Whipsnakes defenders Matt Dunn and Bryce Young have been teammates now for over six years, dating back to their college days at the University of Maryland. Two staples to the Whips’ defense since the inaugural 2019 season, I talked with each of them about one another. Read what Bryce Young has to say about his teammate.

Whipsnakes defenders Matt Dunn and Bryce Young have been teammates now for over six years, dating back to their college days at the University of Maryland. Two staples to the Whips’ defense since the inaugural 2019 season, I talked with each of them about one another. Read what Bryce Young has to say about his teammate.

 Sarah: If you had to describe Matt as a lacrosse player in one or as little words as possible, what would you say? 

Bryce: A beast. Matt Dunn is the ideal defenseman. 

Sarah: Having played alongside Matt for over six years now, what do you consider to be his greatest strength as a defender?

Bryce: People about athletes modeling their game off of some of the best around them, that’s who you look to. Matt’s a big dude, he’s super athletic, but he’s super fundamental. His approach to the game on the mental side is particularly impressive. As a defenseman, he thinks about the game in ways that it’s not just on-ball defense, it’s everything. He considers every factor when it comes to playing defense whether it’s on-ball, off-ball, or with the ball.

Sarah: What is his role on the Whipsnakes defensive unit?

Bryce: He’s a general. A lot of guys look at someone like Eddy Glazener as this on-field general, which he is, he’s a commander on the field, but Matt does that just as well. He covers our toughest matchup every week - he’s locking down the best dodging attackmen in the world.

Sarah: Is there an aspect of his game you think may go unnoticed to someone watching at home that stands out to you as his teammate and a fellow defender?

Bryce: People don’t know how much preparation he puts into his game. He’s watching film on his own during the week, he’s coming up with his own game plan, he’s got ideas in his mind on how to cover guys, and he’s communicative with us about it. He always puts his ideas in front of us and we discuss them as a defense along with our defensive coordinator [P.T. Ricci]. He gets us all organized and on the same page before we step on the field.

Sarah: Obviously he’s a leader on the field, but what kind of presence does Matt bring to the Whipsnakes locker room? 

Bryce: He’s got this calming presence - he’s never a ‘rah rah’ guy, but when he speaks, everyone listens. He doesn’t do it often but when he does, everyone pays attention to what he has to say because he garners that much respect. 

Bryce then adds -

He’s the kind of guy when you’re around him, you just want to elevate your game. He makes the people around him better. That’s who you want in your locker room, that’s who you want leading your defense, that’s who you want to be on a team with, on and off the field.

As both teammates and friends for years, I had to ask a couple non-lacrosse related questions.

Sarah: What’s something about Matt fans might not know? 

Bryce: He plays in a band. I saw them play this summer in Baltimore, he’s pretty good - he plays guitar and sings a little. 

Sarah: Last question: if you were to pick any actor to play Matt in a movie, who would you pick?

Bryce: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Sarah: Okay, and why’s that?

Bryce: Can’t say. 

#50-#16 of the 2022 Players Top 50 are out now. Check back this week for #15-#1.