Georgetown University’s 2024 men’s lacrosse season was full of electric moments. Early in the season, the team defeated the reigning national champions and No. 1 ranked University of Notre Dame in an overtime thriller. Then, in the Big East tournament, the team captured their sixth straight Big East Championship after back-to-back overtime victories against Providence and Villanova.
Despite Georgetown’s success in the Big East tournament in another great 13-win season, the Hoyas faced a familiar fate. In 2023, at their tenth NCAA quarterfinals appearance since 2000, men’s lacrosse had fallen to the eventual national champions Notre Dame. The Hoyas last reached the semifinals in 1999 and have not returned despite many impressive seasons and All-American players.
Coming into this season, the team not only contends to break this unfortunate streak, but also to compete for a national title. The Hoyas came in at No. 11 in Inside Lacrosse’s (IL) Preseason Media Poll, showing confidence in the reloaded Hoya roster.
IL’s top 20 poll only featured only one other Big East team, with the University of Denver Pioneers ranked at No. 10. With this in mind, Georgetown is in a position to strongly compete for a possible seventh-straight Big East Championship, which would give them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Five-time Big East coach of the year Kevin Warne will enter his 13th season with Georgetown with a breadth of experience.
Thanks to a collection of newcomers and veteran returners, the team looks poised for a playoff run. The Hoyas took in a pair of graduate transfers to help offset some offseason losses. Attackman Fulton Bayman is coming off back-to-back national championship wins at Notre Dame, while midfielder Jack Erb brings four years of Division 1 experience from Siena College.
The Hoyas will receive additional assistance at the midfield from first-year Ben Firlie, who comes in as a five-star recruit and ranked 21st in his class. His high school teammate, Max Allen, will bolster the Hoya defense as the 43rd-ranked recruit in the class.
Among the Hoyas’ many returners, four of them were named USA Lacrosse Magazine preseason All-Americans. Sophomore defenseman Ty Banks and sophomore goalie Anderson Moore received the honor following stellar freshman seasons on the Hilltop. A pair of veteran teammates, graduate faceoff specialist James Ball and graduate attackman Aidan Carroll, also earned their spot on the list.
The team will look to now two-time captain Carroll for leadership, who’s coming off an outstanding 2024 breakout season. Carroll, formerly a scout team player for the Hoyas, led the team in scoring with 60 points and was named first team all-Big East. He also received honorable mentions from USILA and USA Lacrosse Magazine’s All-America honors.
In addition to their star players, the Hoyas will need increased production from some of their other experienced returners to contend for a title. Junior midfielders Patrick Crogan and Jordan Wray had solid 2024 seasons with 23 and 22 points respectively, but have large shoes to fill coming into 2025. The Hoyas graduated two All-American midfielders, Graham Bundy Jr. and Alexander Vardaro, in the offseason, who now play professionally in the Premier Lacrosse League.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hoyas feature one of the stronger units in the country. Along with Banks, graduate defensemen Will Tominovich and Seamus Foley bring plenty of experience to the table. Both players bring several seasons of play and have served as starters on the Hoya defense.
Georgetown will begin their season by hosting familiar opponents, with several opportunities to avenge themselves. Three of their first four games come against Loyola University Maryland, No. 8 Johns Hopkins University, and No. 1 Notre Dame, representing the bulk of Georgetown’s losses last season. They will have their first opportunity of the season when they open at home against Loyola Maryland Feb. 1st.
Among other games, their schedule will feature bouts against No. 13 University of Pennsylvania, No. 10 Denver, and No. 20 Richmond University. Their path to a coveted seventh-straight Big East Championship will start on March 29, when the team opens up conference play at home versus Providence College.
With a challenging schedule ahead of them, the Hoyas will look to prove themselves on the national stage. Using their mix of newcomers and seasoned returners, the Hoyas have what it takes to accomplish all of their goals in the upcoming 2025 season.