Red Devils Lacrosse Stuns With Historic Season
Photo by Joe O'Neill.
From a rocky start to a national championship game, Dickinson’s 2025 squad leaves a lasting legacy
by Tony Moore
After Dickinson started the season 3-4—including a 24-7 loss to perennial powerhouse RIT—few could have predicted where the men’s lacrosse team would end up. But by May—after turning the tables on RIT in the NCAA semifinals—the Red Devils were one of the last two teams standing in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. There, they took on No. 1-ranked Tufts University in the first NCAA Division III national championship game in program history.
“This was a big deal for our college today, and an entire community supported it,” says Head Coach Dave Webster ’88, who has led the program for 24 seasons. “What an incredible thing—a team that was 3-4 could commit to making some changes and really digging in and getting better consistently and finishing in the national championship. The result doesn’t change that—we won before the game even started.”
The team’s remarkable turnaround was powered by a senior class that will go down as the winningest in program history. Thirteen seniors led the charge, fostering a culture of grit, joy and togetherness that defined the season. The Red Devils won the Centennial Conference championship, earned a place in the national title game and watched postseason support and accolades roll in.
Eight players were named All-Centennial Conference, and three earned All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association: defender Evan Karetsos ’25 (first team), faceoff specialist Ben Trucksess ’25 (honorable mention) and midfielder Luke Whalen ’27 (honorable mention). Sam Bunten ’25 was recognized as the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner, presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at each championship site.
And from the field to the stands the sense of community was overwhelming.
“There are classes that came back from a few years ago and classes that came back from 15, 20 years ago,” says Ethan Gess ’25. “It’s just unbelievable to know they have our backs. It really is just one big family.”
Captain Capp Reynolds ’25 echoes that feeling.
“As the bus pulled in [at Gillette Stadium], to see hundreds of people all dressed in red screaming and going crazy for us, it was a really cool experience,” he says, giving credit for the turnout to Coach Webster and the bonds he’s created with the Dickinson community. “It really set the tone for how the game was going to go for us, and we’re very grateful for that.”
Despite the team’s loss in the national title game, their legacy is secure. Their unlikely rise to the final made history—and lit a path for future Red Devils to follow.
“I’ve heard from so many other college coaches who have found some inspiration with what we’ve done and the run we had,” says Webster. “Little schools like Dickinson—who have some incredible young men and families who support it and a college that supports it—can do things like this.”
Read more from the summer 2025 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published August 28, 2025