Chasing Greatness, St. Paul’s Lacrosse Star Evan March Will Stay in the DMV

Four-star 2027 defenseman Evan March is headed to the University of Maryland, choosing the Terps and legendary coach John Tillman to continue a defensive legacy rooted in the Navy coaching tree and powered by championship expectations.

St. Paul's 4-star recruit Evan March will play his college lacrosse at the University of Maryland. / Evan March

In the last piece of news here regarding an MIAA lacrosse player making a college commitment, it was mentioned that the next multiple recruiting announcements would feature student-athletes who have chosen collegiate programs led by head coaches who are part of the "Navy coaching tree."

The player we are focusing on right now has committed to a program that, due to both their leader's accomplishments while at Navy and throughout his career as a head coach, is considered by many to be one of the finest and most heralded assistants the Middies have ever had.  St. Paul's 2027 four-star defenseman Evan March, who is quite heralded in his class, and ranked #27 in Inside Lacrosse's Top 100 For 2027, has chosen to attend the University of Maryland for college. Of course, while there, he will play for Coach John Tillman, who, in some ways, is unparalleled as a coach in the sport of lacrosse when compared to most other current main faces of programs. 

Coach Tillman's run working under Coach Richie Meade at Navy went from 1996-2007. Following six seasons as an assistant coach, his remaining six years in Annapolis were as the Middies' head assistant coach and offensive coordinator. During that time, Tillman coached and developed many fine players. In addition, the program had several winning seasons. However, Navy had their most success in his final four years(2004-2007). That included four consecutive Patriot Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament showings. And, in 2004, the Middies had an epic season, in which they finished 15-3, went undefeated in conference play, and lost to perennial power Syracuse in a high-scoring, thrilling, one-goal affair in the national championship game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The amount of people attending that contest who were showing their love for Navy was very impressive and classic!

Without a doubt, since Tillman started as head coach at Maryland in 2011, he has had a remarkable journey. If you combine several factors together, he has had a better run than any other Division I program-leader in that period of time. The numbers, which include two national titles, seven other championship game appearances, eleven Final Fours overall, and a 195-97 record speak for themselves. And, with talent still plentiful at Maryland, and Tillman continuing to do some tremendous recruiting, chances aren't half bad that those results may well continue at the same pace. One other note is that he is the only DI head coach to have led his program to the NCAA Tournament each year since he took over the Terrapins. We can't forget that Tillman has also reloaded in the assistant coaching department in a big way. While there have been several stories over the years of College Lacrosse programs not being as good after losing excellent assistants to head coaching positions, Tillman has kept on rolling by replacing those leaving with other top-notch X & O men. 

Now, as for the great recruiting Tillman has done, that includes him getting highly-ranked players from the Maryland/DC region. Considering the fact that there are more solid collegiate programs than ever before, the Terrapins may be doing their most impressive recruiting, both from that region and overall, in their storied program's history. And, by choosing Maryland, Evan March is helping to keep that going strong. 

Evan, who is also a part of a very respected 2027 St. Paul's Crusaders class, says he chose to be a Terp for several reasons. First of all, he felt immediate comfort with Maryland's coaching staff. Having a chance to play for Tillman, as well as for Coach Bernhardt and the other assistants, was something he could not pass up. Secondly, the program has a long history of great defensive players. Some of the ones Evan has admired and based his game off of are Peter Laake, Will Schaller, Ajax Zappitello, Brett Makar, and Matt Dunn. He is happy to have the opportunity to, one day, continue that defensive legacy in College Park. Another major factor in Evan's decision is the unmatched culture throughout Maryland Lacrosse. All of the boys are completely bought into the program's goals and high standards, and that is another thing he wanted. Evan's goal is to be the best he can be for a program whom he has cheered for his whole life, and being able to represent his state at the highest level is a dream come true for him. 

Many congratulations and best of luck to Evan March! He will eventually be in a position to help keep a collegiate power going at the highest level. And, right now, Evan has a chance to assist in, possibly, Crusaders Lacrosse getting to higher levels than they have been in a while.