CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former Canisius standout Connor Kearnan was selected by the San Diego Seals with the 11th overall pick of the 2018 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft Tuesday at Xfinity Live! in Philadelphia.
Kearnan becomes the eighth player in school history to be selected in the NLL Draft and the seventh to be picked in the first round. He is also the first Golden Griffin to be drafted since Adam Jones (3rd) and Dan Coates (8th) were selected by the Colorado Mammoth in the first round of the 2011 draft.
“It’s a dream come true to be drafted, especially in the first round,” Kearnan said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years. I’m excited to be part of a great organization like San Diego and cannot wait to get things started.”
A native of Courtice, Ontario, Kearnan played three seasons at Canisius after transferring from Saint Joseph’s following his freshman season.
He paced a high-powered Golden Griffins’ attack in both assists (52) and points (83) during his senior campaign as he helped guide the program to its third MAAC Championship.
Kearnan, the 2018 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and MAAC Championship MVP, recorded multiple points in all 17 games played as he set school and league marks for assists in a season and also established the league standard for points in a campaign.
A 2018 Inside Lacrosse Media All-American Honorable Mention and an USILA Scholar All-American, Kearnan led the MAAC and ranked among the top-10 players in the nation in both assists (3.06/6th) and points (4.88/8th) per game. He finished his Canisius career among program’s career leaders for assists (91/2nd), points (180/5th) and goals (89/T-10th).
“Our entire program is excited for Connor’s opportunity to be drafted this evening and join the group of Golden Griffin alums who have been selected to play in the National Lacrosse League,” Canisius head coach Mark Miyashita, the No. 1 pick of the Vancouver Ravens in the 2003 NLL Entry Draft, said. “In the year that our staff had the opportunity to work with Connor, he grew not only as a player, but as a leader who was the backbone of our offense and made big plays in big moments. I know he will continue to bring his passion and fire at the next level and look forward to seeing him play at the professional level.”
The NLL is North America’s premier professional indoor lacrosse league. Founded in 1986, the NLL ranks third in average attendance for pro indoor sports worldwide, behind only the NHL and NBA. The League is comprised of 11 franchises across the United States and Canada: Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, San Diego Seals, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Warriors.
