The 2001 season was a rebuilding year for the men's lacrosse team. After losing 11 seniors from the squad that won the 2000 MAAC title, head coach Paul Perdue brought in a record 11 freshmen to fill the hole left by the departing seniors. The Hawks were led by senior Randy McNeill's 62 points. His 44 goals were the most scored by a Hawk in a single season and he finished his career as the all-time leading goal scorer with 120. McNeill shared team MVP honors with fellow senior Rob McCracken. McCracken picked up a team-high 94 groundballs and was the team's top face-off man with a 54% success rate. The duo were named to the MAAC All-Conference team for the second consecutive season. Junior Bert Whitelock led the team with 27 assists and was second with 22 goals and 49 points. He is just 10 assists away from breaking the all-time record at SJU. Enjoying a solid rookie campaign, freshman Mike Pagliaro finished third on the teamwith 18 goals and 26 points. He earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors once this season and was named SJU's Rookie of the Year. The defense was led by the play of senior Brendan Dowd. Named the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Dowd marked the opponents' top scoring threat every game. He picked up 31 groundballs and tallied one goal and one assiSaint Nick Leopard provided consistent play in front of the net for the Hawks turning back 104 shots for a .507 save percentage. He posted a 4-5 record in nine starts and recorded a 10.69 goals against average. Along with McNeill, McCracken, and Dowd, seniors Nick Mileo, Jon Raley, and Dan Steller played in their final seasons on Hawk Hill. Both Mileo and Steller completed in all 14 games with Mileo scoring one goal and one assist while Raley made five starts in goal, posting 35 saves.