Senior defenseman Gavin Adler’s prolific lacrosse career will not be ending in college. While he prepares for a postseason battle with Michigan this weekend, the Premier Lacrosse League held its college draft on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Adler did not need to wait long to hear his name called –– Atlas Lacrosse Club snagged him with the first overall pick.
“He’s one of those players that you always want on your team,” said head coach Connor Buczek ’15. “He’s always going to come out with the intent to win and he’s a guy that’s made the most out of every opportunity that’s been afforded to him, so I’ve got to imagine that this step is no different.”
Over his past two years at Cornell, Adler has cemented himself as the top defenseman in college lacrosse. As a junior, he was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection and a first-team All-American, leading the Red with 34 caused turnovers. He was a core part of Cornell’s run to the national championship game last year.
As a senior captain, Adler has been one of the key leaders on the team, anchoring the Red’s defense and consistently locking up opponents’ top options on attack. He was named a midseason All-American and is one of 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award.
Adler will now join attacker Jeff Teat ’21 on an Atlas squad that will be led on both sides of the ball by Cornell alums. Teat was drafted first overall by Atlas in 2021 after being a three-time All-American with the Red.
Though Adler’s future is secure, he is still locked in on the present. He will be matching up against Michigan’s leading goal-scorer, Michael Boehm, on Sunday. Shutting down Boehm, who is coming off a five goal performance against Maryland in the Big Ten championship game, will be pivotal for the Red to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.