River Hawks Ready to Compete in 2024

2/9/2024 2:00:00 PM

LOWELL, Mass. – With his first year at UMass Lowell under his belt, Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Drew Kelleher has his team ready for action for the 2024 season as they look to build off the foundation he began implementing last year.

The River Hawks begin their 2024 campaign on Saturday, February 10 at Cushing Field, when they take on the Holy Cross Crusaders.

I’m really excited about this team. We have a good group of returners who are bought into our vision to make UMass Lowell lacrosse a cool place to play. We also have a strong group of new guys. Heavy in freshmen, but a few transfers. It’s been a fun team to work with and I think all these guys are pulling in the same direction.

Head Coach Drew Kelleher

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)

Last year, the River Hawks battled through a challenging 13-game schedule that featured six non-conference games, including one matchup against a nationally ranked opponent.

“Last year taught me that we need to focus on growth as people and players,” commented Kelleher. “I think our guys have prioritized that. We enjoy being at practice every day, and we see improvement every day, and that makes things a lot of fun for our staff.”

2024 Captains Release

With 20 new faces on the roster, including 17 freshmen, the River Hawks will look for veteran leadership from their three senior captains: Ben Greco (Franklin, Mass.), Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) and Curtis Redd (Amherst, N.H.).

“We’re lucky to have three great captains with Garrett Murphy, Curtis Redd and Ben Greco. Those three guys are certainly very physical and have done a tremendous job.”

Curtis Redd

Garrett Murphy

Ben Greco

Redd, who played in all 13 games while making six starts, finished third on the squad with six assists on his way to 12 total points. Making six appearances, including four starts, Murphy found success on the offensive side of the ball, totaling five goals and three assists, including three goals and two assists in the season opener against Quinnipiac. Rounding out the captains, Greco made 11 appearances during the 2023 campaign, accumulating seven ground balls and a caused turnover.

Four other returning veterans expected to have a large impact are juniors Khairi Sears (Columbus, Ohio), Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.), Ryan Quinlan (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and Alexander Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.).

Last season, Sears finished fifth on the squad with eight goals and added an assist for nine total points. The then-sophomore finished with a .688 shot-on-goal percentage on 32 total shots, which was good for third on the team out of those with at least ten shots.

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)

Sears against LIU (3.3.23)

Lawhorn against Merrimack (4.14.23)

Lawhorn, a midfielder entering his third year with the River Hawks, exploded offensively last year, finding the back of the net 21 times in his 13 appearances. The New Hampshire native found his stride early, tallying a goal in the home opener against Massachusetts, kickstarting a 10-game goal streak. Even more impressive, Lawhorn finished the season with four hat tricks, including a four-goal and one-assist performance against America East foe Binghamton.

Chairs and Quinlan proved to be a force for the River Hawks on defense, as the tandem combined for 15 caused turnovers, with Chairs having a team-high nine. The duo also proved to have a knack at getting to the loose ball, as Quinlan finished third on the team with 25 ground balls, and Chairs right behind him with 22.

February 17, 2023, Lowell, MA:
The UMass Lowell Men’s Lacrosse team takes on the UMass Amherst Minutemen at the Cushing Field Complex in Lowell, Massachusetts. Friday, February 17, 2023.
(Photo by Nick Grace/UMass Lowell Athletics)

Quinlan against UMass Amherst (2.17.23)

Chairs vs. Merrimack (4.14.23)

In net, sophomore Luke Renaud (Skaneateles, N.Y.) returns after starting all 13 games during his rookie campaign. The New York native left his mark on the program early, finishing with 186 saves, the second most by a River Hawk in a season during the Division I era. Arguably his best performance of the season, Renaud made a program-record 24 saves in the final non-conference game of the season against Holy Cross. After his impressive season, the then-freshman was named to the America East All-Rookie Team.

After opening up the season against Holy Cross, the team continues its exciting non-conference schedule with games against Massachusetts, Siena, LIU and Fairfield.

The River Hawks will then host UAlbany to begin America East play before hitting the road for two matches against Bryant and Binghamton. After welcoming UMBC to town, the team will head to North Andover to battle local rival Merrimack. Finally, UMass Lowell will celebrate their seniors on April 20 against Vermont before one final road game at NJIT closes the regular season.

I’ve been really happy with our approach to practices and our scrimmages whether it was in the fall or in the spring. Our goals are to continue to improve and keep growing. We want to be playing our best lacrosse in April and May and I think we’re on the right track to do that.

Head Coach Drew Kelleher

UMass Lowell Athletics

River Hawks Ready to Compete in 2024

2024 Men's Lacrosse Schedule

River Hawks open season against Holy Cross, host UAlbany on March 16 to open conference play