NEW HAVEN, Conn. –
In unprecedented times, Yale University Athletics is rallying together as One Bulldog Nation. While the health and safety of everyone must be at the forefront of every decision, Yale Athletics celebrates the outstanding accomplishments that our winter postseason-qualifying teams and spring programs have made this season. Today we begin honoring the outstanding senior classes of our teams that had their seasons cut short. Here is men's lacrosse.
The 11 members of the Yale Men's Lacrosse Class of 2020 have made a significant impact during the most prolific time in the history of the program. These seniors, who were focused on getting the Bulldogs back on the championship track, helped the team win a 2018 national championship, finish second in 2019, earn three NCAA Tournament appearances, win two regular-season Ivy League crowns and capture one league tournament title while winning 45 games in a little more than three seasons.
Here are the Class of 2020 Bulldogs.
Lucas Cotler, a Syosset, N.Y, native, made an immediate impact at midfield before becoming a consistent offensive weapon during his career. He recorded six multiple-goal games in a row as a rookie while playing in all 16 games. The highlight of Cotler's 2018 season was notching three points in the NCAA Championship game against Duke. He was a 2020 pre-season All-New England first-team pick who started all four games and had eight points, including a career-high four goals and five points in a win at Villanova.
Colin Courtney, from Orangeville, Ont., was a reserve on attack hoping to make an impact after recovering from an injury that knocked him out of the 2019 season. Courtney, who saw action in six games over the three seasons, was on the sidelines during practices and games helping his team reach another national championship contest last May. One of his most memorable moments was scoring a goal in a win over Harvard in 2018.
Matt Gaudet, a Hamilton, Ont., native, is one of the nation's most potent offensive threats, one who ranks third in goals (142) and 10
th in points (158) on the Yale career lists. He began his career as a Bulldog by breaking the school's rookie goal record with 32. He bumped it up to 41 in 2018 while earning the NCAA Championship Weekend Most Outstanding Player after notching 10 goals. His 51 tallies in 2019 were a Yale junior record that brought him USILA All-America and first-team All-New England honors. Gaudet was on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the second season in a row this year, while he was a pre-season All-New England First-Team pick. His career-high seven goals and eight points in a win over Michigan put him on the USILA Team of the Week and sent notice that he was on the way to another big season. Gaudet was second in the nation with 4.5 goals per game this year.
Aidan Hynes, from Mahopac, N.Y., was an inspirational player on Yale's defense who proved himself as a rookie and then had to do it all over again after a serious injury his sophomore year. Hynes earned second-team All-Ivy status before enduring a leg injury that slowed him throughout 2018 but did not prevent him from contributing to the national title run. He worked his way back to the starting lineup and performed well enough to be named a USILA All-American and earn a spot on the All-Ivy second team. Hynes was a 2020 Inside Lacrosse Pre-Season All-American and pre-season All-New England first-team pick.
TD Ierlan, the pride of Victor, N.Y., is the most prolific face-off man in the history of the sport. He came to New Haven after two record-breaking seasons at Albany and then helped the Bulldogs return to the national championship game. Ierlan, who owns 10 NCAA records, would add two more if his career averages were complete. The two most significant NCAA marks were achieved this season when he established a new career ground ball milestone against Villanova and then passed the standard for face-off wins by one against Michigan while going 25-for-27. Ierlan was a 2019 Tewaaraton Award Finalist, a USILA & Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American, Ivy League Player of the Year and a first-team All-Ivy pick while leading the nation in win percentage and ground balls. The 2020 Senior Class Award nominee and champion of community outreach was an Inside Lacrosse and USILA pre-season first-team All-American who was also in the Tewaaraton Watch List. Ierlan finished this brief season as The US Lacrosse Player of the Week and a member of the USILA Team of the Week while leading the country with a .764 win percentage.
Jackson Morrill, a Baltimore, Md., native, is one of the all-time great attackmen in the history of the Yale program. He ranks second at the school in career points with 220 and fifth in goals with 113. The captain of the 2020 Bulldogs, Morrill owns the second longest active point streak in Division I with 55 straight games. Some of his highlights include tying the school sophomore record (new Yale post-season record) for goals in a game with seven in a 2018 NCAA Tournament win over UMass and making the 2018 NCAA Championship Weekend All-Tournament Team and the Ivy League All-Tournament Team. Morrill went from second-team All-Ivy in 2018 to first-team All-Ivy and USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-America in 2019 while being ranked among the top 10 nationally in points and assists. This season, he was a Tewaaraton Award Watch List pick for the second straight year, while selected as pre-season All-America by Inside lacrosse and USILA.
Will Renz, from Rockville, N.Y., has played an important role for Yale as a defensive midfielder. The 2019 second-team All-New England selection has been a regular for four seasons, but has not been known for his offensive contributions. However, one of his highlights was finding the net in a in against Princeton in 2019. Another was a four-ground ball outing in a victory over UMass last season.
Sam Selati, a Winnetka, Ill., native, has been a reserve midfielder who has seen action in 11 games during his time on the Yale team. His efforts as a four-year letter winner have been an important contribution to the unprecedented success of the program.
Brian Ward, from Mount Lebanon, Pa., was named to the 2020 pre-season All-New England first team as a long stick midfielder. He has been a regular for the Bulldogs throughout his career while playing big roles in all the post-season games. Holding off opposing offenses and finding ground balls (he had one in each game this season) has been his focus, but Ward's own offensive highlight was scoring two goals against St. John's as a rookie. He also scooped two ground balls against Virginia in the 2019 national championship game.
Will Weitzel, a Newton, Mass., native, was a three-time All-New England first-team selection who played in every Yale game since arriving on campus. Weitzel, a long stick midfielder, has been a starter most of his career while accumulating 60 ground balls and causing 22 turnovers. One of his best days as a Bulldog came in a win over Princeton in 2018 when he had four groundballs and two takeaways.
Brody Wilson, a goalie from Downingtown, Pa., has risen to all challenges when needed in net. He has a 6-1 record as the starter for the Elis, including a 2-1 mark to start the 2020 campaign. He made 68 career saves, including a career-high 13 in a win at Villanova last month. Wilson followed that with 12 stops in a signature win at No. 1 Penn State.
