Moon Township, Pa. – After a season that saw the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse program with the highest representation of any college or university in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), the team added two more players to the ranks as both Ryan Smith and Brad McCulley were selected in the first round of last night's NLL Entry Draft, held virtually on Bleacher Report Live, YouTube, and Facebook.
Smith was picked by the Rochester Knighthawks with the third overall selection, while McCulley was chosen with the ninth overall pick by the Buffalo Bandits. It marks the second straight year that RMU has had two players selected in the first round of the NLL Entry Draft, an accomplishment that only it can claim among all NCAA men's lacrosse programs.
Smith, who is returning for a fifth season of eligibility in 2021, ranks sixth all-time at RMU in career goals (94), assists (52), and points (146), and owns the single-game record for points (10) and tied the mark for goals (8) on Feb. 15, 2020 at Canisius. The Burlington, Ontario native is a three-time All-NEC selection, and was the first player in program history to capture NEC Rookie of the Year accolades in 2017. He was named a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-American after the abbreviated 2020 campaign, one that saw him lead the team with 11 assists and 28 points in six games.
McCulley finished his collegiate career as a four-time NEC Academic Honor Roll recipient that tallied 32 points (28g, 4a) in 40 games. The Victoria, British Columbia product scored seven times in the shortened 2020 season, capping the year with a hat trick at Marquette, highlighted by the game-winner with 4.7 ticks on the clock. He finished sixth on the team in goals (15) and eighth in points (16) as a junior, burying a career-best five tallies at Bryant on April 20, 2019.
With the selections of Smith and McCulley, RMU has now had 23 players picked in the NLL Entry Draft. There were 11 former Colonials playing for 10 different NLL teams in 2020, and Tyson Gibson also competed in the summer Major League Lacrosse (MLL) season. Last year, Gibson was the first player in program history to be chosen with the number one overall selection in the NLL Entry Draft, and rewarded the New York Riptide by putting together a NLL Rookie of the Year campaign.
LINK: Colonials in the Pros (MLAX)
The Canadian duo are the fifth and sixth first-round selections in program history, joining the aforementioned Gibson, JonPatrik Kealey (10th overall by the New England Black Wolves in 2017), Kiel Matisz (3rd overall by the Minnesota Swarm in 2012), Justin Robinson (9th overall by the Saskatchewan Rush in 2019), and Andrew Watt (8th overall by the Minnesota Swarm in 2008).
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