Described as a player with “firecracker feet,” the defending national Midfielder of the Year, two-time NCAA Champion and All-American is the first Adelphi Panther ever to be drafted to a team in the , which was co-founded in 2018 by Paul Rabil.

Lewis, a senior majoring in exercise science, was the only Division II student-athlete selected in the draft and just one of two non-Division I players, joining Jack Regnery from DIII Tufts University.

During the 70 games in his Adelphi career, the Franklin Square, New York, native has scored more than 100 times, including the overtime game winner in the 2025 title game. As the PLL draft was airing on ESPNU on Tuesday, Lewis was busy scoring a season-high four goals in the No. 1 Adelphi lacrosse team’s crucial top 10 matchup against No. 9 Pace University.

“If I had to describe Kyle, I’d say he’s elite on the field and unmatched in character,” said Head Coach Gordon Purdie ’88. “The PLL isn’t just getting one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever coached, they are getting one of the most sincere men I’ve ever known.”

Returning to the site of the Adelphi lacrosse program’s eighth national championship in Philadelphia in 2024, Lewis will play for Bill Tierney, who coached at the University of Denver and Princeton before joining the PLL coaching ranks. Tierney is also a Long Island native.

Lewis joins a list of Adelphi greats to make it to the next level of professional lacrosse, including teammate Dylan Renner, who was picked up by the Utah Archers following the 2025 National Championship and was the first Division II player to be drafted to the PLL since 2021. Current Adelphi assistant coach Greg Puskuldjian ’14, from Glen Head, New York, was the 13th pick in the 2020 PLL Player Entry Draft after coming over from Major League Lacrosse when the leagues merged.

There was a time when Lewis considered other options, entering the transfer portal last summer to weigh the possibility of transferring to a Division I institution. After choosing to remain in Garden City, he was named both the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year and was the only Division II player to be on the first installment of the prestigious Tewaaraton Watch List at the start of 2026.

“Being selected in the draft is a by-product of Kyle’s perseverance and commitment to lacrosse,” said Greg Bouris, an assistant teaching professor of sport management at Adelphi with more than 35 years of experience in the professional sports industry. “It is also a testament to the 91�Թ��� athletic program. Under Coach Purdie’s guidance, Adelphi has maintained its status as one of the most successful lacrosse programs in the entire NCAA ecosystem. Kyle’s selection, in the backdrop of the NIL and transfer portal era, also confirms that an athlete with the skill level to play professionally should make their collegiate choices based on a number of factors, including the fact that the individual will be a non-player for most of their lives.”

The 91�Թ��� men’s lacrosse team is riding a 22-game win streak that dates back to the 2025 season, including a 13-0 stretch this year. Lewis and the team conclude their regular season on Saturday, April 18, at Motamed Field in Garden City, New York, and will earn the regular season Northeast 10 crown for the third time in the past five seasons.

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No. 1-Ranked Men’s Lacrosse Reloads for Defense of Back-to-Back National Championships

The road to an NCAA Division II National Championship runs through Garden City.

Fresh off winning back-to-back national titles, the became the first NCAA Division II team since 2018 and 2019 to repeat, and the first Panther squad to accomplish the feat since 1998 and 1999, under Adelphi Athletic Hall of Famer . The ‘Cats enter the 2026 season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, according to the .

A new face will stand between the pipes following the graduation of National Goalie of the Year , who ranks second among the University’s career save leaders with 797 saves. A competitive “goalie room” featuring four contenders is headlined by , a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American whose collegiate journey has included stops at Belmont Abbey College, Keiser University and The Ohio State University.

While the defense sorts out its next anchor, the offense returns its biggest star.

Kyle Lewis: Tewaaraton Watch List Standout Leads the Midfield

Few moments in Adelphi’s athletic history compare to overtime game winner in last spring’s . The strike secured the Panthers’ second consecutive national crown and etched Lewis’ name into program lore.

Now the All-American midfielder enters the 2026 season as the lone Division II player named to the , lacrosse’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He has also been cited as and headlines a group of .

Women’s Lacrosse Eyes Another Trip to the NCAA Finals

Under three-time national championship coach , has remained the gold standard in Division II. Though the ‘Cats finished as in each of the previous two seasons, falling to the University of Tampa in both instances, the program still boasts a national-best .

in 2026, Adelphi has all three of its All-Americans back from a year ago: , and . Now add and to that, and you have a team leading the country with five USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-America selections.

Lionetti was also tagged as the , after earning recognition last spring.

The foundation is in place for another deep postseason push.

Adelphi Baseball Begins New Era as Mike Gaffney Takes the Helm as Skipper

Spring also signals a fresh chapter for the .

The Panthers are turning the page following the retirement of , who dedicated 12 years to the program, including five as head coach. During that span, Ianniciello compiled more than 100 career victories, guiding Adelphi to an NE10 Championship final in his debut season as skipper and an NCAA Tournament bid just a year later, off the heels of a 30-15-2 finish in 2022.

Now steps into the Adelphi dugout with his own pedigree.

As a player, Gaffney was chosen in the 13th round by the Kansas City Royals in 2002 and spent five seasons in the organization, reaching the AA level. He built LIU Post into a perennial power during his managerial tenure from 2014 to 2019, guiding the Pioneers through the winningest five-year stretch in program history, capped by a single-season record of 38 victories in 2019 that earned him ECC and ABCA East Region Coach of the Year distinction.

“My family and I are so excited to be a part of Adelphi,” Gaffney said. “From my father being a Hall of Famer here to my sons now donning Panther gear, this is truly a full-circle moment for all of us. Our coaching staff will work tirelessly to make this program a success, on and off the diamond.”

His father, , is an Adelphi Athletic Hall of Famer who led the Panthers to a Knickerbocker Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 1977.

Postseason Aspirations: Tennis Hosts at USTA, Golf Builds on Historic Breakthrough

Championship opportunities extend beyond the diamond and turf.

enters the spring unbeaten at a perfect 6-0 against Division II opponents. Later this spring, the team will serve as hosts for the 2026 NE10 Championship at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, home of the US Open Tennis Championships.

After falling short in last fall’s conference final, the Panthers aim to reclaim both the regular season and tournament titles they captured in .

, meanwhile, continues to build on a historic fall season that saw the program capture its . Just a decade after its inception, the Panthers completed a remarkable rise under head coach , winning the conference crown by 23 strokes and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals this May in Findlay, Ohio.

With a roster that blends award winners and postseason-tested performers, Adelphi’s momentum shows no signs of slowing.

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But what if you don’t earn a spot on Adelphi’s highly competitive varsity lacrosse or soccer teams?

This fall, there is a solution.

Beginning in Fall 2026, 91�Թ��� will introduce premier club offerings in men’s soccer and men’s lacrosse, creating expanded opportunities for students who want to play in a competitive league, with full-time coaching and intercollegiate games.

The move reflects a broader vision for : To ensure participation in competitive sports remains a defining and accessible part of campus life.

has long played a central role in the identity of the University. With 19 national championships, Adelphi has built a tradition of excellence that resonates well beyond its Garden City campus. The and teams account for a remarkable 10 of those titles, making them two of the most storied programs in the University’s history.

Now that legacy is opening new doors.

Building on Adelphi’s Championship Lacrosse and Soccer Tradition

The has begun paving the way for a dynasty, entering the 2026 season as the in the land, after winning back-to-back and , the most recent of which was a 9-8 overtime thriller to stun The University of Tampa in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Interest in the program is at an all-time high, and lacrosse continues to be a hotbed as one of the most popular collegiate sports in the region.

The , which staked its only national championship in 1974 (the University’s first, in fact!), has remained nationally competitive in recent years. Under head coach , the Panthers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times and earned a place in the rankings in five of Book’s eight seasons.

The launch of premier club soccer and lacrosse is not a replacement for that success. Instead, it is an extension of it.

“These premier club sports programs are an extension of the strong campus life that Panther Athletics has always supported,” said , Adelphi director of athletics and campus recreation. “They will complement our varsity, club and intramural offerings and give students another meaningful way to connect with the University through sport.”

What Makes Premier Soccer and Lacrosse Clubs Different

Unlike traditional student-run club teams, Adelphi’s premier club programs will have full-time coaches, regular practices and competitive schedules against peer colleges offering similar high-level club experiences.

“These premier club sports serve as an elevated experience,” McCabe discussed. “The professional coaching component is the key differentiator. Students will receive high-quality training and structured competition while still enjoying the flexibility that club sports provide.”

For students who want to continue improving and competing at a high level, this pathway offers another avenue to catch the eye of Adelphi’s varsity squads.

“Certainly, for students who want to continually improve at their sport, this provides a unique opportunity to compete after high school and potentially try out for varsity teams.”

Expanding Access and Opportunity in Athletics at Adelphi

At its core, this initiative is about widening access.

Competitive sports are often described as one of the most rewarding aspects of college life. Adelphi’s leadership believes that experience should not be limited to a select number competing only at the varsity level.

“It’s exciting to know that we will offer athletic opportunities to every kind of athlete,” McCabe noted. “From intramurals to club to varsity, our students will have options to stay active and be part of a vibrant campus community.”

A Model for the Future of College Athletics

Men’s soccer and men’s lacrosse will be the first premier club sports at Adelphi, serving as the initial launch of a model designed to expand structured athletic opportunities across campus.

“There are a number of schools offering high-level club experiences like this,” McCabe said. “We look forward to competing with those institutions as schedules are developed and continuing to evaluate how this model may work with other sports.”

The University’s long championship history remains a point of pride. Now, with the launch of premier club sports next fall, that tradition of excellence expands to include even more student-athletes.

At Adelphi, the message moving forward is clear: Competitive opportunity and campus engagement can go hand in hand.

And the foundation remains the same.

Athletics are for everyone.

Students interested in learning more can reach out by email or by filling out an interest form:

• or email clubmsoc@adelphi.edu
• or email clubmlax@adelphi.edu

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The Legacy of Bad Company

Recently, Bad Company returned to their old stomping grounds for a walk down memory lane. At the baseball diamond where Bergelt once played varsity, they admired the renovated clubhouse bearing a plaque in his honor and recalled watching games from their Linen Hall windows. They got to catch up with Danny McCabe, director of and the new head baseball coach Mike Gaffney, whose father, Bill, was Bergelt’s teammate in the ’70s.

Stories, laughs and jokes were traded among the friends—one about a “borrowed” bathrobe, another proudly claiming to be “31–1” over their four-year intramural basketball career. They marveled at the changes to campus, like the 76,000-square-foot Center for Recreation and Sports (CRS), which expanded and modernized the amenities of their cherished Woodruff Hall era.

Inside the CRS, Dennis, Neil, Tony and Steve posed by the and a plaque in honor of Bad Company. Made possible in 2018 through a generous gift from McDonagh, the fueling station is an essential stop for Adelphi’s 23 varsity teams, providing free recovery shakes and snacks to the student-athletes. Two graduate student-athlete leaders, (men’s basketball) and (volleyball), took a moment to personally thank McDonagh for his support of their success on the court and in the classroom.

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