Mason Woodward

Men's Lacrosse at Air Force (Feb. 3, 2024)

Men's Lacrosse, Villanova, 77 Mason Woodward

Photo by: Marquette Athletics

Position:
Defense
Height:
6-2
Weight:
210
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Towson, Md.
High School:
St. Paul's School

Awards and Honors

2023-24
USILA All-America (third team)
Inside Lacrosse All-America (honorable mention)
USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America (honorable mention)
All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous)
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/12, 3/25)
USILA Division I Team of the Week (2/13)
Tewaaraton Award Watch List
USILA Preseason All-America (second team)
Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America (second team)
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year (unanimous)
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team (unanimous)
Team Captain

2022-23
USILA All-America (third team)
USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America (honorable mention)
Inside Lacrosse All-America (honorable mention)
All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous)
College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
USILA Division I Team of the Week (3/21)
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (2/27, 3/20)
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/6)
Tewaaraton Award Watch List
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team (unanimous)
Team Captain

2021-22
USILA All-America (honorable mention)
All-BIG EAST Second Team
All-BIG EAST Championship Team
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/28, 4/4)
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team (unanimous)
Team Captain

2020-21
USILA All-America (honorable mention)
All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous)
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/23, 3/15)
Team Captain

2019-20
USILA Team of the Week (2/4)

BIG EAST All-Academic (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23)
Four-time team captain
Marquette Athletics' 77th McCahill Award Winner (2023)
Departed as MU's all-time leader in ground balls (265) and second in caused turnovers (84)
MU single-game record holder for ground balls by a non-faceoff specialist (12) and caused turnovers (6)
Led MU in caused turnovers all five seasons and ground balls in two campaigns

First MU player selected in the first round of the PLL College Draft (2024 - Utah Archers (No. 8 overall)
Selected in the fourth round (56th overall) of the 2023 NLL College Draft by the New York Riptide

Career: Started all 59 career games at close defense and recorded a program-record 265 ground balls, 84 caused turnovers, nine goals and four assists.

2024 Season (R-Sr.): USILA Third Team All-America selection ... Inside Lacrosse All-America (honorable mention) ... USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America (honorable mention) ... All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous) ... Played in 14 games and picked up 53 ground balls and caused a team-high 18 turnovers ... Also contributed two goals (in his final two games against Villanova (April 20) and Denver (April 26)) and an assist ... Picked up six ground balls in three consecutive games against Michigan (Feb. 24), Utah (March 2), and Bellarmine (March 9) ... Second on the team with 53 ground balls ... Broke the Marquette program ground ball record held by Liam Byrnes (218) with four ground balls against Lindenwood (Feb. 9) ... Ended career second to Byrnes (102) in MU history with 84 caused turnovers.

2023 Season (R-Jr.): USILA All-America Third Team selection ... All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous)... USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America (honorable mention) ... CSC Academic All-District ... Posted career highs in ground balls (70), goals (five), assists (two) and points (seven) while starting all 14 games at close defense ... No. 2 among NCAA Division I close defensemen in ground balls per game (5.00) ... BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 6 after picking up six ground balls, forcing a turnover and providing a goal in win against Lindenwood (Feb. 4) ... Set a career high for ground balls in a game with 12 at Utah (Feb. 11) while also forcing four turnovers ... His 12 assists against the Utes are a program record among non-faceoff specialists ... Selected as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after posting seven ground balls and two caused turnover in a neutral site win against Michigan (Feb. 25) at the Southwest Florida Shootout ... Earned second BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week of the season after leading the team with seven ground balls in win against No. 5 Penn State (March 18) ... Also named to USILA Team of the Week for the second time in his career on March 21 for his play against Penn State ... Picked up seven ground balls and forced two turnovers against Providence (April 1) ... Tailed a goal and grabbed six ground balls in road contest at then-No. 7 Cornell (April 11).

2022 Season (R-So.): USILA All-America Honorable Mention (just the second two-time selection in program history (Ryan McNamara)) ... All-BIG EAST Second Team ... Picked up 60 ground balls and caused 19 turnovers in 12 games played and started ... Missed three games in April due to a hand injury ... Posted lone assist of the year against Detroit Mercy (March 5) ... Set a MU single-game record with six caused turnovers against Utah (Feb. 26), while also picking up a season-high seven ground balls ... Also recorded seven ground balls against Air Force (March 26) and Providence (April 2) ... Notched six ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers at No. 2 Georgetown (May 5) in the BIG EAST semifinals to earn all-tournament recognition ... Posted at least five ground balls in eight of the 12 games he played, including his final five games of the year ... Ended his season fifth in MU career history in ground balls and third in caused turnovers through just two and a half years of game action ... Woodward led all BIG EAST defensive players with 17 ground balls in league action despite playing just three conference games ... Team captain.

2021 Season (R-Fr.): USILA All-America Honorable Mention (first at MU since Noah Richard in 2019) ... Unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection at close defense ... Led all non-face-off specialists in the BIG EAST with 54 ground balls and led all players with 18 caused turnovers while starting all 12 games... Scored one goal in a 9-8 win over St. John's (April 14) ... Recorded at least five ground balls in the first six games of the year ... Posted five ground balls and caused two turnovers in the season opener against No. 9/10 Denver (Feb. 20) and did the same in the next game against Villanova (Feb. 27) ... Tied a career high with eight ground balls at No. 4 Georgetown (March 6) ... Notched seven ground balls and four caused turnovers against Providence (March 13) ... Ended the season seventh in Marquette history with 82 ground balls and 31 caused turnovers in his career ... Team captain.

2020 Season (RS - COVID): Started all seven games at close defense and picked up 28 ground balls with 13 caused turnovers and one goal ... Posted eight ground balls and caused three turnovers while starting his NCAA debut at Cleveland State (Feb. 1) ... His eight ground balls are the most ever for an MU player in a career debut ... Named to the USILA's Team of the Week on Feb. 4 for his play at CSU ... Secured six ground balls against Jacksonville (Feb. 15) ... Scored first collegiate goal, picked up a pair of ground balls and caused three turnovers at Michigan (March 11) ... Recorded three caused turnovers in four of seven games.

Prior to Marquette: Woodward was a three-sport captain in lacrosse, soccer and hockey at St. Paul’s School for Boys … Regarded as a four-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse and the No. 99 overall player in the class of 2019 ... Marquette's fifth top-100 incoming freshman in program history (Conor Gately, Nick Grill, Garrett Moya, Gabe Stein) … Was a two-time All-MIAA and All-Metro selection as a junior and senior … Named all-state senior year … Grabbed 78 ground balls, caused 46 turnovers, tallied one goal and eight assists as a senior … Bob Scott Award winner as a senior … MVP in soccer as a senior … Played for Baltimore Crabs Lacrosse Club under coach TJ Harris ... Hails from the same hometown and high school as former MU defenseman Brendon Connolly (2016-19).

Personal: Woodward was born in Baltimore and is the second oldest of four children to Rob and Allison … Siblings are Jackson, Peyton and Grayson … Mother played lacrosse and field hockey at Roanoke and father swam at John Carroll … Earned a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from Marquette in 2023 and earned a graduate certificate in sports leadership from the MU College of Business in May 2024.