NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Brian Tevlin showed his leadership potential before coming to New Haven when he captained his last two high school teams to county championships. He cemented his status as a leader among Yale teammates when he helped save a life by donating marrow during the 2019 season.

When it came time to select a 2021 captain for the program that has finished first and second in the nation that last two years, Tevlin was a natural choice.

"I could not be more excited to be chosen to lead this team. We have a special group of guys, and coaches, who are eager to get back to work. I am honored to be able to lead this group in 2021," said Tevlin from his home in Livingston, N.J.

The 5-foot, 11-inch Bulldog was a 2020 Inside Lacrosse Pre-Season All-America Honorable Mention and a New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Pre-Season first-team pick who started all four games before the season was halted with Yale at No. 5 in the country and 3-1 overall.

Tevlin, whose career best day was four goals and six points in a 2019 win over Michigan, earned the One Love Foundation Unsung Hero Award, a national honor annually bestowed on one male and one female in college lacrosse. He also earned Yale's Dan Casman Award for team spirit and morale last spring while helping the Elis make a run to the national title game.

The 185-pound former Seton Hall Prep star was no stranger to the national championship scene, having scored a goal in the title game against Duke in 2018, one of his five points during that NCAA Tournament.

"We have had a long run of incredible leaders in this program, and Brian will be no different," said Yale Head Coach Andy Shay. "I'm excited for him.  He has been a servant leader in this program since he set foot on campus, and I'm certain he will continue the legacy of his teammates and former captains." 

The junior midfielder, who has played in every Yale game except for the two he missed while answering the call from Be The Match, feels the 2021 Bulldogs are playing for more than themselves.

"Not only do we have our own business to handle, but we will be playing for, and representing, the class of 2020 that did so much to push this program forward. We (the seniors) have had the privilege of playing with, and being led by, three of the best lacrosse classes, and captains, to ever come through Yale Lacrosse, not only in terms of their talent, but in terms of the examples they set and the way they carried on the traditions of Yale Lacrosse," said Tevlin. "The rest of the seniors and I are ready to take on the challenge of leading this program, and we are looking forward to getting back on campus and picking up where we left off."