WRA Boys Lacrosse Head Coach Dylan Sheridan ’02 is proud of the hard work that the program displayed this season. He remarks that “the Class of 2024 leaves an incredible legacy in our program's storied history, finishing their final season with a record of 14-3 and top ten national ranking.” Just three years ago, the program ranked 1688th in North America, marking an unprecedented jump to their current #10 North American ranking. Many of the team’s seniors, 18 to be exact, will go on to play lacrosse at the NCAA level — another tangible mark of the growth of the program.
Two members of the senior class grab particular attention: team Co-Captains Jared Maznik and Tyler Coryea. 2024 Team MVP, Gold Medal Winner and Harvard commit Jared faced adversity when he tore his ACL in the team’s regular season win over rival Culver Academy. With Jared on the field, the team didn’t lose a game. More impressive, perhaps, is his unrelenting dedication to being a positive role model and teammate. At the Spring Athletic Awards, Coach Sheridan thanked Jared for all his hard work for the program, noting his accomplishments and accolades and projecting that Jared will be a player to watch at the NCAA level for years to come.
2024 Coaches Award Winner and Maryland commit Tyler is one of just a few four-year seniors in the program. Gaining statewide and national recognition for his goalie talents, Tyler came to WRA from just down the road in Hudson. He bought into Coach Sheridan’s model at a young age and had the privilege of reaping the benefits three years later. His quiet leadership, Coach Sheridan suggests, is a large piece of the puzzle of success for this team. Tyler’s future Maryland teammates fell to Notre Dame in the National Championship this weekend. One could reasonably expect to see Tyler on the big stage in the not-too-distant future.
There isn’t enough space to list every senior/PG player and their significant contributions to this season, but Coach Sheridan made sure to shout out Rocco LaPerna and Giovanni Brosco, saying they are “great examples of the power of perseverance. Seeing young men hang in there with us and grow into awesome players and teammates sends a really powerful message to others on the team to keep going when things get hard.”
The future is certainly bright for the WRA Lacrosse program. Without young players like sophomores Devon Satterly and Zane McGruder, this success might not have been so achievable. “I applaud their maturity to patiently wait for their turn, but continue to diligently prepare as if they could be called into action at any moment,” says Coach Sheridan. “Our young guys made some great contributions this year. Their ‘hidden’ work gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.”
Weeks after completing his fourth season at the helm of WRA Lacrosse, Coach Dylan Sheridan ‘02 will add another commitment to his busy coaching life, joining the staff of the Premier Lacrosse League’s (PLL) Philadelphia Waterdogs. In an April 18 joint Instagram post with lacrosse media outlet @varsityclublacrosse, Coach Sheridan announced that he will join the Waterdogs’ staff for the 2024 season, expanding his influence in the sport with a schedule that can coexist with his busy one at Reserve. Sheridan, a former Major League Lacrosse (MLL) player, has also coached at the NCAA and international levels over his career.
The PLL is the foremost professional lacrosse league in the United States. In December 2020, the PLL and MLL merged under the PLL name and became the centerpiece of the growing professional lacrosse scene. The league plays a 10-week regular season, utilizing a touring model schedule. Each weekend, the league plays games in a different host city, unlike the traditional American professional sports home-away schedule. The schedule is intentionally set to reduce conflict with the NCAA lacrosse schedule, which coincides with our own. It was for this reason that Coach Sherican felt comfortable accepting this role, knowing that he would be able to continue to raise the standard for WRA Lacrosse.
When asked how he anticipates this new role helping his career at WRA, Coach Sheridan said that “[being] surrounded by the best players and coaches in the world, coaching in the PLL presents a wonderful opportunity for me to learn and grow, which will better my ability to serve the young men at Reserve. I'm grateful for the amazing platform this opportunity presents me to be an ambassador for WRA in the lacrosse community.”
You may be asking, what’s next for WRA Lacrosse? Coach Sheridan is always ambitious. “Pioneer Lacrosse has achieved success that, four years ago, seemed unimaginable. The team continues to improve every year, but next fall will be the first without the Class of 2024. It'll be tough to fill their void, but the foundation they've built is strong. [With] a world-class education, beautiful campus, new lacrosse stadium, strong alumni network, excellent college placement and, most importantly, supportive parents and kids that share the vision, there's no limit to what we can accomplish.”
Limits aside, thanks to Coach Sheridan and the Class of 2024, the WRA Lacrosse program is poised for more successes in the years to come. WRA wishes Coach Sheridan the best of luck in the PLL season and the Class of 2024 the same as they pursue collegiate lacrosse and beyond.
