Jack Urso // Courtesy
Nick Fussaro attempts a shot during fall tryouts on Aug. 25.
The spring 2025 season was eventful for the Clemson men’s club lacrosse team. The Tigers went through everything from preseason rankings, winning and losing streaks, to playoff elation and heartbreak.
A semester later, the team aims to build off their last campaign with some old and new faces.
The 2025 squad was streaky, to say the least. Clemson was No. 24 on the Week 1 Varsity Club Lacrosse Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Rankings when last season began, but a 1-2 start saw the Tigers fall out of the rankings, never to be included in the top 25 for the rest of the season.
Despite receiving votes each week, the Tigers were not considered a top 20 team when the official MCLA poll began midway through the season. Clemson ripped off six straight wins until the spring break.
Following every peak is a valley, however, and the Tigers won just one game over the final stretch to close out the regular season at 8-6. The most frustrating game of the slump was undoubtedly the final one. After just one quarter of play, the wheels fell off for Clemson on the road against its bitter rival, South Carolina. The Gamecocks scored 20 goals to the Tigers’ eight when the dust settled.
Despite the slide, the team didn’t throw in the towel. Matched up against then No. 13 Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference quarterfinals, Clemson returned to midseason form with a 14-12 win in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The Tigers fell to Liberty in the ALC semifinals, 16-12, and the season ended. Despite the loss, Clemson won minor victories. For starters, the Tigers were neck and neck with Liberty, the No. 1 team in the country and the eventual ALC and MCLA D1 champions.
Clemson ended the season on much better terms than just two weeks before, ending the frustrating skid that had plagued much of April. Ultimately, the 2025 season marked a significant improvement — a 9-7 finish instead of 2024’s 3-7. The question for Clemson is now this: how will 2026 be an improvement?
The first order of business addresses the holes in the roster left by graduation. The Tigers will certainly miss John Hennessey, their All-Conference First Team goalie who averaged over 12 saves per game in 2025.
Another key departure was Ian Jackson, the team’s First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-American Midfielder, who scored 35 goals in Clemson Orange and Regalia last year. Returners like two-time team-leading scorer Holden Morrison and Landen Snyder are expected to pick up the slack offensively.
Last year’s emergent stars, Tyler Superczynski and Jack Wunder, are also primed for larger roles this spring.
Tryouts finished up last week, and the team looks ahead to Sept. 21, when Coastal Carolina comes to town for a scrimmage. Besides two other fall scrimmages, Clemson’s 2026 schedule has yet to be released.