Men’s lacrosse finalizes 38-man roster for 2025-26 season with six walk-ons

It was an offseason of attrition for Liberty University's men's lacrosse team, followed by an influx of talent that should make the reigning MCLA Division I national champions a legitimate threat to repeat next spring, when the tournament moves to Richmond, Va.

Last season, the Flames (19-1) won a record 19 games in a row, capped by a 17-12 triumph over Georgia Tech in the national final in Round Rock, Texas. That tournament was played over Commencement Weekend as Liberty sent its nine seniors and graduate students out into the world as Champions for Christ.

Since then, five more Flames players have opted not to exercise their final seasons of eligibility, including senior defensive middie Ty Broughton and junior middie Kason Brehm, who chose to pursue career opportunities. However, Liberty has reloaded its roster with the addition of 17 freshmen recruits, transfers, and walk-ons from last week's tryouts to finalize a 38-man roster for the 2025-26 season.

"That (roster size) is exactly where we wanted to land, and it gives us a little flexibility going into the spring for any potential add-ons," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "Almost 50 percent of the roster is new, so we will definitely have a different look from last year. We knew it was going to be a bit of a transition year (but) we still really feel good about the program at this stage. It is a very young team, which is great, and we are excited to get going."

Liberty Lacrosse tryouts — Coaches and returning players got first glimpses of newcomers at last week's tryouts.

Six of the newcomers — midfielders and attackmen Trey Corbet from Fairfax, Va., Branson Isaacs from Canton, Ga., Brenner Landry, a junior from Knoxville, Tenn., who is the younger brother of Braden Landry, who graduated; Daniel McGettigan from Elverson, Pa., Elijah Tlumach from Leola, Pa., and Grant Truong from Mechanicsburg, Pa. — were added to the roster as recruited walk-ons after last Tuesday's and Wednesday's tryouts.

"We knew and had reached out and had communication with most of the people coming to tryouts — walk-ons we felt would help us fill out the back end of our roster," McQuillan said, noting he and his staff have found a few diamonds in the rough in tryouts, including midfielder Easton Cahill, who has played key roles over the past two seasons. "The rest of the guys are eager to get back, and are excited to see what this team looks like and to get to know the newcomers — who they are and how they fit in."

Brenner Landry will look to fill the shoes of his older brother, the Flames' second-leading scorer last season with 61 goals and 39 assists (110 points) — behind only all-time MCLA DI points leader Keaton Mohs (56G, 73A, 129 points).

Liberty held its first fall practice on Monday afternoon as McQuillan and the rest of the coaching staff — including Associate Head Coach Mike Zumpano, Goalie and Assistant Strength Coach Justin Kilian, and Assistant Coaches Jessi Glauser, Ryan Miller, and Brandon Butler — began the process of molding the Flames into a team that can challenge for a fourth Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) tournament title in six seasons and second MCLA Division I National Championships crown in program history.

"All (the newcomers) are guys that are going to be able to help us in a variety of ways," McQuillan said. "Now, it is on us to put them into the right spots and to get them onboarded, from a cultural perspective, and to give them a good idea of who we are and how we want to do things and explain the mentality of why we do what we do."

Men's lacrosse Mike Zumpano — Associate Head Coach Mike Zumpano and Assistant Coach Brandon Butler (left)

He said besides the continuity within the coaching staff, the team's spiritual mooring has helped keep the players grounded and growing in their games and in their faith.

"We have a lot of very consistent, foundational things, including our culture, which we have placed an emphasis on remaining the same, regardless of the wins and losses," McQuillan said.

The Flames will have some exciting opportunities this fall semester, starting with an alumni game and championship ring presentation on Sept. 20 followed by a tailgate party outside Williams Stadium leading up to the 3:30 p.m. Flames Football game against James Madison University. Then, during the football home game against New Mexico State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14, they will be introduced along with the seventh-time ACHA Division I women's hockey national championship team.

For its two fall semester scrimmages, Liberty will travel to Randolph-Macon College, an NCAA Division III program in Ashland, Va., on Oct. 17 before hosting Virginia Tech on Oct. 23 at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.

"Randolph-Macon is a very good lacrosse program, and it will be a very good first test for the fall semester," McQuillan said, noting the Flames have played other area programs from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in recent years including Roanoke College, Hampden-Sydney University, and Randolph College. "Hopefully, one day we will be able to play the (10-time ODAC champion) University of Lynchburg."

The Hokies were the only team to defeat the Flames last spring, in their season opener in Lynchburg, after Liberty won the fall semester scrimmage against Virginia Tech in sudden-death overtime.

Liberty will then conclude its fall outdoor training with a Blue and White scrimmage and will hold a fundraising golf tournament over Homecoming Weekend on Nov. 1 before shifting its focus to playing 6-on-6 intrasquad box lacrosse matches in the Liberty Multipurpose Complex.

In December, Liberty is hoping to send 10 players or more plus a few of its coaches to Puerto Rico to help warm up teams from nine countries participating in the Pan American Lacrosse Association Sixes tournament from Dec. 10-14. That field includes host Puerto Rico, directed by former Liberty middie Miguel Lozado, as well as Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Chili, Argentina, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic.

Six-man lacrosse will be introduced as a new sport at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Previously, Liberty representatives, including Zumpano, have traveled to Israel in 2018 and San Diego in 2023 to serve in a similar capacity through FCA Lacrosse for the past two FIL World Championships.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Men’s lacrosse finalizes 38-man roster for 2025-26 season with six walk-ons

Players Mentioned

Kason Brehm

Ty Broughton

Easton Cahill

Braden Landry

Keaton Mohs

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