Liam Byrnes (2022) - Marquette 'M Club' Hall of Fame

Liam Byrnes

Induction:
2022
Class:
2016

Liam Byrnes (2012-16) pushed the men's lacrosse program to national prominence in his redshirt senior season as the Golden Eagles won the BIG EAST Championship over No. 1 Denver in 2016 and earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament with a first round home game at Valley Fields. Byrnes was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year that season on his way to USILA Second Team All-America honors and is the only player in program history with over 200 ground balls and 100 caused turnovers. He has become one of the best men's lacrosse players in the world, earning MLL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and is a finalist for similar honors in the PLL in 2021.

THE BYRNES FILE:

MU record during tenure: 32-30 (11-5 BIG EAST)
Member of first four varsity lacrosse teams
USILA Second Team All-American (2016)
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year (2016)
- Played close defense and LSM at various points of career
All-BIG EAST First Team (2015, 2016)
All-BIG EAST Second Team (2014)
BIG EAST tournament most outstanding player (2016)
BIG EAST All-Academic (2015-16)
2016 USILA Scholar All-American
Inside Lacrosse Midseason Second Team All-American, Preseason Third Team All-American (2016)
NCAA National Defensive Player of the Week (April 20, 2016)
2015 and 2016 Team Captain
BIG EAST Tournament Champion (2016)
Part of Marquette's first NCAA tournament team in 2016
One of under 15 players in NCAA Division I to have at least 200/100 (as of fall 2018) – caused turnovers as a stat was first counted in 2010
Led MU in ground balls twice and caused turnovers all four years
Holds MU single game record for caused turnovers
Drafted No. 21 in the MLL Draft by the Florida Launch
2019 Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year
Currently plays for Waterdogs LC in the PLL
MU single-season ranks (as of June 2021 (not exhaustive))
- No. 2 in ground balls per game (4.62 in 2013)
- Top three seasons in caused turnovers (2016, 2015, 2014)
- No. 1 in caused turnovers per game (2.06 in 2016)
MU career ranks (as of June 2021)
- No. 1 in ground balls (218)
- No. 4 in ground balls per game (3.57)
- No. 1 caused turnovers (102)
- No. 1 in caused turnovers per game (1.67)
- T-No. 4 games played (61)