Be The Best: Maryland Lacrosse Strives For Consistent Growth In 2026 Season

Lacrosse season is here and once again, Maryland boasts a stacked roster entering a year of sky-high expectations and excitement. 

With a daunting schedule, the season will be a grind, but a mindset of hunting for growth and being the best, rather than results, will have the team peaking at the right time and never finding satisfaction until all goals are met.

“All of our coaches preach taking every day the same and getting one percent better every day,” Attacker Eric Spanos said. “We're not even thinking about games down the road. We just take it day by day. It’s not always going to be easy, but that's the beauty and the struggle. We all have that shared common goal of getting these wins, and that’s what’s the special thing about being a Maryland lacrosse player.”

Head coach John Tillman has created a recipe for success with this year’s roster. He’s liked what he’s seen so far, both on and off the field. 

“It's definitely a very unselfish group,” Tillman said. “It's a great group of people. These guys are great to be around, and they’re all high-character, very dedicated guys. They take a lot of pride in playing for Maryland, and it means a lot to them to wear the jersey. I'm very proud of the guys, and they're doing a great job academically, and with their community service. They're working hard on and off the field. We talk about trying to be the best, and I think these guys really buy into all aspects of what that means.”

Maryland returns some key components from last year’s NCAA Championship Game squad, including senior short-stick middies Eric Kolar and George Stamos.

“You always like to have experience,” Tillman said. “We have a good core there, and then it's a matter of how well our new people can blend in with everybody else. Can we create the chemistry we need? Can we learn to play off of each other, and the guys get comfortable so that we can play fast, and be aggressive, smart, and efficient?”

Spanos, for one, has been impressed by the new faces and their eagerness to embrace the dedication and heart it takes to be a Terp.

“One of the biggest things I've noticed about our freshmen is their will to win and their will to get better,” Spanos said. “They put the team first in every aspect of their lives. Whether it's after practice doing extra reps with some of our defenders, or being in the weight room non-stop, they’re working their tails off to help our team in any way. It's super cool to see just such a bought-in group in those guys.”

Amongst the new faces is one of the top transfer classes in the nation, highlighted by Yale transfers Michael Alexander, Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons. The Terps have reloaded for what will be a rigorous 2026 slate. 

Throughout the season, Maryland will face some powerful opponents. Princeton, Syracuse, Penn State, Notre Dame, Richmond, and Ohio State all start the season as top-10 teams in the Inside Lacrosse Division I Men's Lacrosse Poll, and all of them show up on the Terps’ 2026 schedule. 

“We're going to have to do a great job of prepping every week,” Tillman said. “There are no easy games on the schedule. But I think playing good teams like that, our guys will realize each week that by putting in the work, preparing well, and being detail-oriented, it forces you to continue to get better and better.”

Preseason scrimmages against some talented opponents have not only shown Tillman and his staff the many strengths of this year’s squad, but also the areas where they can hone in for steady improvement as the season progresses. Maryland, of course, shows up in that preseason poll, too, but there won’t be any conversation about it within the locker room. 

“With the high expectations, we talk about that as being outside noise, and we try to mute it and put it out of not only the locker room, but our lives in general,” senior captain AJ Larkin said. “That's only disrupting what our potential is and what we know we can accomplish. Most people have expectations of us, but they're not the one of the 50 guys in our locker room. We're taking it day by day, not even week by week. We're attacking one day at a time. Obviously, our main goal is to make it back to Memorial Day Weekend, but we know how long of a road that is, and we're really just focusing on right now.”

The offensive attack will again be led by graduate student Eric Spanos, who tallied 36 goals and 19 assists last season, leading the team in both categories. This season, he says, is not different from the others. Everybody will contribute to the successes.

“We definitely want to stick to our ways of being a Maryland offense and being super unselfish,” Spanos said. “One of my favorite parts about playing here is that if you watch our games, you shouldn't be able to know who scored a goal, because we all celebrate like we all scored the goal. That's one of my favorite parts about being a Maryland lacrosse player is just that unselfish culture. Nobody cares how it gets done, as long as it gets done.”

Spanos has been selected to wear jersey No. 1 this season, one of the highest honors a Terp can receive. He knows he’s following in the footsteps of many greats, and he’s ready to make everyone in his corner proud. 

“It's a huge honor, and there have been so many great players to wear it before me,” Spanos said. “It's also a huge honor and an aspect that I just want to be able to make the state and all the Terps who have come before me proud. If I'm able to do that and just go out there and give it my all every single game and practice, I know that I can make them proud, and that's one of the biggest things to me.”

Along with Spanos, Maryland returns senior Braden Erksa, who last season became just the 62nd player in the history of Maryland men's lacrosse to reach 100 career points. The high-flying Terps will be a force against any Big Ten opposition.

Larkin will captain the defensive efforts this season, and he likes what he’s seen from the team in the preseason and practices. 

“I've learned that we have a lot of talent, but at the same time, I've learned that the more we play together, the better we're going to be,” Larkin said. “We’ve gotten to see the new guys create their own story and write their own path. I think not only them being able to do that, but us being able to learn to play as a cohesive unit is super awesome.”

When asked about his message to the fans this season, Larkin didn’t hesitate to express the heart and passion that the 2026 Terps will play with every time they step on the field. 

“The other captains and I want people to know that we're gonna play as if it's our last game, every game,” Larkin said. “No matter the opponent, we will not underestimate anybody. We have a very special group, and we’re going to have a lot of fun out there.”

Will Schaller also returns after his 2025 campaign that saw him take home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-American accolades.

“The other captains and I want people to know that we're gonna play as if it's our last game, every game,” Larkin said. “No matter the opponent, we will not underestimate anybody. We have a very special group, and we’re going to have a lot of fun out there.”

Henry Dodge, a Vermont transfer, is set to lead the face-off unit alongside sophomore Jonah Carrier and junior Sean Creter, again highlighting the blend of fresh faces and hungry returners on Tillman’s roster. 

Six of Maryland’s 12 regular-season games this season will take place at SECU Stadium, giving Terp fans half-a-dozen chances to come out and support their squad as it hunts greatness every day and strives for its championship aspirations.

“We love playing at home,” Tillman said. “There's nothing like being in front of our fans and running out of the shell and being in that environment and historic venue. There’s nothing like it, and I know our guys love playing there.”