Fairfield lacrosse scores big with commitment from 3-Star MIAA goalie Brady Stangle

Calvert Hall standout joins Fairfield's growing MIAA pipeline, boosting Coach Andrew Baxter's 'sleeping powerhouse' program with an eye on future CAA and NCAA titles

Al Franyo | Nov 5, 2024

Calvert Hall 3-star goalkeeper Brady Stangle will play his college lacrosse at Fairfield University. / Brady Stangle

When it comes to announcing MIAA lacrosse commitments, it’s not every day that we get to feature back-to-back student-athletes from the same program—especially when both are rivals playing the same position. And it's even rarer that they share the same star ranking.

Today, we have just such a unique and exciting situation! Brady Stangle, a 2025 student-athlete, like yesterday’s standout Greyson Enrique (2026), is a Calvert Hall Cardinal. Brady also plays goalie and is ranked 3-stars by Inside Lacrosse. Now, it’s time to reveal Brady's big news: he has committed to Fairfield University, continuing the strong pipeline that Fairfield coach Andrew Baxter has established with the MIAA. Brady chose Fairfield because, as he says, "I love the campus, the academic opportunities, the coaches, the environment, and the plan they have to hold up a trophy. I want to be part of a school and team like that."

Congratulations to Brady and his family! As for Fairfield's next steps toward championship trophies, the priority for Coach Baxter’s team will be winning the CAA Tournament for the first time. After significant progress in 2024, including taking perennial conference powerhouse Delaware to overtime in the tournament semifinals, Fairfield seems poised to reach that milestone and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

If they succeed, there's no doubt multiple MIAA alumni will be on Fairfield's roster. As mentioned, Baxter’s recruiting efforts in the MIAA have been outstanding—arguably the most impressive in college lacrosse. The Stags’ 2025 roster features an impressive eight former MIAA players, and three more 2025 MIAA players, including Brady, are committed to Fairfield. With this trend, it's likely that more MIAA talent will be joining the team in 2026. Could it be that people associated with the MIAA are developing a soft spot for Fairfield lacrosse?

Recently, the MIAA Lacrosse Discussion Page mentioned that, given Fairfield's improvement and potential, they’re becoming a "sleeping power" in the lacrosse world. In fact, this past spring showed several promising signs of that awakening. And with more former MIAA players joining, there’s every reason to think 2025 will bring even more progress. This upcoming season will be Baxter's fifth (including the shortened 2020 and 2021 seasons), so more of the roster’s talent will be his recruits. It’s safe to say the future looks bright for the program calling the beautiful Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium home!

Published Nov 5, 2024|Modified Nov 5, 2024

AL FRANYO

Al Franyo has been a die-hard fan and follower of lacrosse, especially at the high school and college levels, since the late-80s. He absolutely loves watching games, as well as talking and writing about the sport. On Facebook, he founded the College Lacrosse Discussion Page, which has well over 15,000 members, and helped found and runs the MIAA Lacrosse Discussion Page, which has nearly 5,000 members. The MIAA A Conference is one of the strongest, most competitive and exciting high school conferences in America. Three of his favorite topics include recruiting news about players making college commitments, programs taking the next steps under their respective head coaches, and programs that are so-called "sleepers" when it comes to being very good to great. Even with lacrosse growing at such a rapid pace, Franyo loves how it is still such a small, tight, and fun world. And, in many ways, it is its own culture. He began writing about his favorite sport for High School On SI in 2024. Twitter: @alfranyo