Whitley announces 20-player recruiting class for 2025 - Bellarmine University Athletics (2024)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine University lacrosse head coach Andrew Whitley today announced the completion of a 20-player recruiting class for the 2025 season.

"We are extremely excited about this group," Whitley said."I believe they have the potential to be the most accomplished class in my coaching career.While we are long way from that becoming a reality, the potential this group possesses is extraordinary.On top of that, they join what is arguably the most talented three classes ever assembled at Bellarmine for the 2025 season."

The class features six attackmen, seven midfielders, four defensem*n, two faceoff specialists and one goalie. The freshmen come from 10 states: Ohio (4), Georgia (3), Michigan (3), Maryland (2), Illinois (2), California (1), Colorado (1), Indiana (1), Missouri (1), South Carolina (1) and Texas (1).

Aaron Alford #30

• Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
• High School: McCallie School
• Position: Defense
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x US Lacrosse All-American; 2023 and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year; 2024 Captain's Award; 2x First Team All-State; 3x First Team All-Region
• Academic Awards: 2024 Head of School List (All A's); 2023 and 2022 Honor Roll (As and Bs); 2023 Faculty Recognition List (recognized for positive impact on classroom experiences)
• Why Bellarmine: "Great atmosphere and lacrosse environment. Familiar with Louisville and want to spend time here."

Joe Alie #25

• Hometown: Aurora, Colo.
• High School: Grandview
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: Team 91 CO; Team 91 National; Team Colorado U19
• Lacrosse Awards: 1x First Team All-State; 2x First Team Academic All-State; 1x Adrenaline All-American; 1x Academic All-American; 2x Grandview Offensive Player of the Year; 2x First Team All-Conference; 1x Second Team All-Conference; Grandview Offensive Rookie of the Year; 1x Second Team All-State
• Academic Awards: 4x Honor Roll; Top 15% of class
• Why Bellarmine: "I like how it's a small school in a cool city. It has what I want to major in and I get to play lacrosse with my brother at the collegiate level. The lacrosse program is on a rise and the school has a great campus that isn't impossible to navigate."

Zach Bailiff #60

• Hometown: Folsom, Cali.
• High School: Vista Del Lago
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: Advnc NDP, Pinnacle, Advnc Sacramento, Advnc North Bay, Aces Sacramento
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x All-League; School record for most assists (62) and points(128) in a season; School record for most assists (136) and points (301) in a career; Captain
• Academic Awards: CAL Scholar Athlete
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose Bellarmine because I feel that the university offers a good balance of academics and athletics, with the small-campus relationships."

Sam Boylston #22

• Hometown: Charleston, S.C.
• High School: IMG Academy
• Position: Midfield
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x All-American Team South
• Why Bellarmine: "Great coach, teammates and Louisville!"

John Burkhardt #5

• Hometown: Severna Park, Md.
• High School: Severna Park
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: Hawks
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x First Team All-State; 2x First Team All-County; 1x USA Player of the Week; First Team All-Metro
• Academic Awards: Leadership Institution
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose it because not only does it have a great well known lacrosse program, but the academics are astonishing here as well as a close well knit community."

Christian Davis #70

• Hometown: Brookeville, Md.
• High School: Saint John's College High School
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: DC Express
• Lacrosse Awards: All-WCAC Honorable Mention
• Academic Awards: National Honors Society as a junior; Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: "I love the location of the school and the sense of family/community that is on the lacrosse team and extending out to the rest of the school."

Ayden Hanna #47

• Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
• High School: Olentangy Orange
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: True Ohio
• Lacrosse Awards: 1x First Team All-Region; 1x First Team All-OCC; 1x Third Team All-State; School record for goals; School record for points
• Academic Awards: 3.75 GPA
• Why Bellarmine: "Love my teammates, the coaching staff and the community."

Nolan Hudnut #45

• Hometown: Howell, Mich.
• High School: Howell
• Position: Goalkeeper
• Club Team: Cherries
• Lacrosse Awards: 3x Division 1 All-State First Team; 1x Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention; Under Armour All-American; Howell High School Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee; DECA State Champion; Varsity Lacrosse Rookie of the Year; Varsity Soccer Most Improved Player; 4x Varsity Lacrosse Captain
• Academic Awards: Summa Cum Laude; 4x High Honors; Spanish Award
• Why Bellarmine: "I felt very comfortable on campus and I got along very well with Coach Whitley. I also wanted to play for the lacrosse team once I saw how disciplined they are."

Jacob Hunsinger #66

• Hometown: Wixom, Mich.
• High School: Walled Lake Western
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: Dominate; UNRL National; Legends National
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x All-State; 2x Academic All-State; 2x All-Region; Broke schools all-time point record; 3x All-Conference; 3x Academic All-Conference; 2x Team Offensive MVP; Can-Am Showcase MVP; Invited to One Percent, Showtime, NXT Philly Summer Showcase, Best in Class and Mission Primed
• Academic Awards: Finished high school with a 4.2 GPA
• Why Bellarmine: "I really enjoyed the campus and meeting with the coaching staff, and being in a location like Louisville really made me realize this is the place I want to be."

Grant Krebs #81

• Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas
• High School: Edward S. Marcus
• Position: Defense
• Club Team: Iron Horse Dallas; UNRL
• Lacrosse Awards: Iron Horse Defense Captain; 3x Maverik Showtime Attendee; 4x Flower Mound Varsity Lacrosse; Apex Southwest Showcase All-Star; T99 Showcase All-Star 23/24; Inside Lacrosse 3 Star; 2x Varsity Captain; 2023 Flower Mound Lacrosse All-District; 2023 Legends Eastern Invitational All-Tournament Team; UNRL National Team
• Academic Awards: Magnificent Marauder Award – English; A Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: Lacrosse, Coach Whitley, location, school size

Maxton Messner #41

• Hometown: Granville, Ohio
• High School: Granville
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: Resolute Lacrosse Club
• Lacrosse Awards: 1x First Team All-Region; 1x First Team All-League; 1x Second Team All-State; 1x Second Team All-Region; 1x Team MVP; 3x Captain
• Academic Awards: Honor/Merit Roll every quarter
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose Bellarmine because of the small class sizes, as well as the great athletic coaches."

Isaac Miller #90

• Hometown: Ortonville, Mich.
• High School: Brandon
• Position: Defense
• Club Team: Omnia 24 AA; Team Project Midwest
• Lacrosse Awards: 4x First Team All-League; 2x Captain, All-State
• Academic Awards: Brandon High School Top 10; Academic All-State
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose Bellarmine because it is a great school that offers individual attention to all of its students and truly cares about their success. This, combined with the opportunity to play in a great lacrosse program, made Bellarmine the perfect fit for me."

Ezra Moore #1

• Hometown: Roswell, Ga.
• High School: Roswell
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: Thunder
• Lacrosse Awards: 2x All-American
• Academic Awards: Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: "Faith-based institute with small class sizes, location close to home, Coach Whitley and the lacrosse program."

Evan O'Brien #42

• Hometown: Oak Park, Ill.
• High School: Oak Park and River Forest
• Position: Defense
• Club Team: East Ave Lacrosse; Team Illinois
• Lacrosse Awards: 3x All-Conference; Team MVP
• Academic Awards: Dean's List; Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: "It has the small school feel in a big city."

Leo Prosser #7

• Hometown: Carmel, Ind.
• High School: Carmel
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: Cherries Lacrosse
• Lacrosse Awards: 2024 USA Lacrosse All-American; 2024 IHSLA All-State; 2024 IHSLA Academic All-State
• Academic Awards: Carmel High School Distinguished Graduate; 4.0+ cumulative GPA; 2022-23 Accounting Department Award; 2021-22 Algebra Department Award; 2020-2021 World History Department Award
• Why Bellarmine: "Bellarmine is in close proximity to my home, the athletics appealed to me, the class size seemed suitable, and campus was very nice and manageable."

Kyle Sanders #50

• Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
• High School: St. Pius X Catholic
• Position: Faceoff
• Club Team: Deep South Thrashers; Team 91 Georgia; Team 91 South
• Lacrosse Awards: 614 career FO wins (HS & Club); 65% career FO win percentage (HS & Club); Faceoff Factory Player to Note; Nike National All-Star; 1x Team Co-Captain
• Academic Awards: Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: "Bellarmine was a great fit both academically and athletically. The relationships I've already developed with the coaching staff and future teammates validated my decision.

Elvis Syroka #28

• Hometown: Sylvania, Ohio
• High School: St. Francis de Sales
• Position: Faceoff
• Club Team: Resolute Lacrosse Club
• Lacrosse Awards: All-American; 2x First Team All-State; 1x Region Player of Year; National record holder for number of faceoffs won in a game (38/41)
• Academic Awards: 3x TRAC All-Academic; 1x CHSL All-Academic
• Why Bellarmine: "Perfect fit for me. Love the community and the atmosphere. Love how it is centered around God."

Mikey Usterbowski #21

• Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
• High School: Marist
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: East Ave; Team Illinois
• Lacrosse Awards: 1x Block M Award; 3x All-Conference; 1x All-State Honorable Mention; 1x All-State First Team; 1x ESCC Offensive Player of the Year; Single season leader in points (116); Single season leader in assists (62); 2nd all-time points leader at Marist (257); Midwest New Balance All-American; 1x Team Captain
• Academic Awards: Honor Roll
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose Bellarmine University because the school offers strong academic programs, prepares students for careers after college and has a strong network. The school also has a strong lacrosse program and reputable business program."

Ty Washington #3

• Hometown: Lee's Summit, Mo.
• High School: Lee's Summit West
• Position: Attack
• Club Team: Midwest Top Gun; True Illinois
• Lacrosse Awards: 3x First Team All-State; Five-year varsity starter; School's all-time points leader with 312 in 46 games; 3x Team MVP; 3x Team Captain; Led Lee's Summit West to playoffs four consecutive seasons; Mainstage Invitee; Black Card Invitee; The Show Invitee; Mission Prime Invitee; Best in Class Invitee
• Academic Awards: 3.3 GPA
• Why Bellarmine: "I appreciate the proximity to home and wanted to join something special here at Bellarmine with Coach Whitley."

Samuel Welsh #52

• Hometown: New Albany, Ohio
• High School: New Albany
• Position: Midfield
• Club Team: Resolute Ohio Black
• Lacrosse Awards: First-Team All-OCC; First Team All-Region
• Why Bellarmine: "I chose Bellarmine because I wanted to have a better relationship with my professors."

"The future and the foundation of Bellarmine lacrosse are in a very good place and there is a lot of optimism surrounding our program," Whitley concluded.

The Knights went 9-7 during the 2024 campaign and made a program-record third straight trip to the postseason. They open the 2025 season in February.

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