DANBURY, Conn. - Western Connecticut State University senior Julian Duque (Mastic, N.Y.) repeated as the Little East Conference (LEC) 2025 Offensive Player of the Year and Ryan Cavanagh (10th Season) was honored as the LEC Men's Lacrosse Coach of the Year.  Duque also joined graduate students Liam Ford (New Fairfield, Conn.) and Jonathan Russack-Baker (Groton, Conn.) and juniors Charlie Guidera (Redding, Conn.) and Tristan McMahon (Farmingville, N.Y.) on the LEC All-Conference First Team. Wolves graduate Tyler Starrett (Redding, Conn.), senior Nathan Caldwell (Cranford, N.J), and junior J.J. Gitzinger (West Islip, N.Y.) graced the LEC All-Conference Second Team and senior Matt Sweeney (Rocky Point, N.Y.) collected LEC All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition in 2025.  Most recently, Russack-Baker, graduate Benjamin Hawthrone (Manorville, N.Y.) and senior Peter Traina (East Moriches, N.Y.) were chosen to play in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) East-West All-Star Game at Providence College on May 30. 
 

Cavanagh and assistants Chuck Byrne and Brett Tenaglia were announced as the coaching staff for the North Team in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III All-Star Game and Duque was selected for the North Team roster.  The game was played on Friday, May 23 at Roger Williams University.  WestConn finished the 2025 season with a 13-7 record and completed a perfect 8-0 run through the LEC conference to capture the regular season title.  The Wolves downed Keene State, 17-7, and UMass Boston, 22-7, to win the LEC Championship Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship Tourney for the second time in three seasons.  The Wolves fell at Babson, 24-4, in the NCAA First Round.  Cavanagh is 92-51 in 10 seasons with the Wolves and 143-87 overall at WestConn and Plattsburgh State.

Duque, who repeats as the LEC Offensive Player of the Year and is a three-time All-LEC First Teamer, finished third in the LEC in goals with 58 and scoring with 78 points and added 20 assists, three game-winning goals, and 31 ground balls in 20 games and 19 starts at attackman for the Wolves in 2025.  He was named the LEC Offensive Player of the Week three times this spring and was selected as the WestConn Athletics Male Athlete of the Year at the school's annual athletic banquet. An alum of William Floyd High School, Duque graduated from WestConn this month with a degree in business.  Ford had 39 goals and 15 assists for 54 points with two game-winners and 14 ground balls in 19 games in the Wolves midfield this spring.  Ford is a graduate of New Fairfield High School.

Russack-Baker, who repeats on the All-LEC First Team and was an All-LEC Second Team honoree in 2023, won 297 of his 442 attempts and led the LEC with a .672 faceoff percentage (20th in nation) as WestConn's specialist this spring. He also scooped a conference-best 202 ground balls (10th in nation) to go with four goals and two assists for six points while playing in 19 games (all starts) in 2025.  He was honored as the LEC Offensive Player of the Week once this season.  An alum of Robert E. Fitch High School, Russack-Baker is pursuing his master's degree at WestConn in business administration after completing his undergraduate degree in 2023 in communication.  Guidera played in all 20 games with 18 starts on defense in 2025, totaling a team-high 18 caused turnovers and 37 ground balls while scoring twice and and assisting on five goals for seven points.  A graduate of Joel Barlow High School, Guidera is majoring in finance at WestConn.  McMahon, the Little East Rookie of the Year and an All-LEC Second Teamer in 2023, repeats on the All-LEC First Team this season.  He had 21 goals, two game-winners, and 16 assists for 37 points in 17 games and two starts in the Wolves midfield this spring.  A graduate of the Sachem East High School, McMahon is majoring in business at WestConn.

Starrett, an All-LEC First Team selection in 2024, notched 49 goals, team-highs of eight man-up goals and four game-winning tallies, and eight assists for 57 points to go with 31 ground balls in 20 games and 11 starts as a midfielder with the Wolves. He scored two game-winning goals and tied for the team lead in man-up goals with six. An alum of Joel Barlow High School and SUNY Cortland, Starrett is pursuing a master's degree at WestConn in business administration.  Caldwell, an All-LEC First Team honoree a year ago, scored four times with three assists for seven points and totaled 41 ground balls and 134 caused turnovers while appearing in 18 games with 17 starts at short-stick midfielder for the Wolves.  A graduate Cranford High School, Caldwell is majoring in health education at WestConn.  Gitzinger, who repeats on the All-LEC Second Team, notched 32 ground balls and led the Wolves with 29 caused turnovers in 19 games with 18 starts at as a defenseman for the Wolves.  A graduate West Islip High School, Gitzinger is majoring in business at WestConn.  Sweeney scored 22 goals and recorded a team-high 28 assists for 50 points to go with 13 ground balls in 20 games and 13 starts as a midfielder with the Wolves.

Sweeney has been a CSC Academic All-District, LEC All-Academic, and LEC Academic Honor Roll selection with the Wolves.  A graduate of Rocky Point High School, Sweeney graduated this month with a degree in justice and law administration.  Hawthorne had 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points to go with 12 ground balls in 20 games and nine starts as an attackman with the Wolves. Hawthorne was a CSC Academic All-District, LEC All-Academic, and LEC Academic Honor Roll selection multiple times with the Wolves.  An alum of Eastport South Manor High School, Hawthorne earned his bachelor's degree in communication from WestConn and is pursuing a master's in business administration.  Traina had 11 goals and two assists for 13 points in 19 games and three starts as a midfielder with the Wolves. A graduate of Westhampton Beach High School, Traina graduated this month with a degree in justice and law administration.