ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. — Junior Joe Szymanski of St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s lacrosse team was named the United East Conference Defensive Player of the Week on March 10, 2025, as announced by the league office. The Easton, Maryland, native secured his first career weekly conference award after a standout performance during a 1-1 week for the Seahawks.
St. Mary’s (3-3) notched a 14-12 victory over The Catholic University of America on March 5 in Washington, D.C., before dropping a 14-6 decision to Elizabethtown College at home on March 8. Szymanski, a 6-4 defenseman, tallied 16 ground balls and seven caused turnovers across the two games. He set a career high with 10 ground balls and added two caused turnovers against Catholic, then collected six ground balls and a career-best five caused turnovers versus Elizabethtown.
Szymanski leads the United East with 16 caused turnovers this season and ranks fourth with 30 ground balls. His efforts bolstered a defense that has helped the Seahawks to three wins in their first six games. Next, St. Mary’s travels to Grantham, Pennsylvania, on March 12 for a 6 p.m. non-conference matchup against Messiah University (1-4) at the Lacrosse Turf.
This marks the third time a St. Mary’s player has earned the Defensive Player of the Week award in 2025, following sophomore Bret Hussey on February 17 and senior Jeremy Heath on February 24.
