Graduate goalie Logan McNaney has played in 70 games for Maryland men’s lacrosse since 2020, becoming a staple of the program through the highs of a national championship run and the lows of an ACL tear.
McNaney’s time at Maryland, though, is coming to an end. The Terps are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will open against Air Force in College Park on May 11. Maryland is 11-3 overall but lost the Big Ten championship game, 14-10, to Ohio State.
Now, the slate is wiped clean. The Terps will look to win their second national title in four years. Maryland had one of the best college lacrosse seasons ever in 2022, but it was McNaney who earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for his work in net.
So what is the key to winning another title?
“I think the biggest thing is sticking together,” McNaney said on Glenn Clark Radio May 7. “We’re a very close-knit group. In years prior, we’ve had really close groups. Even last year when we didn’t have our best regular season and we got smoked in the Big Ten semifinals, we kind of took a step back and talked about some things. We fixed some things, adjusted, but we all stuck together through it all. We obviously made that run, but I think the biggest thing is the love we have for each other and wanting to see the joy on each other’s faces.”
McNaney has experienced ups and downs since he made 61 saves during Maryland’s four-game NCAA Tournament run in 2022. His season was cut short the next year due to a torn ACL. He bounced back in 2024 to start all 17 games and helped lead the Terps back to the national title game, after which he had thumb surgery and a knee cleanup.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound goalie out of Corning, N.Y., has started all 14 games this season, posting a .583 save percentage and 8.05 goals-against average, the backbone of a typically strong Maryland defense. McNaney is the first goalie to wear the prestigious No. 1 jersey since the tradition began years ago.
“I’ve been super honored to be able to wear that jersey,” McNaney said. “There’s a long line of great, legendary players that have worn that jersey. It kind of signifies what a Maryland lacrosse player is. I try to do that to my best ability. I get texts here and there from some of those guys and stuff like that. Their support has been great. I’m truly honored to be able to represent Maryland wearing No. 1.”
McNaney has plenty of memories from his six-year career in College Park. He recalls being at the top of his game during the 2021 national semifinal matchup against Duke (17 saves) and the 2022 Final Four (19 against Princeton, 17 against Cornell). He also enjoyed taking part in the Maryland-Hopkins rivalry.
Most recently, McNaney made eight saves in 11-8 win against Hopkins on April 18.
“Maryland guys have a special place in their heart for this game,” McNaney said. “When you get here, that’s one of the things that the older guys want us to understand. The records go out the window. … There’s just a lot of pride in that rivalry. Everyone wants to beat the crap out of each other.”
Once his career is over at Maryland, McNaney will play professionally. The Denver Outlaws drafted the goalie in the second round of the PLL College Draft on May 6. The Outlaws have a number of Terps on the roster, including Jesse Bernhardt, Nick Grill, Alex Smith, Logan Wisnauskas and Luke Wierman.
Bernhardt is also the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Maryland.
“We’ll definitely have some banter, probably,” McNaney said. “Now I get to yell at him in the summer.”
For more from McNaney, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics