Keiser Repeats as NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Champion

(Story provided by NAIA Sports Communications)

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- [Schedule] [Bracket] AJ Badik found Ryan Rundle for the game-winning goal with 43 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as second-seed Keiser (Fla.) knocked off top-seed Reinhardt (Ga.) 12-11 to capture their second consecutive Red Banner Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. 

This marks the seventh consecutive time an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) team has won the NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Championship as Reinhardt won five in a row (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and Keiser the last two. The national championship is the 17th team championship in AAC history and the third NAIA title for an AAC school during the 2023-24 academic year. Milligan won the 2023 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship, while Reinhardt won the 2024 NAIA Women's Lacrosse National Championship.

Tournament MVP Lucas Green made 22 saves in the championship game to lead the way for Keiser. Rundle tallied four goals and finished with five points, while Badik notched five points in the win. Christ Rayburn scooped a team-high seven ground balls and went 14-of-26 on faceoffs in the game.

Leading the way for Reinhardt was Ethan Lux, who netted a hat trick for the Eagles. Benji Shackleford and Carter Maurice each finished with two goals and an assist, while Charlie Edwards tallied a pair of caused turnovers to go along with five ground balls. Liam Wright notched 18 saves in the contest.

Keiser won the opening faceoff and on that possession Vincent Cerasuolo found AJ Badik cutting towards the crease for a goal to put the Seahawks in front 1-0.  Goalies Lucas Green and Liam Wright combined for five saves over five minutes before the Keiser extended their lead as JP Prather connected with Ryan Rundle for a goal with nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. The teams traded shots over the next seven minutes as Keiser continued to lead 2-0.  Reinhardt looked to get on the board as Wyatt Maddox had a pair of shots ricochet off the post before JR Sess forced a Keiser turnover and netted a goal off an assist from Cameron Cochran to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 1:20 remaining.  Both goalies added a save in the closing seconds of the quarter as Keiser took a 2-1 lead into the second period.

A minute into the second quarter, the Eagles tied the score as Benji Shackleford found Carter Maurice for a goal. Keiser responded a minute later as Ryan Rundle scooped a ground ball and put a well-placed shot into the cage to put the Seahawks in front 3-2. After both goalies tallied a save, Maurice found Ethan Lux dodging toward the cage for a goal to even the score at 3-3.  The Seahawks took advantage of a penalty as Rundle netted his second goal of the quarter, a man-up goal to take a 4-3 lead midway through the period. Reinhardt responded a minute later as Maurice scored a transition goal to tie the score at 4-4. The score remained that way until the closing seconds of the half when a Kegan Hufford goal put Keiser in front 5-4 heading into halftime.

A couple of minutes into the third quarter, Lux worked from behind the cage and fired a shot into the top right corner tying the score at 5-5. Wright made a save and on the ensuing transition, Benji Shackleford put a well-placed shot into the cage to put Reinhardt in front 6-5. Keiser tied it up with 6:18 remaining as Rundle found Cerasuolo for a goal. Reinhardt scored a pair of goals, in 43 seconds, including a shovel shot goal from Maddox gave the Eagles an 8-6 lead. Green made a trio of saves for Keiser as Reinhardt took an 8-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

Just over a minute into the fourth quarter, Keiser took advantage of a penalty as Badik found Hufford for a man-up goal to pull the Seahawks within one at 8-7.  Green notched a pair of saves before Badik netted the equalizer to tie the game at 8-8 with 11:43 remaining. Reinhardt retook the lead on an unassisted goal from Shackleford with 10:20 left in the fourth period. After the two teams traded goals, Brady Hanak put a low shot into the corner of the cage to give the Eagles an 11-9 edge midway through the quarter. Two minutes later, Prather intercepted a pass and bounced a shot into the cage to pull Keiser within one at 11-10. Keiser won the ensuing faceoff and on that possession, Badik scored the equalizer tying the score at 11-11 with 5:00 remaining. Both goalies made a save keeping the score tied with a minute remaining. In the final minute, Keiser forced a failed clear as Badik scooped a ground ball and connected with Rundle for a goal with 43 seconds remaining to put the Seahawks in front 12-11. Reinhardt looked to tie the game, however, Green made his 22nd save of the game as Keiser earned the 12-11 final.

2024 NAIA All-Tournament Team:

Tournament MVP: Lucas Green, goalie, Keiser (Fla.)

Attack – Ryan Rundle, Keiser (Fla.)
Attack – Chase Jackson, Webber (Fla.)
Attack – Vincent Cerasuolo, Keiser (Fla.)
Midfield – JR Sess, Reinhardt (Ga.)
Midfield – Keegan Hufford, Keiser (Fla.)
Midfield – Braeden Niemy, Keiser (Fla.)
Defense – Dane Fasano, Webber (Fla.)
Defense – Jackson Marshall, Keiser (Fla.)
Defense – Gabe Schwaiger, Cumberlands (Ky.)
Defensive Midfielder – Noah Sorenson, Concordia (Mich.)
LSM – Taylor Long, Cumberlands (Ky.)
Faceoff – Chris Rayburn, Keiser (Fla.)
Goalie – Michael Toohey, Cumberlands (Ky.)