Aztec Lacrosse Ends Another Noteworthy Season
Old Aztecs Golf Registration now open!
In this monthly correspondence, we will cover:
-Congratulations Graduates!
-2026 Season Recap
-Old Aztecs Golf Registration Details
-Alumni Spotlight
-Contest/Service/Records
-Did you Know?
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AZTEC SENIORS
Hats off to our 12 men’s lacrosse graduates. They are Aaron Johnson, Tyler Brown, Jack Denton, Peter Giner, Clayton Grace, Landon Larkin, Grayer Leenhouts, Carson Mucho, Leo Vegara, Shea Vandergrift, James Walsh and Nate Warren. We appreciate your contributions to Aztec Lacrosse. You are now alumni and an automatic subscriber of this newsletter! If you haven’t joined our SDSU Men’s Lacrosse LinkedIn group, please click the link here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/18675006/
2026 SDSU SEASON RECAP
The 2026 SDSU Men’s Lacrosse team had another fantastic season. The team went 12-5 overall, reached its fourth straight SLC Tournament, its first SLC championship game and its third straight MCLA Nationals appearance. The Aztecs were ranked as high as fourth in the national poll and boasted a nine-game winning streak late in the season. The club earned 11 All-SLC honors, led by offensive player of the year (Luc Schneider) and the top defensive player (Nate Warren.) The team lost its graduating seniors, but returns a talented and young lineup for 2026-27.
The Aztecs lost to South Carolina in the opening round of the MCLA Division 1 Tournament. While in Richmond, Va., the coaching staff and alumni were hosted by local Steve Mann and his wife, Mary, for dinner. Original Aztec and former Head Coach Mitch Fenton prepared a “delicioso” Cinco de Mayo meal for Head Coach Bryan Bome, Offensive Coordinator Andrew O’Neill, Assistant Coach Connor Chenault and Alumni Board Member Bob Lowe.
Mann, while attending graduate school, played for the Aztecs in 1982 and was the head coach the following year. In 1983, he led the team to an undefeated (12-0) regular season and its first WCLL playoff appearance. Mann later had an illustrious career as a high school teacher and coach in Virginia, but said after the 1983 campaign: “I may someday may have an undefeated season, but I’ll never have a better one.”
OLD AZTECS GOLF REGISTRATION
Note: Golf is the first event open for alumni weekend registration. In future correspondence, we will have mountain biking information, Aztec football ticket registration and a donation link for alumni weekend. In the meantime, check this link for hotel registration and general information about alumni weekend: https://robertbrianlowe.substack.com/p/itinerary-for-50th-anniversary-weekend
What: Third Annual Old Aztecs Golf Invitational
When: September 18, 2026, foursomes tee off starting at noon
Where: Historic Balboa Park Golf Course (18). 2600 Golf Course Drive, San Diego, CA 92102. Website: https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/golf/bpgolf
Why: As part of the 50th year/Golden Anniversary celebration of SDSU Men’s Lacrosse
Cost: $100 per person (includes green fees, cart, range balls and commemorative Old Aztec stuff)
Format: Four-man scramble. Every team will use at least one drive from each team member on front and back nine. NOTE: WE ARE PLAYING THIS FORMAT TO ATTRACT HIGHER HANDICAP GOLFERS AND THOSE WHO DON’T PLAY THAT OFTEN. Handicaps are required for ALL PLAYERS (If you are unsure, provide your average score for a par 72 course). There will be prizes for low-gross and low-net score (team score minus their collective handicap). You can’t win both. There will also be prizes for closest to the pin and the longest drive.
How to Register: Registration is open and closes when full. Golfers can pay the Aztec Alumni Lacrosse Foundation $100, Paypal aalf.president@gmail.com, Zelle: Aztecmlxalumni@gmail.com or via Venmo: @bob-lowe-2. If you need to pay by check, contact robertbrianlowe@gmailcom. The $100 fee is non-refundable if there’s no paying golfer to take your spot. After you pay, please send an email to Aztecmlxalumni@gmail.com advising how you paid, your HANDICAP (or average score at a par 72 course) with “GOLF” in the subject line.
Other details: We are an official tournament with Balboa which means we will prepay them prior to the event. We have room for 36 golfers/nine foursomes. As we did last year, we will try to pair requests of playing with one other golfer.
Auction/Donations: A mulligan or throw is $10/per person or $40/team. Donation for a silent auction or door prizes are welcomed. All proceeds will go to SDSU Men’s Lacrosse. We raised more than $600 from last year’s golf event as part of the weekend total surpassing $13,000.
Awards/Dinner: The awards ceremony will take place after the event at Tobey’s Diner, which is the on-site cafe next to the clubhouse. There will be food and beverages available for purchase.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DREW SANDERS
Drew Sanders ‘04 served as team president 2003 and ‘04. He assisted Head Coach Jeff Hughes in the following semester as an assistant and graduated from SDSU in Dec., 2005. He then attended medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans. There Drew met his wife, Janie, also a med student. They graduated, got married in 2009 and moved to Dallas, Texas where they completed our residency training. (Drew in orthopedic surgery and Janie in emergency medicine). They have lived and practiced primarily in the greater Dallas area. Sanders worked in academic medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern for about 10 years, where he took care of trauma patients and also supervised residents in orthopedic surgery. More recently, Drew moved to another job closer to home where he focuses on taking care of his patients. Janie has continued to be a successful ER doctor and administrative leader in her hospital system. The Sanders have two active boys, now age 11 and 9. Their youngest son has picked up a stick and played some lacrosse at the youth level. The oldest boy is a serious soccer player, but likes to throw around in the backyard and has shown some skills!
CONTEST UPDATED AND RECORDS AND SERVICE NEEDS
Get us email and win prizes! https://tinyurl.com/bdevrtpz
We want EVERYONE’S SERVICE TO LACROSSE! https://tinyurl.com/SDSUMLC
We are misting won/loss records for the following years: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004. If you can help, contact us at Aztecmlxalumni@gmail.com
Did You Know?
The first SDSU Men’s Lacrosse Alumni Game occurred in the fall of 1983. In conjunction with that event, the first members of the SDSU Lacrosse Hall of Fame were inducted at Scripps Cottage. The inaugural HOF class members were Larry Caterino, Mitch Fenton, Phil Neal and Cliff Prausa. (Note: Hall of fame nominations and inductions will return and a new class will be inducted in 2027.)