The Maryland Whipsnakes have placed short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur on the military list. He is expected to miss the full 2026 season.
The list is reserved for active duty or training military personnel. Mazur, a 2025 West Point graduate and active member of the United States Army, was selected in the third round of the 2025 College Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was named to the USILA and Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American list as a senior with Army, and was a First-Team All-Patriot League selection after posting 17 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers as a senior.
As a rookie, he led all Maryland SSDMs with four caused turnovers and 13 ground balls, and scored his first career goal in the regular-season finale — a 15-8 win over the Boston Cannons that secured a playoff berth for the Whipsnakes.
With Mazur now unavailable and veteran Jake Bernhardt’s contract set to expire, Roman Puglise and Kyle Aldridge are the only SSDMs under contract with Maryland through 2026.
Whipsnakes head coach and general manager Jim Stagnitta acknowledged the growing need at the position, noting that Bernhardt has been the anchor of the SSDM unit since 2019, playing a pivotal role in two championship runs and serving as a cornerstone of the defensive leadership group.
“Jake is the leader of that group,” Stagnitta said. “I think his impact on everybody on that end is pretty substantial in helping these guys to develop and acclimate to the game.”
The player movement window opens Dec. 17, allowing the Whipsnakes to add reinforcements at SSDM ahead of the 2026 season, even if Bernhardt chooses to re-sign with Maryland.
“We really need to bolster that position,” Stagnitta said
One of the top unsigned options is Brian Tevlin, a 2025 finalist for the George Boiardi Hard Hat Award and winner of the Jimmy Regan Teammate Award. Tevlin is a two-time All-Pro who caused 12 turnovers last season (tied for fourth in the league) and collected 25 ground balls, second among SSDMs behind Boston’s Ben Ramsey.
Other available SSDMs include Matt Whitcher, Christian Scarpello, Patrick Resch and Chris Merle.
