Brennan O'Neill is an American professional lacrosse player who plays for the Denver Outlaws of the Premier Lacrosse League and Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. He previously played college lacrosse for the Duke University Blue Devils. He is the winner of the 2023 Tewaaraton Award.
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 250 pounds (113 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Shoots | Left | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Attack | ||||||||||||||
| NCAA team | Duke | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
NCAA:
International
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Medal record
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O'Neill was a member of the 2023 United States men's national lacrosse team at the offensive midfield position. That year, the team won the championship and O'Neill won the tournament MVP award.
Brennan O'Neill was the first draft pick in 2024 PLL draft.[1]
Early career
editA native of Bay Shore, New York, O'Neill began playing lacrosse in second grade. He played varsity lacrosse in eighth grade for Bay Shore High School, recording 98 points to lead all of Long Island, before attending St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington. O'Neill played three seasons of varsity lacrosse for the Friars before his senior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where he scored 153 goals and had 66 assists for 219 points, winning the CHSAA Long Island championship as a junior in large part due to O'Neill scoring seven goals against rival Chaminade in the championship game, and he was named the US Lacrosse Magazine National Player of the Year that season. He also played football as a linebacker.[2][3]
College career
editO'Neill originally committed to Penn State when he was 14 years old before switching his commitment to Duke.[4] As a freshman, O'Neill led the Blue Devils with 45 goals and finished second on the team with 55 points, recording at least one point in all 17 games as Duke lost in the national semifinals. His sophomore season saw O'Neill once again lead Duke in goals with 53, while also adding 21 assists for a team best 74 points, although the team would miss the NCAA Tournament. As a junior, O'Neill led the nation with 97 points, winning both the Tewaaraton Award and Lt. Raymond Enners Award as the nation's top player, leading Duke to the national championship game where they lost to Notre Dame. That season, he was the only player in Division I lacrosse to finish in the top 20 nationally in points per game, goals, and assists.[2]
International career
editAfter winning a gold medal at the 2022 U-21 World Lacrosse Championships, where he led Team USA with 18 goals and 25 points,[5] O'Neill was selected to the United States men's national lacrosse team for the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship, being the only college player on the roster and the youngest player to represent the US in a World Championship since 2002.[6] Playing as a midfielder instead of at his natural attack position, O'Neill scored 5 goals in the gold medal game, leading the US to a 10–7 victory over Canada, and he was named the tournament's best midfielder and MVP.[7][4]
Professional career
editBrennan O'Neill was drafted first overall by the Denver Outlaws in the 2024 Premier Lacrosse League draft. He wears number 42 for the Denver Outlaws. Brennan was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League in 2024.
Statistics
editNCAA
edit| Team | Season | GP | GS | G | A | Pts | Sh | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 2021 | 17 | 16 | 45 | 10 | 55 | 123 | 18 |
| Duke | 2022 | 17 | 17 | 53 | 21 | 74 | 163 | 26 |
| Duke | 2023 | 19 | 19 | 55 | 42 | 97 | 153 | 34 |
References
edit- ^ University, Duke (May 7, 2024). "O'Neill Selected First in PLL College Draft; Five Blue Devils Drafted". Duke University. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Brennan O'Neill - 2023 - Men's Lacrosse". Duke University. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Incredible Year". Duke University. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ a b "O'Neills MVP Performance Lifts USA to 11th World Championship". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Brennan O'Neill". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Caffeine and Napalm: Brennan O'Neill Comes of Age with U.S. Team". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "How the U.S. Team Culture Brought Out the Best in Brennan O'Neill". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-08-15.