One of the longest tenured Whipsnakes is back with Maryland for the 2026 season.
Veteran short-stick midfielder Jake Bernhardt has re-signed with the Whipsnakes on a one-year contract.
“I’m excited to be back with the Whipsnakes again,” Bernhardt said. “I really don’t think there was another team I would have considered.”
A three-time champion, Bernhardt won back-to-back titles with the Whipsnakes in 2019 and 2020, and has been a Whips cornerstone since the club’s inception.
“I’ve been with the organization since the beginning, and I was hoping that the opportunity to return was going to be there,” Bernhardt said. “It really wasn’t that hard a decision on where I wanted to be.”
The team is filled with familiar faces from those championship runs, including defensemen Matt Dunn and Tim Muller, faceoff specialist Joe Nardella, and attackman Matt Rambo. For Bernhardt, that continuity is a major reason Maryland continues to feel like home.
“You can’t ask for better guys to be around, on and off the field,” Bernhardt said. “Those guys are just true professionals with how they go about their business and preparing themselves each year to come and not only compete, but to try and put the team in the best position to win and be successful. …
“I think that’s what’s kept all of us together because we are all very similar in how we go about it, and just our mindsets each year. There is that respect level.”
Bernhardt enters the 2026 season tied with Lee Zink for 14th all-time in games played (148). He was the third-oldest player to suit up in 2025, behind Mike Manley and Adam Ghitelman. While the 35-year-old acknowledges the league continues to trend toward younger players, Bernhardt believes his experience and lacrosse IQ have allowed him to evolve alongside it.
“To last as long as people do in this league, you have to be able to evolve and adjust,” Bernhardt said. “For me, I love playing. I love being in a locker room and being around the guys. This is all I know.”
Bernhardt credits his time in the league for sharpening his understanding of the game’s mental side, allowing him to recognize patterns in opponents’ tendencies. That awareness continues to improve with each additional year in the league.
“It’s about seeing the cerebral part of an opponent – being able to anticipate and not react,” he said. “I think that is why guys have success for a longer period of time. If they’re able to do it, and if their body is able to hold up for that many years in professional sports, I think that’s something I definitely try to take advantage of.”
Whipsnakes head coach and general manager Jim Stagnitta applauded Bernhardt for his intellect and presence as a veteran leader on Maryland’s defense.
“There’s still a lot of value in Jake; we just have to make sure that we put him in a situation to be successful,” Stagnitta said. “He understands the game. He’s a leader, and he’s great in our locker room.”
The upcoming season will also bring a meaningful family storyline. In 2026, Bernhardt will share the field once again with his younger brothers, Jesse and Jared, when the Whipsnakes face the Denver Outlaws. It will mark the second PLL meeting between the three brothers, following a 2025 matchup in Chicago when the Outlaws took down the Whips. The three also competed in a 2017 scrimmage between Team USA and the University of Maryland.
“Being able to have three brothers on the same field at one time is a testament to our parents,” Bernhardt said. “There’s an age difference between Jared and myself and even Jesse, so to still have that opportunity means a lot. …
“It’s something you just can’t take for granted. Not from a winning or losing perspective, but in life.”
As he prepares for another season, Bernhardt remains grateful for the opportunity to keep playing the sport that has defined his life, and to do so in a place that feels like home.
“The recognition from fans is really cool and shows how far professional lacrosse has come,” Bernhardt said. “Those are moments where you take a step back and realize how lucky you are to be doing this.”
