5 Maryland men’s lacrosse players selected in 2018 MLL Draft

The Atlanta Blaze selected Maryland midfielder Connor Kelly with the second overall pick in the 2018 Major League Lacrosse Draft Wednesday evening, kicking off a night full of Terrapin selections.

Kelly was picked behind only Denver faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste, making him the second-highest selection in Terps history. Only attacker Joe Walters has been drafted higher, taken with the No. 1 pick in 2006.

Four other Terps—midfielder Tim Rotanz, defenseman Bryce Young, midfielder Adam DiMillo and goalie Dan Morris—were taken in the draft, and will all be expected to join their respective teams upon completion of the NCAA season. This is the third year in a row at least five Terps have been chosen.

Kelly, a 2017 First Team All-American, has 32 goals and 28 assists in 11 games this year after taking over the historic No. 1 jersey in the offseason. He ranks top-10 in the nation in points per game this season, and his 114 career goals are the 10th-most in Maryland history with time still left to climb the list.

The Charlotte Hounds selected Rotanz in the second round with the 12th overall pick. The senior has 12 goals and 12 assists this season with the fourth-most points on the team. He currently has 59 career goals, including a hat trick in Maryland’s 2017 National Championship victory over Ohio State.

Three picks later, the Ohio Machine traded up three spots to take Young with the 15th overall pick. Young missed the team’s first three games this season, but has been a stalwart on the Terps’ defense in the last eight games. He has collected 73 ground balls in his career and scored two momentum-swinging goals on his only two shots this season.

Charlotte selected DiMillo—its second Terp of the night—in the sixth round with the 48th overall pick. He has five goals and 24 ground balls in Maryland’s 11 games.

Goalkeeper Dan Morris was the last Terp taken in the sixth round (50th overall) by the New York Lizards. His 335 career saves are tied for 13th-most in Maryland history. Morris is averaging 10 saves per game this season, holding opponents to 8.6 goals per game. He is the fourth Terps goalie drafted in the last 10 years.

Thirty-six Terps have now been drafted since John Tillman became Maryland’s head coach in 2011—the most for any program in the country during this span.

In other news

After breaking down Maryland football’s offensive depth chart, we shifted focus to how the defense is shaping up after spring practices.

Our latest podcast discusses the early stages of Maryland’s search for a new athletic director.

The Maryland women’s lacrosse team will host Penn State today in a Final Four rematch.

Women’s basketball added Sara Vujacic—sister of NBA player Sasha Vujacic—to its top-five recruiting class Wednesday.

It looks like Rob Vaughn and Maryland baseball landed a future Terp...