Kyle Sweeney

Last updated
Kyle Sweeney
Kyle Sweeney playing for New York Lizards (cropped).jpg
Born (1981-04-05) April 5, 1981 (age 43)
Springfield, Pennsylvania
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight195 pounds (88 kg)
ShootsRight
PositionDefense
NCAA team Georgetown (2003)
NLL draft83rd Overall, 2003
Philadelphia Wings
NLL team
Former teams
New England Black Wolves
Philadelphia Wings
Edmonton Rush
Buffalo Bandits
MLL draft3rd Round, 2003
Bridgeport Barrage
MLL team
Former teams
New York Lizards
Chesapeake Bayhawks
Boston Cannons
Washington Bayhawks
Philadelphia Barrage
Bridgeport Barrage
Pro career2003–2016
Career highlights
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Men's lacrosse
World Lacrosse Championship
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 London
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Manchester
World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2007 Halifax
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2023
Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2024

Kyle Sweeney (born April 5, 1981, in Springfield, Pennsylvania) is an American professional lacrosse player who plays for the New York Lizards in Major League Lacrosse. He is the vice president of sports nutrition at Medifast, and co-founder of the Gotham Lacrosse League.

Contents

Sweeney played for the U.S. Men's National Team in the 2006 and 2010 World Lacrosse Championship, [1] and played for Team USA in the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. [2]

Personal

Sweeney is a native of Springfield, Pennsylvania. He is from an athletic family: both his father, Jack, and mother, Denise, are gym teachers, and his brother was an All American athlete in high school. [3] He began playing lacrosse in middle school for the Springfield Athletic Association, and moved on to the Springfield Cougars Lacrosse Club in high school, where he received All-American honors and was the All-Central League MVP. He also played football and basketball. [4]

Sweeney married Angela Lanzafama in 2011. [5]

Collegiate career

Sweeney attended Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, where he was a three-time All-American long-stick midfielder. As a freshman, he was awarded the 2000 ECAC Rookie of the Year. He was also named Two-time ECAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 and 2001, and was named to the All-ECAC First Team three times. [3] He served as co-captain of the 2003 Georgetown Hoyas men's lacrosse team. Sweeney set the Georgetown all-time record of 229 ground balls while in college. [6] Academically, he was a double major in international business and marketing as well as minor concentration in sociology.

Sweeney was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2023. [7]

Professional lacrosse career

Major League Lacrosse

Sweeney was selected by the Bridgeport Barrage in the 2003 Collegiate Draft, Round 3. He followed the team when it moved from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2003. Sweeney anchored the defensive unit that helped the Barrage win the MLL championship in 2004, 2006 and 2007. When the team folded in 2008, Sweeney moved to Washington Bayhawks for one game, then over to the Boston Cannons, which he led to win the 2011 MLL Championships. In 2014 he moved back to the Bayhawks, which relocated in Chesapeake. In 2017, he began playing for the New York Lizards. [4]

Sweeney playing for New York Lizards Kyle Sweeney playing for New York Lizards.jpg
Sweeney playing for New York Lizards

Sweeney has been selected to the MLL All-Star Game nine times, been named All-MLL three times, and has won the Steinfeld Cup four times. [6] He is currently ranked third for all-time games played in the league, as well as eighth for all-time ground balls fielded. [8]

After a fifteen-year career, Sweeney announced his retirement from Major League Lacrosse on August 31, 2017.

National League Lacrosse

The Philadelphia Wings drafted Sweeney in the eighth round (83rd overall) of the 2003 NLL Entry Draft. [9] He followed the team when it moved to Connecticut, changing its name to the New England Black Wolves. He retired from indoor play in 2015.

International career

Sweeney played for the U.S. Men's National Team in the 2006 and 2010. In 2010, his team won the World Lacrosse Championship in Manchester. [1] He also played for Team USA in the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. [2]

Sweeney has been described as one of the "best defenders in the game, period", by Inside Lacrosse, which placed him no. 24 on their Top 50 list in 2009. [10]

Business career

Sweeney was the chief operating officer for Maverick Lacrosse, a New York-based lacrosse equipment manufacturer, from 2005 to 2010. He then moved to Performance Sports Group, where he worked as Vice president of operations and product development until 2013, when he became vice president of marketing and business planning. He left in 2016 to become vice president of sports nutrition at Medifast.

Sweeney co-founded the Gotham Lacrosse League, an elite men's summer league in New York City, with Billy Pymm in 2007. The league expanded to include an elite women's league in 2013. [11]

Statistics

Major League Lacrosse (MLL)

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamGPG2ptGAPtsGBPIMGPG2ptGAPtsGBPIM
2003Bridgeport50011151-------
2004Philadelphia122013474-------
2005Philadelphia121023441-------
2006Philadelphia1110013232100120
2007Philadelphia1250272902100150
2008Philadelphia1150494711000010
2009Washington1000033-------
2009Boston11904135731000010
2010Boston105014361100113

0

2011Boston920242122001140
2012Boston143058323110012

0

2013Boston144037351-------
2014Boston133003251-------
2015Chesapeake131001222-------
2016Chesapeake80011221-------
2016New York5000018.5-------
MLL Totals161410266548536.5103025180

National League Lacrosse (NLL)

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamGPGAPtsLBPIMGPGAPtsLBPIM
2005Philadelphia121675311------
2006Philadelphia154913918------
2007Philadelphia164711856------
2008Philadelphia16520251274101130
2009Philadelphia16718251306------
2010Philadelphia154610904------
2011Edmonton6178242------
2011Philadelphia9202430------
2012Buffalo5022204------
2013Philadelphia9257374101100
2014Philadelphia18212145318------
NLL Totals180329212475367202230

NCAA

  
SeasonTeamGPGAPtsGB
2000Georgetown1424661
2001Georgetown1500060
2002Georgetown1554975
2003Georgetown1101133
NCAA Totals557916229

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 2010 Men's World Lacrosse Championship Roster
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Men | US Lacrosse". www.uslacrosse.org. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  3. 1 2 McCartyCORRESPONDENT, Dan. "Springfield Cougars Lacrosse Club honors Kyle Sweeney with 'Campbell Alumni Award'". Delco News Network. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  4. 1 2 Lizards, New York. "Kyle Sweeney | New York Lizards". New York Lizards. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  5. "Angela Lanzafama, Kyle Sweeney: Weddings". The New York Times. 2011-08-05. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  6. 1 2 Cannons, Boston. "Kyle Sweeney | Boston Cannons". Boston Cannons. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  7. "Kyle Sweeney Hall of Fame entry". USA Lacrosse.
  8. Lacrosse, Major League. "Record Book | Major League Lacrosse". Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  9. Kyle Sweeney Wings Player Bio Archived 2008-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "NLL Insider Top 50: Kyle Sweeney #24 | Inside Lacrosse". www.insidelacrosse.com. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  11. "Gotham Lacrosse League Launches Women's League" . Retrieved 2017-03-31.