Season in Review

5/25/2023 12:00:00 PM

LOWELL, Mass. – Entering the season with a new coaching staff led by head coach Drew Kelleher, the UMass Lowell men’s lacrosse team fought through a challenging, thirteen game schedule.

2023 NEWCOMERS RELEASE

Before kicking off the 2023 campaign, Coach Kelleher looked to build off the successes of the year prior by bringing on 11 freshmen to help bolster the roster.

October 18, 2022, Lowell, MA:
The UMass Lowell Men’s Lacrosse team poses for portraits at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
(Photo by Nick Grace/UMass Lowell Athletics)

JD Henninger

Jackson Dean

Ben Roberts

Owen Wills

CAPTAINS RELEASE

With the additions to the team finalized, the River Hawks announced their leadership group, which consisted of two first-time captains. Midfielder Nick Harvath, who has been a staple for the River Hawks the last three years, was the first to be named captain, while sophomore Alexander Chairs also was honored with the title following an impressive rookie campaign.

UML 11, QUINNIPIAC 21 – RECAP

Opening the season on the road, the River Hawks travelled to Connecticut to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats. On the offensive end, juniors Garrett Murphy and Curtis Redd had career days, with Murphy posting a personal-best five points while Redd tallied his first career goal. Although the River Hawks outscored their opponents in the second half, the hosts were able to secure the victory in the opening match.

April 14, 2023, Lowell, MA:
The Umass Lowell Men’s Lacrosse team takes on the Merrimack College Warriors at the Cushing Field in Lowell, Massachusetts. Friday, April 14, 2023.
(Photo by Nick Grace/UMass Lowell Athletics)

Curtis Redd

Luke Renaud

UML 9, HOLY CROSS 13 – RECAP

Taking on local rival Holy Cross, the UMass Lowell offense had one of their best performances of the season, totaling seven goals in the opening quarter to take a 7-2 lead. Even more impressive, freshman goalkeeper Luke Renaud had a historic day, making 24 saves and surpassing the previous program record of 22 saves set by Grant Lardieri during the 2019 season.

UML 10, NJIT 11 (OT) – RECAP

Prior to the final game of the season, the River Hawks came together to recognize Nick Harvath, Cody Stevens, Jake Rosado, Paul Macrina, and Brian Wiles in a Senior Day celebration. On the field, Harvath had a career day, tallying his first career hat trick, including two goals in the first quarter, while sophomore Trevor Tismo scored his first career goal late in the third.

The Class of 2023

After the regular season, Luke Renaud was named to the America East All-Rookie team for the impact he made in his first season. Starting all 13 games in net, the freshman had a season for the record books, finishing second in program history for saves in a season (186), fourth in save percentage (.488), and fourth in in minutes played (736:01). The rookie also had three performances that rank in the top-five in program history for saves in a game, including the program-best 24 saves he made against Holy Cross. Renaud also ranked second in America East and fourth in the country with an impressive 14.31 saves per game.

The River Hawks again saw strong performances on each end of the field, with 17 players recording at least one point, while seven reached the double-digit mark.

Finishing with the best season of his career, midfielder Nick Harvath recorded new personal bests in goals (14), assists (12), points (26), and groundballs (19). The offensive leader for the River Hawks, the senior made 11 starts, firing off 45 shots, including 25 on goal, for a .556 shot on goal percentage. Harvath paced his squad with 1.09 assists per game, which ranked 10th in the America East conference.

Sophomore midfielder Riley Lawhorn exploded on the offensive end this year for the River Hawks, finding the back of the net 21 times over his 13 appearances. Against conference opponent Binghamton, the New Hampshire native had the best performance of his young career, firing off nine shots, including seven on goal, to total four goals, all of which were personal bests. He followed that performance with another hat trick against UMBC, before reaching that mark once more at Holy Cross.

March 3, 2023, Lowell, MA:
The UMass Lowell Men’s Lacrosse team takes on the LIU Sharks at the Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts. Friday, March 3, 2023.
(Photo by Nick Grace/UMass Lowell Athletics)

Rounding out the offensive firepower for UMass Lowell, graduate student Sean Parker started the season off hot with two goals against Quinnipiac. Starting in seven games, the New Jersey native ranked third on the squad in goals (14) and points (17). His six man-up goals also paced his team while ranking third in America East.

The faceoff specialist for the River Hawks, freshman Devin German was quick to leave his mark on the program, going 8-for-16 on faceoffs in the team’s opening game. On the season, the rookie gathered 54 ground balls while winning 84 faceoffs for a .372 faceoff percentage, pacing the squad in both marks. Against Siena, German gave the River Hawks the lead midway through the third with a grab-and-go goal, the first goal of his career.

Sophomore Alexander Chairs picked up where he left off at the end of his freshman campaign. Leading the River Hawks defense, Chairs appeared in 12 of the team's 13 games, making 10 starts. Finishing fourth on the team with 22 ground balls collected, the Maryland native caused a team-high nine caused turnovers. Against Merrimack, he posted arguably the best game of his career, totaling a career-best three caused turnovers while tying his season high with three ground balls.