Flames alumnus makes seed donation toward men’s lacrosse scholarship fund

Former Liberty University men's lacrosse long-stick defender Nathan Lowmaster ('13) has great memories from his years in Lynchburg, Va., where he helped Head Coach Kyle McQuillan revive the program in 2010-11 and played three seasons before graduating with his B.S. in Business Administration.

Nate-Lowmaster-family — Lowmaster with his wife, Franceslyne, and daughter, Luna

Now, as a successful business owner and successful real estate investor living in Fort Myers, Fla., the former New York State Trooper wants to give back by paying it forward.

Lowmaster made an initial donation to start the Liberty University Men's Lacrosse Scholarship Fund, which he hopes will become an annual scholarship fund to go toward present or incoming men's lacrosse players in need of financial assistance. The first scholarship will be granted in Fall 2025.

"My whole mentality of life is being grateful for the blessings that I have and what I have achieved and giving back to help the next generation to have more opportunity than I ever had," said Lowmaster, who, along with former teammate Miguel Lozada ('14), helped to start a men's lacrosse organization in Puerto Rico in 2016. "As one of the founding members of Liberty's men's lacrosse team, I wanted to personally give back to the program that has experienced tremendous growth and success. I believe that Liberty's men's lacrosse program has a very bright future and the ability to achieve success at the highest levels. Also, Liberty University is one of the premier options for graduating high school students to continue their education."

Lowmaster said the spiritual emphasis offered to Liberty student-athletes prepares them well for whatever career field they may venture into after graduation.

"College life, those are very critical years for young adults, and it's important to choose a college experience that parallels your moral and your spiritual beliefs," he said. "Because they are such formative years, as a father now, Liberty University is at the top of the list for where I will encourage my daughter to attend because it provides such a phenomenal environment which supports a healthy balance of academics, athletics, and spirituality."

Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said Lowmaster approached him nearly a year ago looking for a way to help advance the team's mission.

"He said, 'I've got a desire to support the program. You tell me where the biggest need is,'" McQuillan said. "I told him the university has put us in a great position to provide us with resources, and that there wasn't a huge need when it came to the operations side."

Nate-Lowmaster-App-State — Lowmaster leads the charge past an Appalachian State player.

Instead, he suggested setting up a scholarship fund as a way to help Liberty compete with NCAA Division I programs, which offer athletic scholarships, for prospective student-athletes.
Lowmaster challenged other former Flames players to help build the fund to be able to offer it to multiple student-athletes over the foreseeable future.

"I don't want to see players miss out on the opportunity to continue their careers here, and I am hoping to inspire and encourage other men's lacrosse alumni to contribute to this fund," he said. "It will be a great way to continue to support the program they were once a part of and to continue to feel connected as an alumnus while providing opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes."

McQuillan said the money raised will be distributed in an equitable manner.

"We haven't assigned an official format as to how the fund will be used, (but) with a limited amount of money, we will have to be pretty selective and try to do our best to do the most good with what we have," he said. "Initially, the goal is to spread it out as much as possible, and as the fund potentially grows from year to year, it will give us the opportunity to do more. Many of our alumni are pretty well established now and have set themselves up to have the ability to give back, and Nate (Lowmaster) is setting an example of how alumni can participate, and if they have the finances, to do so."

Instead of its annual alumni game, the men's lacrosse team will hold an alumni golf tournament at London Downs Golf Club in Forest, Va., on Oct. 21, on the morning of the Flames' 5 p.m. fall scrimmage against Virginia Tech at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.

The Hokies are projected to be the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) Division I preseason favorite with Liberty likely to be ranked second.

"That will be our main Fall game and we are excited about it," McQuillan said. "We put it on our schedule every year as a great barometer to figure out where we are at, and to get our new players acclimated and put new wrinkles in our systems into place."

With 16 new players on a roster that will be in the upper-30s, the Flames feature one of the largest incoming classes in program history.

"I feel really good about our team this season, and we expect playing a quality opponent like Virginia Tech will provide some proof, hopefully, that we are where we think we are," McQuillan said.

This Friday, the Flames will host the College of William & Mary — which formerly offered an NCAA DI program and this season became a new ALC Division II member — in a scrimmage at 8 p.m. On Oct. 28, Liberty will hold its Blue & White intra-squad scrimmage before moving its operations indoors, including out of the new Liberty Multipurpose Center.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Nate-Lowmaster-levels-player — Lowmaster, a standout long-stick defender, jars the ball loose from an opposing player after levying a punishing body check.

Flames alumnus makes seed donation toward men’s lacrosse scholarship fund

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