranked and undefeated Maryland. Rutgers' 8-2 record through the regular season marked the first time that RU had less than three losses in the regular season since 1982. Rutgers ranks in the top-10 nationally in turnovers (third), scoring offense (fifth) and clearing percentage (ninth).
"It's one of the best feelings ever," captain Kieran Mullins said. "I'm so grateful to be a part of this. We sacrificed for these moments, and it was all worth it, that made it all sweeter."
The team was led by a program record six All-Big Ten selections. Goalkeeper Colin Kirst and attackmen Adam Charalambides and Connor Kirst were both named First Team All-Big Ten. Defenseman Jaryd Jean-Felix, attackman Kieran Mullins and long-stick midfielder Ethan Rall were named Second Team All-Big Ten. Colin Kirst was the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and Shane Knobloch was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Head Coach Brian Brecht, who was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year this season for the second time in his career, leads a program into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in his career. Prior to arriving at Rutgers, he led Siena to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in the program's history. Brecht has led Rutgers to 68 victories over his 10 seasons at the helm 'On the Banks'.
Rutgers will make its 10th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights previously reached the NCAA Tournament in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 2003 and 2004. The NCAA playoff system for men's lacrosse was implemented in 1971. RU last won an NCAA Tournament game in 1990 and are 2-9 all-time in the event.
"I'm extremely excited," captain Adam Charalambides said. "It was an awesome feeling to celebrate that selection. I'm thankful to be a part of this team. Everyone had to make sacrifices this year and there was great buy-in from everyone on the team."
Lehigh finished the season with a 10-1 record and a Patriot League championship. The Scarlet Knights are 39-8-1 all-time against the Mountain Hawks and have won 13 of the past 14 meetings.
Players Mentioned
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Long-Stick Midfield
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