Stepping Into The Void

By: E.J. Freeman | MCLA.us

ATLANTA, GA-  The first half of this decade has been spent in uncharted waters regarding eligibility at all levels of college lacrosse due to COVID years. The 2026 season should mark the beginning of a return to normalcy. There will still be a few players who received an extra year and missed another season for various reasons, but the vast majority of athletes granted additional eligibility have now graduated or exhausted it. Between those with COVID years and those who began their college careers in 2022, the 2025 season saw a bumper crop of talent finish their MCLA careers. Across Divisions I and II, 21 of 32 first-team All-America honorees will not be returning. For comparison, of the 32 first-team All-America honorees in 2024, only 14 moved on.

Names that have become familiar throughout the MCLA will no longer be around. Three-hundred-point scorers Keaton Mohs, Brooks Baro, and Ryan Kerr are gone. Dominant faceoff specialists like Caleb Hammett and Rayce Neill are gone. Standout players who had short but bright MCLA careers, Connor Guiltinan, Morry Stein, and Dylan Hess have also moved on. Multiple-time All-America defensemen Kale Kissell and Ryan Donabauer will not be there this spring. Sam Bellomy and Gunner Arens, consistently impenetrable goaltenders, have both left their respective cages.  Loy Howard and Gavin McIntyre will not be patrolling the middle of the field anymore. These players made significant impacts on the MCLA in their rightfully celebrated careers, but those careers are now over. Time marches on, and the league pushes forward.

As we enter the quiet period between the end of fall ball and the start of spring practice, I find myself wondering who will step into that void.

Make no mistake, there is talent waiting in the wings to take over for these departed stalwarts. Grand Valley State returns first-team honorees at attack, midfield, defense, and long-stick midfield (!). Utah Valley also brings back multiple All-America honorees.

There will be role players from previous years who now have room to spread their wings and flourish in expanded roles. Freshmen who spent 2025 getting comfortable with the grind and rhythm of a college lacrosse season are now experienced sophomores, ready for what lies ahead. Upperclassmen who see the end of their college careers approaching will refocus themselves to make the most of their final opportunities.

There are also sure to be newcomers who arrive and hit the ground running, whether freshmen or transfers.

While there is a void to be filled, I have no doubt that there are a plethora of players ready to step forward and become the new standard-bearers for the MCLA as we head into the second half of this decade. I, for one, am eager to see who those players will be beginning in just nine short weeks.