Five Bold Predictions for Virginia Men's Lacrosse in 2025

The Cavaliers rumble into 2025 after making it to Championship Weekend two of the last three years. Virginia loses all-time greats such as Connor Shellenberger, Payton Cormier, and Cole Kastner, with these departures ushering in a new era of Virginia men’s lacrosse. That said, here are five bold predictions for the 2025 season.

Ben Wayer will win Midfielder of the Year

Ben Wayer’s story to this point has been nothing short of inspirational after an outstanding 2024 season where he led the nation in non-face off groundballs with 98 while serving as a force on the faceoff wing and in transition, scoring seven goals while adding six assists last season. Wayer earned USILA Honorable Mention All-American in 2024 but can go even further in 2025, not just as a first-team All-American but the first LSM to win midfielder of the year since UVA’s very own Jared Conners back in 2021. In addition, Wayer’s ability to push transition will provide a massive boost to the Virginia offense that graduated so much talent in 2024. Don’t be surprised if Wayer breaks 20 goals in 2025.

Ryan Colsey will be Virginia’s Leading Goalscorer

Ryan Colsey finished sixth last season in scoring with 19 goals from the midfield. With Connor Shellenberger and Payton Cormier now gone, it is likely Colsey slots into the lefty attack position. With Millon quarterbacking the offense, Colsey will use his box lacrosse experience and his impressive shooting ability he primarily showcased during Virginia’s extra-man unit last season to rise to the top of the Hoos goal scorers list for 2025. He also presented himself as a skillful interior scorer looking to follow in the footsteps of recent UVa greats Xander Dickson and Payton Cormier.

Joey Terenzi will be an All-American

After redshirting his freshman season, Terenzi made an instant impact for the Hoos as soon as he stepped on the field his sophomore year. Terenzi has a knack for groundballs, as shown on the faceoff wing, and his development as a two-way midfielder has created parallels with USILA All-American Ryan Conrad. His ability to push transition has made him a dangerous offensive threat, as he dropped nine goals and four assists in 2024. Expect the Manhasset native to play even more in 2025, giving it his all on both sides of the ball. His importance to this team and the impact he will have will see him make his way onto the All-American list come May.

Virginia will beat Duke

The Hoos have not defeated the Blue Devils in the regular season since 2004. In addition, the last time UVa defeated Duke at any point was in the 2019 semifinals, when the Hoos won in double overtime. No matter the year, the Blue Devils have always found ways to defeat Virginia in the regular season despite the Cavaliers winning four national championships during that span. That said, this is the year the Cavaliers finally end the horrific streak.

The departures of Brennan O’Neil, Josh Zawada, Dyson Williams, Kenny Brower, and Tyler Carpenter create a massive void for John Danowski and his staff to fill in 2025. Danowski approached this by adding a bunch of transfers, such as Eric Malever (Maryland) and Luke Grayum (Richmond), with Andrew McAdorey set to be the leader on the offensive side of the ball. Despite the additions, I think this is a roster with which the Hoos matchup extremely well, combined with the home-field advantage, allows Virginia to down the Blue Devils.

Virginia will once again lead the nation in groundballs per game, propelling the Hoos to their 8th National Championship

Groundballs win games.

The Cavaliers have led the nation in ground balls per game during seven of the last eight years. This grit and tenacity, as proven by this stat, is a massive reason for Virginia’s success over Lars Tiffany’s tenure, which includes two national championships. With a roster that is not as talented as past teams, winning the ground ball battle will be a factor. If Virginia can again dominate the groundballs, I see similarities between this team and the 2019 National Championship winning team, with the Cavaliers claiming a National Championship despite not being among the favorites, such as Notre Dame, Syracuse, Princeton, and Cornell.