EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette men's lacrosse program held its annual alumni weekend and banquet as part of the college's homecoming this past weekend on College Hill.

The weekend featured a banquet for the 2024 team. Prior to that, the Leopards held their Alumni Game at Fisher Stadium in a new "Legends versus Young Alumni" format.

"We are so grateful for all of our alumni who participated in alumni weekend. It was awesome seeing our current team reconnect with old teammates and form new bonds with alumni. Congratulations to all of our award recipients as we also honored the legacy of the 2024 seniors who achieved many milestones," said head coach Pat Myers. "The Class of 2024 transformed Lafayette Lacrosse forever and became a catalyst for positive change." 

"In addition, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallach Sports Performance and Lacrosse Center was an incredibly special moment for the College, athletic department and both lacrosse programs. Coupled with our new Legends and Young Alumni game format, the energy throughout the weekend was at an all time high. We are so grateful for our amazing student-athletes and passionate alumni as we continue to take Lafayette lacrosse to new heights together."

Numerous team awards were given out by the Leopards, during the team's banquet on Saturday. The award winners and presenters are listed below.



DMGB Strength and Conditioning Award
This player consistently showed improvement in the weight room and had the ability to impact his teammates through his positive attitude and exceptional work ethic during strength and conditioning workouts. Doesn't Matter – Get Better.
Presenter: Steve Plunkett, Director of Strength and Conditioning
Winner: Louis Baloh '24



Rookie of the Year
Awarded to the freshman member of the Lafayette Lacrosse team who made the most valuable contributions to help his team's success throughout the entire season.
Presenter: Cole Dutton '22
Winner: Jack Massotto



Academic Excellence Award
Awarded to a member of the Lafayette Lacrosse Team who had the highest GPA after the course of the year from Fall 2023 – Spring 2024.
Presenter: Carly Riepenhoff, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success/SWA
Winners: Peter Lehman '24, Connor Freeman '24, Jacob Freeman '24



Most Improved Player
Awarded to the player who, through personal effort to develop his lacrosse ability, has shown the greatest improvement this past season.
Presenter: Ryan Duncan '23
Winner: Riley Sullivan



David Heard Unsung Hero Award
David Heard sadly lost his battle with Neuroblastoma in 2011 at the age of 10. David was a friend of College Hill as his parents were closely connected with Lafayette. David started the Crane project to bring hope to children with cancer. David's wish was to find a cure for childhood cancer one day, as a 10-year-old David had a life and spirit that is not often found in children that age, he is an inspiration to all of us. The David Heard Unsung Hero award is given to a Lafayette Lacrosse player who represents grit, perseverance, and has overcome adversity while still maintaining a positive attitude amongst his teammates and coaching staff. This person inspires his teammates to overcome any challenge, big or small, and displays the mental toughness to keep fighting.
Presenter: Gunnar Bogorowski '23
Winner: Gabe Cummins



Leopard Award
Awarded to the player who showed the greatest toughness on ground balls and consistently showed physical/mental toughness on a daily basis. He defines what "playing like a leopard" looks like.
Presenter: Jud Hall, Associate Head Coach
Winner: Evan Prince



Ron Constable '85 Brotherhood Award
Awarded to the player who consistently inspired and led his teammates both on and off the field through his unselfishness, outstanding leadership, and "We Over Me" mindset. This player consistently built high levels of trust with his teammates and the staff, through daily relentless effort, and an unwavering loyalty to the brotherhood.
Presenter: JP Robinson '23
Winner: Sean Rushton '24



Offensive MVP
Awarded to the member of the Lafayette Lacrosse team who made the most valuable contribution on the offensive end to help his team's success throughout the entire season.
Presenter: Pat Myers, Head Coach
Winner: John Mathes '24



Defensive MVP
Awarded to the member of the Lafayette Lacrosse team who made the most valuable contributions on the defensive end to help his team's success throughout the entire season.
Presenter: Pat Myers, Head Coach
Winner: Tommy McGee '24



Bill Lawson Service to Lafayette Lacrosse Award
Coach Lawson was a great person, who had a tremendous impact as a coach and teacher of hundreds of student-athletes. He enjoyed being around the kids, teaching them, and making them just a little bit better. His legacy is not tied to the wins and losses, rather it is instead tied to the important things in life.  While Coach Lawson was coaching at Lafayette, he continued to donate his time to high school programs in the Easton area teaching young folks how to read & write. After he retired Coach Lawson continued to Volunteer his time as an assistant coach for the next 8 years, which speaks volumes with regard to how much he loved coaching kids the game of lacrosse and the bigger picture of life long skills. The Bill Lawson award goes to someone who, in his image, has given the greatest service to Lafayette over this past year or past several years.
Sponsor: Harvey Cohen '40
Presenter: Pat Myers, Head Coach
Winner: Andrew and Dina Wallach '95, Scott and Kristen Rushton
 

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