Tiffany Announces 2024-25 Team Captains
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s lacrosse head coach Lars Tiffany announced today (Oct. 23) that midfielders Noah Chizmar (Baltimore, Md.) and Jack Walshe (Commack, N.Y.), and long-stick midfielder Ben Wayer (Alexandria, Va.) have been selected as team captains for the 2024-25 season.
“Our mission statement for UVA Lacrosse is to develop leaders and difference-makers, for today and the future,” said Tiffany. “Each man is held to a higher standard because they chose UVA: the ask from our coaching staff is greater. We are realizing our objectives due to the fact we are surrounded by such determination and focus. Three of the men have risen even higher amongst their peers, and have been selected by them to serve in the role of captain.
“Noah, Jack and Ben have already established their goals for this year due to their constant communication amongst themselves and with the coaching staff: competition in every training session, unique energy and ferocity, and make statements with fewer words and more action. These three men are proving to be thoughtful, insightful guides who are unafraid to stand up for what they believe is best for their teammates and the program.”
Chizmar enters his fourth season at UVA and has appeared in 49 career games as a short-stick defensive midfielder. Last season, he totaled six goals, two assists, 32 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. Chizmar was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on April 9 after scoring a pair of goals, collecting four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers in the Cavaliers’ 14-6 rout over North Carolina. Originally a walk-on, Chizmar was named a co-recipient of the T. Rodney Crowley Scholarship, one of the highest honors bestowed at UVA.
Walshe enters his fifth season with the Cavaliers. He appeared in seven contests in 2024. A standout in the classroom, Walshe is a four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll honoree and has earned Dean’s List accolades each semester of his college career. Walshe earned his degree this past spring in Inter-History with a concentration in Economic Life and Capitalism and is currently pursuing his master’s in Civil Engineering.
Wayer was named a USILA All-American honorable mention last season after leading the Division-I ranks among non-faceoff specialists in ground balls (98) and ground balls per game (5.44). His 98 ground balls are also a UVA single-season record among non-faceoff specialists. Additionally, Wayer finished the 2024 season with seven goals, six assists and 26 caused turnovers. He had one of his best games of the season in the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament first round win over Saint Joseph’s, when he dished out two assists, collected eight loose balls and caused four SJU turnovers. Wayer, who appeared in all possible 18 games in 2024, was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 20, and UVA’s Most Improved Player at the team’s annual banquet.