For the second straight year, the National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) crowned a first-time champion. The Dramingos, a team made primarily of California and Florida players, roared through the tournament with four wins in five games to raise the NCBS trophy at RIT’s Ritter Arena.

“When we put the team together, we thought there were some question marks. Thankfully, Jason Crosbie and I’ve been through this before, where we have taught box lacrosse to inexperienced players in short event-type scenarios,” said Dramingos coach Brad MacArthur. “We knew that we would need a good goalie to help anchor our defense. When we spoke to our players, we reiterated to them that we weren’t going up there for an experience. We were going up there to compete and get better every practice and every game.”

“We fielded a team that had seven newcomers to box lacrosse before a practice on Monday night before the tournament,” added MacArthur. “For the most part, 15 of our guys didn’t even know each other before Monday night.” 

With two days to get acquainted, the players came together and battled to a second-place finish after pool play. They heeded the lessons preached by their coaching staff.

“The NCBS is a tough tournament,” said MacArthur. “We were only three goals from not being in the semis. As the tournament advanced, our consistency started to wear on other teams. In every game, there was a marked improvement. We limited the opposition’s top scorers, and when we needed supplementary scoring, we got it.”

After dropping their first game of the tournament, the Dramingos won their last two games to finish second in the American Division. In the semifinals, they knocked off the unbeaten defending champion Hawkeyes 9-3, advancing to their first championship game. 

The Dramingos faced off against another first-time NCBS finalist in the Buffaloes. The team from nearby Buffalo, NY, went unbeaten in pool play and downed the Kings from Philadelphia in the semifinals, 13-8. 

The finals pitted the two highest-scoring teams in the tournament against each other. But the game would come down to defense. All-NCBS First Team goalie Nathan Whittom dominated the game by stopping 36 shots to avenge his only loss of the tournament. The Dramingos’ defense was nearly unbeatable in the second half as they limited the Buffaloes to a single goal. 

Behind stellar goaltending and three-point efforts from Luke Fox (2+1) and Trace McDonald (2+1), the combination California-Florida club cruised to a 10-5 victory. Kayle Ryan and Keelan Seneca also chipped in two goals apiece. First Team All-NCBS selection, 

Ryan Sanders also scored for the Dramingos.

The Buffaloes were led by Daylin-John Hill’s two-point (1+1) night, as the UCBLL team got single goals from five different players. Chace Cogan scored one of those goals and finished second in the tourney with 17 points. Zach Constantopoulos finished the game with 20 saves and was named a Second Team All-NCBS choice. The Buffalo club battled to get within two goals before halftime as they trailed just 6-4 after 24 minutes. The second half was all Dramingos.

The Kings from Philadelphia finished third as they edged the Hawkeyes 12-9 in the bronze medal contest. Alystair Hemberger powered the Kings with two goals and two assists, while Eric Ward notched a hat trick. Matt Kuhn, who split time with Eric Hrabal, made 14 saves to earn the win. Kuhn was named an NCBS First Team All-Tournament selection.

The Kings led 10-4 after three quarters and held off a Hawkeyes’ rally to win by three. Zach Terry led the Rochester team with three goals and one assist to lead the tournament in goals (15) and points (20). Terry earned First Team honors for his efforts. Sly Sundown chipped in two goals, while Clifford Gaston posted one goal and one assist. 

The Revolution from the Connecticut Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CTCBLL) placed fifth, followed by the Red Hawks of the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) in sixth. The CD Selects from Albany secured seventh place by defeating the Crabbers, who represented the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (MACBLL) from the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia region.

The 2025 NCBS National Championships also showcased future NLL talent, as three players from the tournament were selected in the NLL Entry Draft. Liam Keane of the Buffaloes was chosen by the three-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits. His teammate, Kadem Brennan, went in the fourth round to the Philadelphia Wings, while the Rochester Knighthawks selected Clifford Gaston from the Hawkeyes.

Past NCBS participants Mic Kelly and Jimmy Freehill of the 2024 Potomac Gaels (MACBLL) were also drafted. They were the third and fourth players selected from that team. Kelly went to the Vancouver Warriors, and Freehill went to the Buffalo Bandits.

NCBS Honorable Mention

Forwards: Will Weinstein (Red Hawks), Liam Connors (Red Hawks), Solomon Hess (Revolution)

Defense/Transition: Jaron Crosbie (Dramingos), Obrigh Tallchief (Buffaloes), Prince Ayivon (Crabbers), Bear Martin (Hawkeyes)

Goalie: Jackson Curtis (Crabbers)