Men’s Lacrosse Seeks Fight for National Championship in 2026

By Carter Schum  | January 26, 2026

The UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse team won the America East Conference Championship in 2025.  Photo Credit: Brent Warzocha / UAlbany Athletics

For the University at Albany men’s lacrosse team, 2025 was a year of repeats. 

By topping both of the co- regular season lacrosse champions, Bryant and UMBC, The Great Danes repeated as champions of the America East Conference, before once again repeating as winners of the NCAA tournament's opening round. 

This pattern of winning came before falling to the eventual national champion for the second consecutive year. 

Despite coming up short in the first round of the NCAA tournament, The Great Danes are positioned to once again compete for the America East championship. With a veteran core and strong nonconference schedule, a run at the program’s first national championship is within reach for head coach Scott Marr. 

Headlining the veteran-heavy roster is senior attackman Silas Richmond. The Delta, British Columbia native is coming off a season in which he racked up 89 total points, and was named America East offensive player of the year. 

Richmond has the ability to make plays like no other, and has scored many highlight goals over the course of his UAlbany career. A projected first round pick in both the PLL and NLL, Richmond is the next in line of nationally prominent Great Dane attack players. His dynamic playmaking ability and lacrosse IQ will need to be on full display if the Great Danes are to live up to their full potential this upcoming season. 

While Richmond may be the current face of the program, he is not without a strong supporting cast on the offensive end. Junior attackman Ryan Doherty tallied an America East-leading 45 goals last season, including a nine goal showing at Hobart. Senior Koleton Marquis is also slated to be in the attack rotation, having racked up 25 goals in the previous campaign. 

Despite the number of strong options at attack, the Great Danes maintain strength in all other positions on the field. 

The midfield unit looks to be anchored by senior Daniel Kesselring and junior Jacob Smith. Kesselring was named to the All-America East first team last season, where he recorded 26 points. 

Smith is also coming off an all-conference season, being awarded second-team America East honors in 2025. The junior will likely be a crucial part of the Great Danes’ rotation once again, and will look to improve on his mark of 53 ground balls from a year ago. 

Another name to look out for as a contributor is senior Alex Pfeiffer. He recorded 23 points in 2025 and could step up to become an option for the Great Danes. 

The defensive corps is led by reigning America East Defensive Player of the Year Max Neeson. The senior grabbed 46 ground balls a year ago while also scoring six total goals. He is a veteran presence with supreme knowledge and defensive skills, and will look to once again be an all-conference player. 

Junior Cade Galko and sophomore Brady Quill are both expected to be staples of the UAlbany defense in 2026, each having played double-digit games a year ago. 

At the faceoff, senior Rocco Moreno will lead the group. In 2025, he had a success rate of just under 50%, going 98 for 197. 

Goalkeeper Brady Smith was a sensation last season as a true freshman, recording 161 saves in 17 games en route to being named to the conference All-Rookie team and earning the Most Outstanding Player award for the America East tournament. If he can once again be a rock in net, UAlbany will have no trouble keeping the ball out of the net. 

Graduate transfer AJ Appel may serve as Smith's backup, having completed a solid career at Division III York College of Pennsylvania. 

The Great Danes’ roster will be put to the test this season, as they will embark on one of their toughest schedules in recent memory. The season starts with a bang on Feb. 14, as the Great Danes rematch with the defending national champion, Cornell Big Red. 

Cornell bested UAlbany in the first round of the 2025 NCAA men's lacrosse tournament by a score of 15-6 before winning the national championship. 

This season, The Great Danes’ nonconference slate is headlined by games against Penn, Georgetown, Yale and UMass. In order to be in contention for an at-large bid and avoid playing in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, The Great Danes will likely need to win three out of five of these marquee matches. 

The Great Danes have been strong in conference play the last two years, but will still face stiff competition in the America East. Bryant, UMBC and Vermont all appear as likely candidates to join the Great Danes in the conference tournament. 

Despite winning it last season, UAlbany dropped their opening two games in America East play, which eliminated any possibility of them finishing as the top seed and hosting the conference tournament. A good measurement for this group could be to earn both of these honors, which they did in 2024. 

All in all, the sky is the limit for the UAlbany Men’s lacrosse team in 2026. A core of proven veteran players complemented with young players in support roles should create a team that is truly hard to stop. 

The Great Danes will be the ones with the target on their back in the America East, but whether dominance in conference play can translate to the rest of the schedule, will be what defines the season for UAlbany.