RIVERDALE, NY — The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association has tabbed its D1 Award Winners and All-Americans, which includes Manhattan goalkeeper Connor Hapward '24 '25 as a USILA All-American Honorable Mention for the first time in the program's history.
"So proud of Connor for earning USILA All-American Honorable Mention and for the incredible career he had at Manhattan," said Manhattan head coach Doug Sage. "He has proven to be a true leader between the pipes on the field as a two-time captain for the Jaspers."
Hapward's stick in net was the bedrock of the Jaspers' program in 2025. The graduate goalie ranked seventh in the country in saves-per-game (13.47) and was 12th-best nationally in save percentage (.564). Hapward had five games with 15 or more saves, including a career-high 24 stops at national powerhouse Syracuse.
Starting in all 32 games for the Jaspers the past two seasons, Hapward ended his collegiate career with 418 saves. Additionally, the West Caldwell, New Jersey native led the Jaspers to the 2024 MAAC Championship Game at Gaelic Park as the No. 3 seed.
Hapward took over the starting reins in net after the successful tenures of former Manhattan netminders Brendan Krebs and Joe Persico. In 2022, Hapward was a sophomore in the program when Krebs, then a graduate student, led Manhattan to its first MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 2002. Hapward then served as Persico's back-up in 2023, when the graduate goalkeeper ranked third nationally in save percentage and went on to earn USA Lacrosse Magazine Honorable Mention All-American status.
Hapward credits much of his success to his current and former coaches and teammates, as well the goalies who came before him.
"It means a whole lot to me," Hapward said of garnering USILA All-American Honorable Mention honors. "This is a very prestigious position group (goalies) at our school and we hold ourselves to a high standard. I'm grateful to have learned from those two guys (Krebs and Persico) about the position and what it means to lead a team."
The USILA All-American Honorable Mention is the cherry on top of a career that saw Hapward collect MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-MAAC First Team honors this past season. In the classroom, Hapward graduated in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in management and with a cumulative 3.97 GPA. Just last weekend, Hapward was bestowed a Master of Business Administration from Manhattan University. Additionally, Hapward was awarded the prestigious Joseph J. Alumni Gunn Medal Award at the Class of 2024 honors convocation last spring, recognizing him for his outstanding leadership in various areas of campus life.
"I know this is an individual honor (All-American Honorable Mention) but it's really all because of my teammates and everyone else who have gotten me here. I'm happy I was able to represent Manhattan University in a good way."
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