Bayhawks, Washington DC

The Washington Bayhawks began their second season in the Nation’s Capital during the 2008 season, with the returns of several young stars including MLL Cascade ‘Rookie of the Year’ Matt Ward, number two overall pick Kyle Dixon, Maryland alums Brendan Healey and Bill McGlone. The Bayhawks also will have veterans such as “Buggs” Combs, Conor Gill, Tom Marechek and Mark Frye to help lead the young club. Defensive standouts Christian Cook, and Shawn Nadelen give the Bayhawks a great chance to win every night they take the field.

The Bayhawks are one of the original six Major League Lacrosse teams along with the Boston Cannons, the Bridgeport Barrage (now Philadelphia), the Long Island Lizards, the New Jersey Pride, and the Rochester Rattlers. During the first five seasons, the Bayhawks played in National Division. They won the division title in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005.

The 2006 season marked a transition year for both the MLL and the Bayhawks. The league grew to include four expansion teams: the Chicago Machine, the Denver Outlaws, the Los Angeles Riptide, and the San Francisco Dragons. Due to expansion and several trades, the Bayhawks were a younger team with 5 of the first 15 draft picks in the MLL Rookie Draft including top five picks Kyle Dixon, Matt Ward, and Brendan Healey. The Bayhawks used the season to gel as a team but missed the playoffs for the first time. Following the season, the Bayhawks announced their move to Washington, DC at a press conference on November 15.

The Washington Inner City Lacrosse Foundation (WINNERS Lacrosse) is a nonprofit organization that was started in October 2000 to provide youth from historically underserved neighborhoods, in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the opportunity to learn the game of lacrosse. More importantly, WINNERS Lacrosse uses the game of lacrosse as the vehicle to instill values, education, and life sustaining skills that will give young boys and girls the opportunity to be successful.

Their motto is, “Helping to create WINNERS on and off the field.” The program’s goal is to make their motto a reality. Having many clinics has enabled WINNERS Lacrosse to form teams for middle school boys, middle school girls, and high school girls. WINNERS Lacrosse has formed city-wide partnerships and is able to provide clinics and camps to area youth in order to further grow the sport and open doors for opportunity.