UMBC men’s lacrosse senior Dante Marinello recently chatted with PressBox about how football helped him in lacrosse, playing the piano and more. The 6-foot, 194-pound defenseman picked up 26 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers for the Retrievers in 2025. Marinello is a native of Watchung, N.J., and graduate of Morristown Beard School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in lacrosse?
Dante Marinello: For me, it started with local clinics in my town. I was probably in kindergarten or preschool and I saw some other kids doing it, just those little camps for kids running around. I got started with those, pretty much did those every summer until I was a little older. I think that sparked my interest in it and pretty much played from then until now, all the way through youth ball and started club in high school. [I] just fell in love with it from a young age. It started as a thing to do with my friends. It’s grown into a lot more than that, but it kind of is still something I can do with my best friends and get to enjoy every day.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
DM: It might not have been one specific player, but I played every position growing up. I wasn’t really watching one specific guy. I think I just loved watching the best college lacrosse teams play and how good they were. That was an influence on my game. I’m like, “Oh, one day I want to be able to do that.” I would watch every single college game on TV when I was younger. I’ve played middie. I’ve played attack. I’ve stuck with defense now, but when I was growing up I kind of did it all. Just being able to watch all those college games was a big inspiration for me.
PB: What was it like competing with and against your brothers?
DM: That was always fun. I had an older brother, [Vincent], who played, and my twin brother, [James], played with me as well, all the way through. I think it was always great to have two people I could shoot around and play with in the back yard. With my older brother, I had someone to look up to and see how the high school game was when I was still in middle school. With my twin brother, it was just always fun to share the field. We play different positions, so [that] made it a cool experience to be able to do that with them. I think that kind of bred some competition — always having those people around me to play with when I was home and growing up.
PB: How did playing football in high school help you in lacrosse?
DM: I think it helped me in a ton of ways. One, from a toughness standpoint, I think the physicality of football is very intense and it prepares you for the physicality of lacrosse. I played receiver and cornerback, so I think a lot of the footwork and speed required for those positions have helped me a lot when it comes to playing defense. I just think in general, playing multiple sports always helps you to get a different perspective and learn different things from different people instead of just only being a lacrosse player. I’ve always liked that I’ve been able to do other sports. I think some of the best athletes we see are multi-sport athletes.
PB: Why did you choose to go to UMBC?
DM: For me, it was just the connection I had with the coaches. Going through the recruiting process is tricky. You talk to a lot of different people, but it felt genuine from [Craig Chick]. He wouldn’t disappear for months and text me once in awhile. He was always checking in. He cared. They were the first school to reach out. They consistently spoke to me for months. By the time it came to make a decision, it just felt like they truly cared and wanted me there. From the advice I got from a lot of other people, that’s the kind of place you want to be, where they value you. You’re not just another person on the roster. I really just felt like the coaches were genuine and that they had my best interests [at heart]. That combined with the strong lacrosse culture down in this area really made the decision easy for me.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at UMBC so far?
DM: I’ve got to say my favorite memory is our home win against Bryant my sophomore year [in 2024]. It was our first conference game of the year — at home, nice weather. It was my first game playing in-conference, so it was definitely something I was nervous about. But it was super exciting and the environment was great. We won in overtime. That was a moment where I’m like, “This is why you do this. This is why you put in all the work and why you come and play in this conference.” It was just so enjoyable and one of those moments I won’t forget, just winning that game and hanging out with my teammates after and enjoying that. It’s just such a great feeling. It’s hard to describe.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Catonsville?
DM: I think it’s an underrated little part of Maryland. People think UMBC and think Baltimore, but we’re not really directly in Baltimore. It’s just kind of a cool little town. I’ve gotten to live here the past three years. There’s a great little music culture down here. There are a lot of music stores. That’s been a cool part of living here. I’ve been able to walk around and check out all the local spots. There’s a good pride about the town even though it’s really small. It’s just been enjoyable to live here and enjoy what the town has to offer.
PB: Your UMBC player profile page indicates you are an accomplished pianist. Is that true?
DM: From a young age, probably first grade, my family has a big music influence [on me]. My older brother played piano. My dad played the drums. My grandfather was in a jazz band. From a young age, it was part of my life to pick up music, so I started taking piano lessons around first grade. [I] pretty much continued those lessons until college and I continue to play to this day. I think that’s definitely a huge part of who I am. While it doesn’t directly relate to sports, I think the discipline I’ve learned of having to practice something and perfect a performance, if you will, those kinds of qualities have helped me a lot in life. Knowing how to practice something and not getting frustrated if you don’t know something right away, I’ve learned a lot of that from music. That’s a huge part of my life and super grateful that I’ve been able to continue that throughout college.
PB: What songs do you like to play on the piano?
DM: Probably anything by [Frédéric] Chopin. He’s one of those classical pianists.
PB: Who is your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
DM: My best friend on the team would be Connor Chick. He’s the younger brother of Coach Chick. He was my freshman year roommate. [We] didn’t know each other at all coming in, but just have gone through everything together since Day 1 at school. I think experiencing things together is what creates that bond. We’ve always gotten along well, definitely a friend for life. Along with all my teammates, there are these memories you create, but we started off together Day 1. I think that just creates the bond that is unshakable.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to UMBC?
DM: A player I looked up to first coming to UMBC was Ben Stephanos. He was a junior when I got in here. He was one of those guys that you knew did everything right. He was super hard-working, super fundamental, but he was never bigger than anyone. He was super down to help me out even though I was just a freshman. He took me under his wing a little bit. He was a role model to me. I tried to do what he did because obviously he was very good and he produced a lot on the field, so I started kind of mimicking things that he did and it started to work out well for me. He’s definitely somebody I looked up to and still am very close with to this day.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players going through the recruiting process?
DM: For younger guys, trust your gut a little bit. The reason I liked the coaches here was because it felt genuine that they wanted me here. I think at the end of the day, go where you seem wanted because I think a lot of times kids end up at schools where maybe they’re not recruited as highly and it just doesn’t feel like they belong. I think if the coaches are guys that you trust and guys that you like, no matter what school you’re at you’ll enjoy your time playing college lacrosse. These are guys you’re spending 40-plus hours a week with. You want to make sure that people you’re spending that much time with have your best interests [at heart]. Trust the coaches and think about that. Some of the other things you think about are less important when it comes to playing lacrosse.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
DM: I’ll be moving back home to New Jersey, hopefully to start my career. I’m looking to enjoy my time at home and be with family and get my career off to a good start. [I] also don’t want to give up the game, so going to try to coach as much as I can — coaching youth lacrosse, coach for a club team, something like that just to kind of keep the game in my life because it’s given me so much. I don’t want to give it up just yet.
Photo Credit: Tyler Kraft/UMBC Athletics
Issue 297: February / March 2026
Originally published Feb. 18, 2026