The highlight of a senior athlete’s year is almost always their Senior Day. It’s a time for recognition and thanks for every kid who has put their all into a program. With the pandemic cancelling spring sports, and leaving these seniors without a true Senior Day experience, I’m going to try my best to replicate it, virtually, because it’s the best we can do to give these seniors the adequate thanks they deserve.

Instead of reading off the names first, I’m going to put the team accolades that the program has obtained while these seniors were playing. Every single senior demonstrated a team-first mentality, no matter what the situation was, so it feels fitting that team-wide accolades are listed first.

In their time at New Providence, this class had an impressive 34-24 record under coach Russ Anderson. The Pioneers made the county semifinals twice and a state semifinal once. The team improved throughout the career of these four seniors and their leadership and hard work led that improvement. 

Now, here are the four boys lacrosse seniors:

KC Boyle

4 Year Varsity Winner

Coach Quote: “In his four years as a member of Pioneer Lacrosse, KC Boyle exemplified what it means to be a teammate. There was never a practice where he wouldn’t ask what he could do to improve. This dedication to the team and to his improvement made him everything we look for in a program player. He never limited it to himself, he was always looking to get teammates better as well. His athleticism is a dynamic part of his ability as a goalie and made it fun to watch. He was always welcomed to being challenged and always looked to help his teammates with whatever he could. We will certainly miss his work ethic and playful personality.”

KC will be attending the University of Connecticut and will be studying Business.

Connor Lawton 

3 Year Varsity Winner

Coach Quote: “Since his freshman year, no one player has shown true mental and physical growth as Connor has. In his sophomore and junior years, Connor played significant minutes against top tier offense talent and thrived. As a senior, his physical stature and game ability positioned him as a top defensemen in the conference. In addition, Connor’s knowledge and skill of the game allowed him to be considered for multiple positions. He could play imposing defense as well as offense as he was one of our fastest shooters. He is one of the most cerebral players to come through the program and he will be sorely missed.”

Connor will be attending Loyola University Maryland and will be studying Biology.

Will Tselepis

2 Year Varsity Winner

Coach Quote: “The difference in Will from his freshman year to his senior year, is all a result of his desire to improve. Will worked extremely hard the offseason going into his junior year to make the varsity roster. Last season Will was able to accomplish that, as an attackman, he played an important role in a successful offense. He scored goals in many crucial games which put us over the edge against other opponents. The coaches are extremely proud of his growth as a player and the work he put into the program.”

Will has committed to DePaul University and will be studying Data Science.

Nathan Woodby 

2 Year Varsity Winner

Coach Quote: “When you think about what Nate brought to a team, one thing was always consistent, his work work ethic. His effort in the weight room allowed him to be one of the strongest players on the team. In addition to his work ethic, Nate showed what it means to be a great teammate. He has and always will be a team first guy, which has garnered the respect from the rest of his teammates and coaches. I know I speak for all coaches that we will miss this about him and wish him the best moving forward.”

Nathan will be attending Syracuse University and studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

All four of these boys were heading into a season that they’ve all been anxiously waiting for. This is not how their tenure should have ended. This group was one of the hardest working classes that the program has ever seen and they deserved to have one final ride. Unfortunately life sometimes gets in the way. 

Thank you, from me to my classmates to the whole New Providence community, thank you for being great role models and representing this town the way that you guys did. Every single one of you will be missed.