For the first time since 2012, there’s a new defending champion in Liberty League Men's Lacrosse as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) captured its first conference title since 2010 with a 15-14 victory against top-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) last May. With a veteran squad returning to Troy to kick off 2025, the Engineers were tabbed as the league’s 2025 preseason favorite.
Following the 2024 campaign, which saw three conference teams earn a share of the 2024 Liberty League regular season title and four teams earn spots in the NCAA tournament, it comes as no surprise that the upcoming season is shaping up to be a highly contested battle. The coaches took notice of the league’s competitiveness in their preseason rankings.
RPI leads off the 2025 poll with five first-place votes and 47 total points, beating out RIT for top honors by two. The Tigers tallied 45 points and three first-place votes for second. St. Lawrence University (37) and Union College (31), slated to finish third and fourth, round out the league’s top four teams. Clarkson University and Ithaca College tied for fifth with 19 points apiece; the Golden Knights and Bombers were followed by Skidmore College (17) and Vassar College (9).
Five Liberty League teams are highlighted in the 2025 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III preseason poll, and four were recognized by Inside Lacrosse. RIT is the top conference team in both polls, checking in at No. 3. RPI is sixth in the USILA poll and seventh in Inside Lacrosse, while St. Lawrence is tenth with Inside Lacrosse and eleventh with USILA. Union is also among the top 20 in both: 17th (USILA) and 19th (Inside Lacrosse). Skidmore is receiving votes in the USILA poll.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI closed out last season with a 17-3 overall record and a 6-1 mark against conference opponents. In addition to earning the 2025 Liberty League title, the Engineers returned to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years and advanced to the third round. This season, they are headlined by the All-Liberty League first team and All-America duo of goalie Joseph Perry and defender Caleb Oswari. Perry played in all 20 games last season, compiling a 9.38 goals against average and a .579 save percentage. Among league goalies, he was second in goals against average, save percentage, saves (245), and saves per game (12.25). Nationally, Perry was among the top 30 in both save percentage (28th) and goals against average (30th). Oswari played in all 20 games and was a dual threat for the Engineers; he paced RPI in caused turnovers (34), was second in ground balls (57), and registered double-digits in points with 12 (6G, 6A). A pair of All-Liberty League second-team selections: Angelo Venuto and Sean Smith are also key returning players for RPI. Venuto led the team from the faceoff X, winning 301-of-490 faceoffs for a .614 winning percentage, good for fifth in the conference and 51st in Division III. Ventuo was also the team leader in ground balls with 220. He averaged 11 ground balls per game, second in the Liberty League and eighth in Division III. Venuto also had a hand in the offense with ten goals and 15 assists (25 points). Smith totaled 40 points with 37 goals and three assists last year. He picked up 44 ground balls and recorded 12 caused turnovers. Tyler Ruffini is back and was the team’s top scorer last year. In 20 games, he tallied 51 points, thanks to 18 goals and a team-high 33 assists.
Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT wrapped up the 2024 campaign at 21-3 overall and 6-1 in league play. Despite falling in the Liberty League championship game, the Tigers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament to make the program’s 25th (14th consecutive) appearance. In NCAAs, they reeled off four straight victories and advanced to the title game for the third time in four years (fifth all-time). RIT welcomes back a core group of players from the 2024 squad, including All-America first-team attack Clifford Gaston (All-Liberty League first team) as well as a pair of All-America honorable mention selections in midfielder Seth Grottenhaler (All-Liberty League second team) and goalie Alex Zborowski (All-Liberty League honorable mention). Gaston was the Tigers’ top offensive weapon boasting a team-best 75 goals, 37 assists, and 112 points last year. He was among the league’s leaders in goals per game (3.13, 2nd), points per game (4.67, 2nd), and shots per game (8.29, 5th). He recorded at least a point in all 24 games and had two or more in 23-of-24 games. In 17 games, Grottenhaler netted 18 goals and handed out 17 assists for 35 points. Zborowski went 19-3 in net for the Tigers as a sophomore with a 10.35 goals against average and .560 save percentage. He also made a league-best 251 saves while ranking seventh in saves per game (10.91). He was ranked third in save percentage and fourth in goals against average among league goalies. Allyn French (All-Liberty League honorable mention) will also be a key contributor after posting a team-high 146 ground balls (6.08 per game), good for fourth in the conference, last year. He also won 261-of-471 faceoffs for a .554 winning percentage (6th, Liberty League).
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence had a strong campaign last year finishing with an overall record of 15-4, and the Saints went 6-1 against league foes. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years and moved on to the third round. A trio of All-America honorable mention selections will anchor this year’s team with the return of Caleb Torres, Mike Marinello, and Bobby Wells. Torres, an All-Liberty League first-team selection, scooped up 27 ground balls and caused 15 turnovers last season. He also scored two goals and recorded two assists. Marinello started all 19 games for the Saints posting a 7.46 goals against average and .627 save percentage. He was the league’s top goalie in both categories while ranking third in saves (229) and fourth in saves per game (12.09). In Division III, Marinello was sixth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage. Torres and Marinello spearheaded a defense that held opponents to a league-low 142 goals. They will be joined by faceoff specialist Paddy Condon (All-Liberty League second team) and attack Daniel Mahoney (Liberty League Rookie of the Year). Condon was the team’s top weapon at the faceoff X with a .677 faceoff percentage (268-for-396), good for second among league leaders. He scooped up a team-high 191 ground balls (3rd, Liberty League) and averaged 10.05 per game (3rd, Liberty League). Nationally, Condon was seventh in faceoff percentage and 13th in ground balls per game. Mahoney is the Saints’ top returning scorer after ranking third last year in points. He scored 26 goals and had 10 assists for 36 points.
Union College
Union (12-6, 4-3 Liberty League) wrapped up 2024 by advancing to its sixth consecutive Liberty League tournament, and the Garnet Chargers earned their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. They will look to extend those streaks heading into 2025. A pair of All-Liberty League first-team selections headline the Garnet Chargers’ returning players in Pat Reilly (18 games, All-America second team) and John Sula (18 games, All-America third team). Reilly was second on the team in ground balls with 67 and caused 11 turnovers, good for fourth. Sula was second in caused turnovers (13) and third in ground balls (55). The duo chipped in offensively with a combined three goals and five assists for eight points. They were also a big part of Union’s faceoff unit that ranked third in Division III last year with a .690 winning percentage (342-of-496). Peter Kip, an All-Liberty League second-team honoree and All-America honorable mention selection, will pilot the Union offense after pacing the team in points (69), goals (46), and assists (23) last year. He also scooped up 24 ground balls and recorded three caused turnovers. Kip finished the year among the league’s top 10 in goals (5th) and points (7th). He was also third in shots per game with 8.61 and fourth in total shots with 155. Hazen Pike also returns after ranking seventh on the team in scoring last season with 13 goals and six assists for 19 points.
Clarkson University
Clarkson snagged the final spot in the league tournament in 2024 and returned to the postseason for the second consecutive season, finishing the year at 8-9 overall. The Golden Knights will be led by All-Liberty League second team and All-America honorable mention selection Matt Szwagulinski. Szwagulinski was a stalwart defensive presence for Clarkson last season, pacing the team in caused turnovers (32) and ranking second in ground balls (56). He was among the league’s top five in caused turnovers per game (3rd, 1.88) and total caused turnovers (4th). Szwagulinski also contributed two assists for two points. He along with returning goalie Griffin Emerson will mind the backfield this season. Emerson made 128 saves in 13 games for the Golden Knights while posting a 10.13 goals against average and a .538 save percentage. He finished the year third in the conference in goals against average and sixth in save percentage. Other key returnees include Alex Seiler and Logan Wilkinson. Seiler tallied 20 points in 15 games (14 G, 6 A) last year and Logan Wilkinson won 103-of-226 faceoffs for a .456 winning percentage to go along with a team-best 72 ground balls (7th, Liberty League). He also posted 10 caused turnovers and tallied five points on two goals and three assists.
Ithaca College
Ithaca eyes a return to the postseason in 2025 as the Bombers welcome back six starters from last year’s squad that posted an overall mark of 8-8. They will be a seasoned team with 25 upperclassmen leading the way, including graduate student Charlie Niebuhr and senior Kyle Proctor to fuel the offense. They were both among the Bombers’ top three in scoring last season. In 15 games, Niebuhr had a team-high 30 goals and added four assists for 34 points. Proctor started all 16 games and recorded a team-best 19 assists to go along with 14 goals last year. He totaled 33 points, good for third on the team. Chris Sohl is back for his senior campaign after playing in all 16 games in 2024. He finished the year among the Liberty League’s best faceoff specialists last season. He won 136-of-218 faceoffs for a .624 winning percentage, fourth among conference leaders. Sohl scooped up 86 ground balls (6th, Liberty League) and averaged 5.38 per game (5th, Liberty League). He also scored two goals and caused two turnovers.
Skidmore College
With the return of eight starters to open the 2025 season, Skidmore is poised to improve upon an overall record of 9-7. The Thoroughbreds are headlined by the return of All-Liberty League second-team honorees Brian Gonsalves and David Koffler. Gonsalves paced the team in scoring with 39 goals and 27 assists for 66 points. He was sixth in points per game (4.13) and eighth in goals per game (2.44) among league leaders. Gonsalves was also ranked among the league’s top 10 in shots (9th, 114) and shots per game (9th, 7.13). He recorded at least a point in all 16 games last year and is on a 21-game point streak entering his senior season. He also picked up 32 ground balls and caused five turnovers. Koffler netted 14 goals and dished out five assists for 19 points last season. In addition, he had seven caused turnovers and 29 ground balls. Collin Kuester returns as the team’s starting goalie after missing last season. In 2023, Kuester (10-4) made 207 saves (12.94 per game), good for second in the conference. He also posted a .569 save percentage (4th, Liberty League) and 10.63 goals against average (6th, Liberty League). Marty McFadden is also back to bolster the defense; he led the team in caused turnovers (26) and was second in ground balls (49) last year.
Vassar College
Vassar wrapped up 2024 with an overall record of 9-6 and narrowly missed the league tournament. The Brewers will be an experienced squad to kick off 2025 with seven starters back in the lineup from last season. Gavin Arcuri and Baker Morton will lead the offense; they were both among the team’s scoring leaders from a year ago. As a rookie, Arcuri was third on the team in points with 31, thanks to 19 goals and 12 assists. He also grabbed 18 ground balls and recorded four caused turnovers. Morton was one of six Brewers to tally 20 or more points, finishing the season with 12 goals and eight assists. He scooped up 19 ground balls and caused two turnovers. Vassar also welcomes back long stick midfielder Matteo Roman and goalie Drew Quinn. Roman was second on the team in caused turnovers with 20 and tied for fifth in ground balls with 29. He also scored two goals and handed out an assist for three points. In 15 games (801 minutes), Quinn made 168 saves, averaging 11.2 per game, good for sixth in the conference.
The 2025 season gets underway on Saturday, February 8 with RPI hosting Kean College at 1 PM. Three more teams join in on non-conference action the following week (Skidmore, St. Lawrence, and RIT). Skidmore hosts SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday, February 12 while St. Lawrence and RIT open the 2025 season on Saturday, February 15 with 1 PM starts against Western New England University and Denison University respectively. League play begins on Saturday, March 22 with all eight league teams in conference clashes (Union vs. Clarkson; St. Lawrence vs. Skidmore; RPI vs. RIT; Vassar vs. Ithaca).
2025 Liberty League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
- 1. RPI, 47 (5)
- 2. RIT, 55 (3)
- 3. St. Lawrence, 37
- 4. Union, 31
- T-5. Clarkson, 19
- T-5. Ithaca, 19
- 7. Skidmore, 17
- 8. Vassar, 9