The following feature written by Patrick Stevens appeared as the USA Lacrosse Magazine weekly cover on Dec. 10, 2025

LIAM GLEASON WAS INSISTENT. Back in early May, when he was preparing to lead Siena into its first NCAA men's lacrosse tournament appearance in 11 years, he had no doubt what should be the center of attention.

It was about those Saints and that season's UAlbany Great Danes, not him and his friend, mentor and former coach facing each other. And it was about a community in which he invested half his life.

If that night wasn't about Gleason, it was in many ways a reflection of him. The Casey Stadium crowd of 3,527 — for a game on a school night announced just three days earlier — shattered the NCAA's opening-round attendance record. And the Saints delivered a ferocious effort, hanging with the Great Danes in an 11-9 loss.

It was Gleason's last game. He died Dec. 3 of injuries suffered Nov. 30 in a fall at his home. He was 41.

"Looking back on it, I'm just so glad and satisfied he was able to get to that game and to get his team over the hump," UAlbany coach Scott Marr recalled late last week. "I was so proud that he got his team there, and the belief they had in him and the love that his team has shown for him is remarkable. I'm just proud that he got that opportunity to share that with his program and his family. It's just a wonderful feeling. That game just holds so much more weight in my heart."

CLICK HERE to read the full USA Lacrosse Magazine feature, Liam Gleason's Legacy of Love and Leadership