By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
AQ Men’s Lacrosse finds competition in WHAC opponent, Indiana Tech – Photo by Grace Malec
A season full of changes brought a season of successes for the Men’s Lacrosse team. With the hiring of new members of coaching staff including Peter Treppa being named the head coach for the 2024-2025 season, the Saints adapted quickly to challenges thrown their way.
The team had a successful season with an overall record of 11-5 and a conference record of 4-3. The Saints soared, reaching number six in the NAIA national rankings.
Senior Nicoloas Kittredge described the dynamic of the Saints focus for the conference tournament. “This experience was so exhilarating,” Kittredge said. “We knew at the start of the WHAC playoffs that we have what it takes to make a splash. Our coach asked us if we thought we could go back and beat the teams that we lost to and the answer was a very definitive yes. That was when we decided the playoffs were to be our revenge tour.”
Men’s lacrosse began play in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday, April 22. The team faced off against the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils, a team that the Saints had previously faltered to earlier this season. The Saints played with passion and won the game 19-9 and advanced to conference semifinals where they would meet top seed Indiana Tech once again. During the game at Lawrence Tech, ten members of the team were able to find the back of Lawrence Tech’s net, with Cade Linnemeyer and Alex Rolands scoring hat tricks and Brady Waling, Evan Doan, Cory Holmes and TJ Murphy all scoring twice for Aquinas.
Coming off of a high after the win at Lawrence Tech, the Saints were on the road again to take on the Indiana Tech Warriors. After falling to the Warriors on the team’s senior night at home 11-12 in overtime, the Saints were hungry for redemption. After a back and forth battle, the Saints were able to find victory with an underdog win, taking the win 12-11 and advancing to the conference championships to take on the Concordia University Cardinals.
#23 Cade Linnemeyer plays in conference game against Indiana Tech – Photo by Grace Malec
After the team’s gritty win in Fort Wayne, the Saints headed to Ann Arbor for one last game in the conference. During the championship, the Saints fought hard with both Oliver Modderman and Alex Rolands recording hat tricks for Aquinas. Ultimately, the team was not able to find ground over the Cardinals and fell 10-17.
“What this team was able to do in the WHAC playoffs was nothing short of historic; being the first 5th seed to make it to the championship, avenging two regular season losses, and beating Indiana Tech to earn that spot to the championship game was incredible,” Kittredge said. “While we did not get the job done, the effort and determination of my teammates and coaches proves that we belong with the best programs in the country.”
With an impressive season for the Men’s Lacrosse team, the sights on the future continue to grow as the team continues to work hard. “This team has experienced every emotion this season,” senior Reed Chastain said. “I truly loved growing with this year’s team, we came an extremely long way since last august. Beating Indiana Tech for the first time since 2019 is something we will remember forever.”
The Saints work to find ground against competitive conference opponents – Photo by Grace Malec
The Saint 