Tye Kurtz Keeps on Truckin’ (and Breaking Records) for Delaware

Delaware attackman Tye Kurtz can’t remember a time when he didn’t have a stick in his hand, but he probably got his first one around the age of 3.

His father, Trevor, grew up in a small farm town in Canada that was big on lacrosse. Trevor Kurtz went on to work for the family trucking company, but he also continued to play in lacrosse leagues as an adult, bringing Tye and his younger brother, Reed, along for the ride.

“I fell in love with lacrosse right away,” Tye Kurtz said. “I didn’t really have a choice. It was something to do, physical, a lot of running around. I was an energetic kid. I’ve never known anything else.”

If Kurtz and Delaware — undefeated in the CAA entering a pivotal matchup against Drexel this weekend — have their way, he won’t know life without lacrosse for some time. But, like most Canadians, Kurtz cut his teeth in box lacrosse. He dabbled in field lacrosse but not in the organized fashion his U.S. teammates grew up with.

“It was basically box lacrosse with no boards,” he said. “It was new for most people. Field lacrosse wasn’t too big for Canada at that point. I didn’t know too much about it, but it was a way for me to play.”

Kurtz didn’t have his sights on Division I field lacrosse, anyway. He didn’t get ESPN at his Ontario home and was just enjoying playing every minute he could, even as some of his friends started getting e-mails from college coaches.

“I was super happy for them, but it wasn’t a big aspiration … then, after a couple of tournaments…” Kurtz said.

That’s when he started getting some notes in his inbox inviting him to clinics. One of those e-mails came from Ben DeLuca, who was hired in 2017 after Bob Shillinglaw, the Blue Hen’s coach since 1978, retired.

“He jumped off the page with his skills and ability to score. He’s very creative,” DeLuca said. “His play leads to goals, assists and plays you don’t see on the stat sheet because of how he sees plays developing. His lacrosse IQ is through the roof.”

Kurtz liked the coaching staff immediately. He knew he’d have to work to develop his field skills, but the staff was open to being patient. But there was another caveat: The Kurtz brothers were a two-for-one deal.

“[Reed and I] sat down pretty early in the process that teams would need different things, and some would want me more than him and plenty that would want him more than me,” he said. “At the end of the day, we decided we wanted to play together, play college together and live together. That was one of the main things we talked to the coaches together with at Delaware.”

Conveniently enough, DeLuca wanted to make Delaware lacrosse a family-like atmosphere — and he liked both brothers’ play and mentality.

“They lined up with the family values we were looking for in our locker room,” DeLuca said. “It was a home run for us.”

Like his family back home, Kurtz stepped on the field and kept on trucking, quickly learning the college game — even if there were a few twists and turns.

“My freshman fall was an experience learning the game, but the amount of chances [the coaches] gave me and patience they had with my growth is probably the biggest reason why I am where I’m at now,” Kurtz said. “They saw something in me no one else had. At the end of the day, lacrosse is lacrosse, and that’s how I treated it and they treated me.”

The staff encouraged him to be patient and remain level-headed, which he did. But he also took off. In the spring of 2019, Kurtz broke his first Delaware record when he tallied 52 points, the most for a Blue Hens freshman. He was named CAA Rookie of the Year. If anything, box lacrosse helped his game.

“The biggest part for me was the IQ,” he said. “When you are running around playing box so fast, the shot clock is 30 seconds. You have the ball for two to three seconds. When I was playing field, I’d get the ball and look to move it right away. I think the ability to move at that fast pace and rely on those quick instincts helped the game come to me a lot quicker.”

But there are also some distinct differences. There’s more room to move in the field game, requiring players to add more dimensions to their games to beat defenders — particularly once the secret is out about them. That was the case for Kurtz heading into his sophomore year in 2020 (and sophomore year, part two, in 2021). But throughout his Delaware career, he’s evolved.

“The ability to pass, catch and pick up ground balls was there, but he wasn’t a prolific dodger,” DeLuca said. “He added that, and it helped him create opportunities for himself and others.”

Canadian box players typically play a one-handed style. For Kurtz, that meant heavily relying on his right hand. Defenders kept trying to force him to his left, so he worked on his off-hand, a move DeLuca said made him more of a complete player.

Last year was another banner year for the Blue Hens, who won their first CAA title since 2011. Kurtz tied a conference record with a six-goal performance in Delaware’s championship-game win over Towson, earning MVP in the process. The Blue Hens weren’t done. On May 15, they stunned second-seeded Georgetown, dancing into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2007.

“We made a point to not look back on last year and not let anything leak through because we are a different team, but at the back of your mind, you have that experience,” Kurtz said. “If you’re down by two with a short time, up by a goal on short time, mentally, you know how to take care of those situations better because you have been through them.”

At 9-3, the Blue Hens have been up more than they’ve been down in 2023 — and Kurtz is leading the offense. He has 65 points, including a team-high 44 goals, and is fourth in Division I in points per game at 5.42. (His teammate, JP Ward, is 11th at 4.92.) He’s continued to rewrite the program and conference record books.

Kurtz broke two program and one conference record in a 17-7 win at Fairfield on April 8. He became the all-time CAA and Delaware leader in points (he currently has 259) and the program goals record-holder (he now has 166).

The following week against Stony Brook, he set a new school mark and became the CAA’s career goals leader.

“In no way do I think of it as an individual thing,” Kurtz said. “The coolest part is that when I broke the point record, JP grabbed the ball. Our whole defense gave me a hug. I didn’t expect it to be like that. For me, it was another goal for Delaware. It shows the team aspect of it.”

Kurtz is gelling with the offense, but he says the defense that challenges him every practice — and is ranked third in Division I in scoring defense (8.50) — is an unsung part of his success.

“Being able to go against one of the best defenses in practice every day is one of the key parts.,” he said. “We talk about how game day should be easier than practice, and I think the defense does a good job of that.”

One matchup he struggles with? The one against his brother. (“Coach D pulls some strings to have me go against him sometimes,” he said with a laugh.) The two are often at their best sitting on the couch, pouring over game film.

“We watch a lot of film together, and he has no issue saying, ‘This is what the defense is doing,’” Kurtz said. “From an IQ perspective, having your best friend telling you what defenses are doing and how he would play things, it helps me a lot … to see the game in more than just a one-dimensional way.”

Currently, Kurtz is focused on watching game film of one team: Drexel, who Delaware plays on Saturday.

“Right now, the goal is to beat Drexel. From a logistics standpoint, we have two regular-season games left, and it’s my goal to extend that,” he said. “My goal is to play this game as long as possible, but I try to make a point not to look ahead.”

Kurtz likely won’t hang up his cleats when he hangs up his Delaware jersey. Albany selected him in the NLL draft, giving him a chance to go back to his box roots. He’s open to playing in the PLL, too.

“I’ll put my focus toward that after my college days are behind me,” he said. “The PLL would be awesome. I don’t know how realistic it is, but if that opportunity were to present itself, I would 100 percent love to stay in the game. I haven’t known anything else. I want to stay in it as long as possible.”

DeLuca is less humble on Kurtz’s behalf.

“He’s a PLL prospect,” he said. “Any team would be wise to pick him up. I think he would be a fantastic coach. He knows the game so well and is able to relate to players. Being able to talk about the game, teach the game, is a skill that he has.”

For now, DeLuca is thrilled to have him on his side.

“We’re just different when Tye is in the lineup,” DeLuca said. “He’s a winner. He cares about the team’s success more than his own, and that’s critical.”