Cavaliers Now

Virginia's Cormier and Yager Claimed by PLL Teams on Post-Draft Waivers

Matt Newton

Virginia men's lacrosse players Payton Cormier and Chase Yager.
Virginia men's lacrosse players Payton Cormier and Chase Yager. / Virginia Athletics

Two more Virginia men's lacrosse players are headed to the professional ranks of the Premier Lacrosse League, as attackman Payton Cormier and short-stick defensive midfielder Chase Yager were both claimed by PLL teams on post-draft waivers last week.

The most significant move of the offseason for the New York Atlas might not have been either of their two first round draft picks, which they spent on a pair of Tewaaraton finalists in Connor Shellenberger and Liam Entenmann, but rather a free agency waiver claim a few days after the draft as they picked up the most prolific scorer in the history of college lacrosse in Payton Cormier.

Perhaps motivated by the entire league deciding to pass on him in last week's PLL College Draft, Cormier had the game of his life against St. Joe's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, scoring eight goals to lead Virginia to a 17-11 victory. Cormier's performance set the UVA program record for goals in a single NCAA Tournament game and was one goal shy of matching the NCAA record for most goals in a tournament game. He surpassed Xander Dickson's Virginia single-season program scoring record with 63 goals and most impressively, broke Mac O'Keefe's NCAA all-time scoring record with 222 career goals.

Speaking of Xander Dickson and Connor Shellenberger, the New York Atlas have reunited Virginia's electrifying attack line from the 2023 season by bringing in Payton Cormier. Not only will the Atlas be able to reap the benefits of pairing Shellenberger with two of his favorite passing targets at UVA, but the three Cavaliers will also play alongside two established pro attackmen in Jeff Teat and Eric Law.

Look out for the New York Atlas this summer. The other seven PLL teams might regret letting them grab Cormier for free.

Another Cavalier who showed up on some mock drafts, but ultimately did not hear his name called during last week's PLL College Draft was short-stick defensive midfielder Chase Yager. After establishing himself as a top-tier SSDM in his time at Harvard, Yager transferred to UVA for his final year of eligibility. In 16 games as a Cavalier, Yager has tallied 31 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers while also serving as a key part of Virginia's transition game, clearing the ball effectively and accounting for one goal and two assists. Alongside Noah Chizmar, Yager has been one of the best short-stick defensive midfielders in the country this season and the California Redwoods recognized that, claiming Yager off of waivers last week.

The Redwoods also drafted UVA defenseman Cole Kastner with the 32nd and final pick of the PLL College Draft. Kastner won't be playing in the PLL this summer though, as he is transferring to Stanford to play basketball for the 2024-2025 season. The Palo Alto native will then join the Redwoods for the 2025 season.

Another former Virginia lacrosse star Ricky Miezan, a former Stanford linebacker who transferred to UVA to play lacrosse in 2023, is also on the holdout list for the Redwoods in 2024 for undisclosed reasons.

But even with Miezan and Kastner not expected to play this summer, there are still three former Wahoos on the roster of the California Redwoods, as Chase Yager joins midfielder Charlie Bertrand and short-stick defensive midfielder Chris Merle, who were both on Virginia's 2021 National Championship team.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.