The St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s lacrosse team added another championship banner to its collection Saturday afternoon in St. Mary’s City.
The top-seeded Seahawks (12-7) defeated No. 2 seed Penn College (14-5) 16-14 to claim the 2026 United East Conference tournament championship. The victory marked the program’s fifth consecutive conference tournament title.
Sophomore midfielder Gavin Phipps (Mayo, Md./South River) led the attack with a career-best seven goals and earned tournament MVP honors. First-year attacker Brady Manankil (Hereford, Md./Hereford) scored the game-winning goal with 2:29 remaining. Sophomore attacker Owen Wynot (Kent Island, Md./Kent Island) added an insurance marker with 1:12 to go.
Senior midfielder Nick Machiran (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) helped seal the win by controlling possession in the final 72 seconds, dodging defenders while running out the clock.
The Seahawks have dominated the United East since joining the conference at the start of the 2021-22 athletic year. They have now won all five tournament championships and four straight regular-season titles from 2023 through 2026.
Phipps finished the tournament with eight goals. He also scored in the 27-1 semifinal victory over No. 4 seed Cairn University on April 29.
St. Mary’s College jumped out to a 4-3 lead after falling behind early. The Seahawks built a 7-4 advantage before halftime. A four-goal run by Penn College narrowed the gap to 10-9 in the third quarter. The Wildcats took a brief 14-13 lead with 9:23 left in regulation. St. Mary’s responded with three unanswered goals in the final 4:24 to pull away for the victory.
Inside the box score, the Seahawks outshot Penn College 60-31 and won the ground-ball battle 54-33. Senior Matteo Ciccarello (Crofton, Md./Arundel) collected 15 loose balls and went 20-of-29 on faceoffs. The team held a 21-12 edge in faceoff wins.
Game notes highlighted several standout performances. McKay finished with five points on one goal and a career-best four assists. Sophomore midfielder Carson Giannelli (Perry Hall, Md./Curley) added a goal and three assists. Wynot, Manankil and Martel each scored two goals. Junior defensive midfielder Will Hock (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) recorded career-best totals of eight ground balls and five caused turnovers. Sophomore Ty Spencer (Hanover, Md./Indian Creek) made 10 saves in goal.
Penn College was led by McFalls with five goals. AJ Dotson contributed two goals and four assists. Ryan Twist stopped 18 shots. The Wildcats saw their four-game win streak end.
The win capped a strong postseason run for the Seahawks and secured an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship. St. Mary’s College will find out its first-round opponent during the NCAA selection show.
The program’s continued success underscores the strength of lacrosse in Southern Maryland. St. Mary’s College, located along the St. Mary’s River, competes as an NCAA Division III institution and has established itself as a conference powerhouse in recent years.
