MARLBOROUGH, Mass.  —  Coast Guard men's lacrosse attacker Ezekiel Christian (Stonington, Conn.) was revealed to be the 2025 NEWMAC Men's Lacrosse Rookie of the Year upon yesterday's postseason awards release from the conference.

Also noted in the release were Coast Guard's four All-Conference selections — sophomores Mason Tucker (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Eric Key (Clarksville, Md.) and seniors Ryan Hunter (Bethesda, Md.) and Nick Butler (Northport, N.Y.).

Christian is the first Bear to earn the NEWMAC's major newcomer award since 2017, when the nod went to Riley McNulty (Class of 2020) — the program's all-time leader in points (238), goals (148), and assists (90). Christian tallied 57 points on 35 goals and a team-leading 22 assists while starting in all 15 of Coast Guard's contests this season. He was as consistent as a first-year collegiate player could be, scoring in each game and assisting in all but three. The local product was fifth overall in the NEWMAC in points; led all of the conference's freshmen in goals while finishing tied for sixth in the league; and tied with Hunter as the NEWMAC's fifth-best assister.

Tucker headlines Coast Guard on the All-Conference teams as the first Bear to crack the First Team since Taylor Gustafson (Class of 2023) and Caleb Holdridge (Class of 2023) in 2022. Tucker won 194 face-offs this season with a .647 success rate on his way to being the only FOGO named to the top list. He won the second-most face-offs in the NEWMAC at the third-best rate, with his win total being the third-most in a season by a Bear. The sophomore planted himself high-up on the Bears' single-game wins leaderboard, as well, with his 23 wins at SUNY Maritime being the most in a game since Nick Chicoine's (Class of 2015) 24 at Albertus Magnus in 2015.

Key, Hunter, and Butler rounded out Coast Guard's All-Conference recognitions as Second Team picks. Key led the team in points with 59 and goals with 39, finishing fourth in the NEWMAC in both regards, while his 20 assists were eighth-best. Hunter closed out his career as a top three points-getter for the Bears this season, tallying 48 on 26 goals and matching Christian with a team-leading 22 helpers, while his points total was tied for ninth in the league. Butler was an intimidating presence in Coast Guard's backfield during his final season, leading the Bears' defense while picking up 21 ground balls and causing six turnovers.