The Adelphi men's lacrosse team is currently 14-0, holding the No. 1 spot for each of the 12 weeks of the 2026 season. The Panthers are looking to become the first three-peat national champions in the 50-plus-year history of DII men's lacrosse.
One of the players leading the way for the Panthers is senior midfielder, Kyle Lewis. Lewis has appeared in nearly every game since his freshman debut in 2023, averaging 48.5 points per season. He is a two-time All-American, a two-time national champion, was the only DII player to hear his name called on the 2026 Teewaraton watchlist and now, was the only DII men's lacrosse player selected in the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League draft.
"After my junior year, I wrote down my goals," Lewis told krikya188.com. "My first goal was obviously to win a national championship... and then the next one was to go to the PLL. All I focused on was continuing to improve as a player, as a teammate, and I didn't really think much about the draft. I just focused on what I can do today and the next day to be a better lacrosse player."
That drive and focus began as a youth. Lewis was a multisport athlete, playing travel baseball until 10th grade, but he was much more of a football player than a lacrosse star. That journey has obviously changed since he joined Adelphi, now a full-time lacrosse player, but he credits much of what he learned on the gridiron to his current success. "The footwork is very similar to dodging in lacrosse," Lewis explained. "That definitely carried over into being a midfielder in lacrosse — the footwork for route running. It's kind of the same thing as trying to dodge past a long pole or a short stick, so it was definitely a little easier to train route running and dodging because of the carryover."
Tuesday, April 14. A day Lewis will remember forever, but it certainly didn't start as planned. As he remembers, he woke up with food poisoning or some sort of stomach virus. Despite not eating all day, Lewis, digging deep for some Michael Jordan "Flu Game" vibes, went out and scored four goals and assisted on another in a 10-7 victory over top-10 Pace. As the game ended, Lewis remembers his mother yelling out that he was going to Philadelphia.
That's right. Childhood dream locked in: Lewis was selected with the 29th overall pick by the Philadelphia Waterdogs while sealing the deal in a nationally ranked matchup. The Waterdogs are coached by Bill Tierney, who not only won seven Division I men's lacrosse national championships with Princeton and Denver, but pursued his master's degree at Adelphi. Lewis already has a familiar face waiting for the next step of his journey.
However, the PLL is the next step. Right now, Lewis is focused on what all his Panthers' teammates are: Making DII men's lacrosse history as the first three-peat national champions. Adelphi is one of the winningest programs in the history of DII men's lacrosse, winning nine national championships all-time, more than any other team. However, there was a 23-year gap between No. 7 and No. 8. It was Lewis and his current teammates' arrival that got the Panthers' powerhouse back on track.
"I didn't really think about it going into my freshman year," Lewis said of restoring the Panthers' roar with multiple national championships. "My freshman year, we got knocked out of the quarterfinals. And then sophomore year, that feeling of winning, being the first team to win a national championship in 23 years, was just — it was unreal. I honestly think that was better than the second [national championship] because we made history. We were the first team to do it in 23 years. It's been an honor to be a part of the two national championship teams. And I'm glad, looking back, that I made the decision to stay at Adelphi because of the experience. There are so many teams in the country that work for one goal, and that's to walk off Memorial Day weekend as champions. And when you're able to do that, it's a great feeling."
The Panthers are glad he made the decision to return as well. Lewis, as many superstars do in the current era of college sports, entered the transfer portal last summer. He received offers from some Division I schools, but ultimately decided Adelphi — and DII — was the perfect fit for him.
"I think it's the people," Lewis said of what made him decide to stay at Adelphi for one more chance at another title. "The second I stepped onto campus, I was immediately surrounded by people who support me and put me in the right spots to succeed. And they don't just look out for me as a player, but as a person. And that's something I greatly appreciate. Having the people that are around me and the opportunity that I have to play in a place and be supported by people that want to see me do well, I think that was the biggest thing. And I love my teammates. They're always the first ones supporting me. It felt really hard to ultimately make that decision to commit to Penn State, because I would have to leave the people who have done so much for me for three years."
While Adelphi chases DII history with a three-peat, Lewis is chasing a rare personal accomplishment. He iced the 2024 national championship, putting Adelphi up two with the final goal of the game, and last year, his second goal of the game was the game winner, giving Adelphi the national championship in a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory over Tampa. Now, he may have the opportunity for the national championship game hat trick, scoring a goal in his third-straight championship game when it matters most, a theme that seems to be the norm in Lewis' illustrious career.
"I don't know if that's always been me," Lewis said of shining brightest in clutch moments. "In those stadiums where there are so many people, and you're on the biggest stage, it can be nerve-wracking. But I think just going out and playing lacrosse — I try to think of it as just another game. It's the same game, it's the same rules, it's the same lines and it's the same referees since second grade. Sometimes it takes a couple plays to get all those nerves out. And then after that, it's just like any other game.
"So it's definitely a little pressure. But once you get into the flow of the game, it feels kind of normal." ;
Very little of Lewis' four-year career has been normal, excelling and shining far brighter than many of his peers. And in just a few short weeks, he'll get one more chance to add to an already storybook career.
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