From the cradle to the grave: two Penn lacrosse players continue their careers together.

Senior defender Mark Evanchick and senior attacker Adam Goldner made Quaker history on the night of May 4, becoming only the 13th and 14th players from Penn's program to be drafted by the Major League Lacrosse. Both Evanchick and Goldner were drafted by the Philadelphia Barrage. 

The Barrage had been defunct since the 2009 season due to the Great Recession, however they are set to resume operations this year.

Evanchick, who was a two-time All-American before the suspension of his final season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was selected ninth overall in the draft. Evanchick is now only the second Quaker to be selected in the first two rounds. During his career at Penn, Evanchick totaled 36 groundballs and 14 caused turnovers, thriving in his defensive strong suit. 

Evanchick remained humble and appreciative when asked about looking back upon his legacy at Penn. “Me getting drafted is really a testament to the coaching staff and the people behind the scenes like coach Cory Walts and the rest of the training staff,” Evanchick said. 

Evanchick is being welcomed into a community of familiar faces in the Philadelphia Barrage, as his former high school coach and some former teammates are currently a part of the organization. 

“Hopefully [me being drafted] will inspire more kids who have [aspirations] of reaching pro lacrosse to come to Penn and know that the people that are in place there can absolutely help you do that,” Evanchick said. 

Goldner was also chosen by the Barrage, although not until the 8th round. In the spring, he solidified his status as one of Penn’s all-time attackers, as he became only the sixth player to score 100 career goals; he is now fifth in Penn history. Goldner also set the program record for goals in a season with 56 during his junior campaign.

However, Goldner has made the tough decision to return to Penn for a fifth year, where he will add another concentration in the Wharton School. The Barrage still retains rights to him, so Goldner will join their team if he does indeed decide to pursue professional lacrosse down the road.

“For me, it was more of, ‘am I going to graduate normally?’ or ‘take this opportunity to come back to Penn,’” Goldner said. 

The MLL is considered a semi-professional league, and players and coaches generally hold secondary jobs during the season.

During this fifth year, Goldner plans on rejoining Penn’s squad and hopes to lead the Red and Blue in a much anticipated return to the field, before potentially rejoining former teammate Evanchick and Penn alumni Connor Keating and Reilly Hupfeldt on the Barrage.