Clemson, S.C. — The senior class of 2020 had their season stolen from them.

For reasons outside of their control, they will never be able to pursue goals for which they worked so hard.

As part of a recurring segment for the remainder of this spring, coaches have the opportunity to thank their seniors one last time.

Continuing the series is Clemson coach Buff Grubb honoring his nine seniors.

* * *

Before I list our seniors one thing, I'd like to make it known that this class was en route to setting program records for career wins. At the time the season went down, their record was 43-14 with five regular season games remaining. The current record holders are the class of 2013 who went 45-18 so the record was well within reach.

One consolation is that they do hold the record for career winning percentage at 75.44%. Pretty respectable numbers.

#2 Kevin Berger, LSM
Manhasset, N.Y. (Manhasset)
202 gbs, 2 goals, 1 assist; 172-for-312 in face-offs.
Kevin was a four-year starter and at his best in the open field. He was a tenacious, under-sized LSM who led the team in ground balls in three of his four years. He's going to be tough to replace

#19 Gabe Braga, Defense
Raleigh, N.C. (Leesville Road)
8 GBs; 1 G, 1 A
Gabe joined us as a transfer and brought a unique style of play. I think his dream was to be an offensive defenseman. He never hesitated to bring the ball over midfield and deep into enemy territory.

He could get away with it as he was pretty adept with the 6-foot pole. More than any of the others, Gabe was short-changed by the shortened season as he was working himself into the D rotation and seeing time on the man down unit.

#9 Nathan Brown, Defense
Portland, Ore. (Trinity)
154 GBS; 10 goals; 6 assists
All-conference and All-American as well as Scholar All American. Add to that two-time team president and three-time team captain.

Nathan was the consummate student-athlete, who led by example and set a high bar on and off the field. We'll miss him going forward, though I'm sure our opposition will be happy not to have to contend with No. 9.

#48 Brendan Cronin, Defense
Baltimore, Md. (Eastern Tech)
26 GBs
Team VP in 2019 and president in 2020. His attention to administrative details made my life easier as I was able to focus on our play and execution and didn't have to worry if a deadline was going to be missed.

Brendan was elected a team captain in 2020, which was well deserved. He was an excellent liaison between players and coaches.

#5 T.J. Gleason, Attack, Midfield, Short stick midfield
Springfield, Va. (West Springfield)
146 GBs; 10 goals, 24 assists
T.J. is the definition of the selfless team player. He started on attack as a freshman, moved to midfield as a sophomore and then on to SSDM.

Never complained, even when he got no notice of we needing him somewhere else in the line-up. His value to the team is evidenced by his election as VP and team captain in 2020.

#17 Brady Kinner, Defense
Clarksville, Mass. (River Hill)
28 GBs
Brady transferred to Clemson as a sophomore and immediately carved out a spot in our starting defense.

He possessed great game awareness and emerged as a defensive quarterback. Unfortunately, a torn ACL shortened his season as a junior and Covid 19 did the same as a senior. We would have loved to get another full season out of him.

#22 Ross Smith, Midfield
Foxborough, Mass. (Foxborough)
17 GBS; 5 G: 3A
Ross played for three years and diligently worked his way into the middie rotation in 2019 and 2020. More reliable than flashy, we could count on Ross not to make many mistakes and to take care of the ball.

He was always a popular linemate with whomever he ran with.

#39 Will Werner, Attack
Charlottesville, Va. (Charlottesville)
96 GBs; 68 goals; 5 assists
Will was the voice of reason on our offense; never out of control.

A coaches' son, his understanding of the game was high level and he put it to use. A three-year starter on attack, Will transitioned from behind the cage to the crease and, per his stats, had a fair share of success. He was elected as team captain in 2020 and served as team treasurer.