Maryland men’s lacrosse graduate defenseman Brett Makar was selected with the No. 3 overall pick by Atlas LC in the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft, but the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is focused on closing out “an extremely rewarding” fifth and final season in College Park the right way.
Maryland, which earned the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, will face Patriot League champion Army at 7:30 p.m. on May 13 at Maryland Stadium to kick off its tournament run. The Terps are coming off a 14-5 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten final.
Maryland is 10-5 overall after an 18-0 national championship run in 2022. The Terps lost their top four scorers off the title team, and starting goalie Luke McNaney suffered a torn ACL during a 12-7 loss to Loyola in the second game of the season.
Still, Maryland racked up wins against eventual NCAA Tournament teams Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Princeton, Virginia and Richmond, helping the Terps earn a home game in the tournament. Makar is proud of his team’s fight this year.
“I think in a lot of ways this year has definitely been extremely rewarding, and that’s not to discredit last year,” Makar said on Glenn Clark Radio May 10. “Last year was an amazing group, a special group of guys and we were able to do some really amazing things. But this year, everything’s been more difficult. You’ve had to put in that much work. You’ve had to be that much more mentally focused and prepare that much harder in order to get good outcomes over the weekends playing a hard schedule like we do.”
After each of their first four losses — Loyola, Notre Dame, Michigan and Hopkins — the Terps have bounced back with a win in their next game. They’ll have another chance to do that against Army.
“Every time maybe we’ve come up short or underperformed and haven’t reached the standard of what Maryland lacrosse is used to, it’s just been another learning opportunity,” Makar said. “It’s something to grow from, something to bounce back from, something to rebuild from. Through the ashes here we’ve kind of been able to come together as a group, find our identity, learn what works for us and doesn’t work for us.”
That tested Maryland’s veteran players like Makar, who has 72 career starts under his belt heading into the contest against Army.
“I know it’s pushed me to have to be a better player, better leader and kind of set the example for the guys, set the temperature every single day,” Makar said. “It’s something I’ve taken pride in, but in a lot of ways it’s definitely been more rewarding where there’s definitely more difficulties and more responsibilities on the older guys.”
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defenseman is second on the team in ground balls (47) and caused turnovers (19) on the season. Makar also has a goal to his name for good measure.
As such, it’s no surprise Makar was taken No. 3 overall in the PLL College Draft. He credits his high-level game to growing up with three brothers, giving him a competitive streak with everything in life, from the last piece of steak on the plate at dinner to pickup basketball. That led him to Maryland, where he could compete against the best lacrosse players in the country during practice and games.
That’ll continue in the PLL this summer. Makar was mobbed by teammates when his name was announced during the draft, which the defenseman said is “something I’ll remember for a really long time.”
Atlas took Maryland senior midfielder Kyle Long with the No. 27 overall pick as well, an exciting development for Makar.
“He’s definitely one of my closer friends on the team, been through a lot together playing here — a lot of ups and downs, and to be able to continue that going forward is really exciting,” Makar said. “I know our parents are going to be pumped up, too. The tailgates don’t have to stop just yet.”
But first, the Terps are looking to make another run to Memorial Day. The Army-Maryland winner will face the Penn State-Princeton winner in Annapolis for the right to go to the Final Four in Philadelphia from May 27-29.
Army comes to College Park with a 12-3 overall mark. They’re led by Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Knox Dent (9.02 goals-against average, .542 save percentage) and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year AJ Pilate (32 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers).
Makar says the Terps will face a “physically imposing group” in the Black Knights.
“I think one of the first things that jump out at you when you’re watching the film on them is how hard they play, how physical they play,” Makar said. “They really want to try and wear you down, grind you down and that’s what you expect from a service academy, right? They’re trained to do that not only in lacrosse but in the way they go about their business. They really try to make you feel their presence every single play.”
For more from Makar, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics