TD Ierlan, who transferred to Yale from Albany last year, was already the NCAA Division I all-time leader in faceoff wins (and adding to that total). He’s also the single-season record holder in faceoff win percentage and faceoff wins. Entering his senior year, he was on pace to break Trevor Baptiste’s career faceoff win percentage of 71.4.
Ierlan, a Tewaaraton finalist last year, could very well cement his case as the best faceoff man that college lacrosse has ever seen.
“He’s a once-in-a-generation, maybe even longer, type of talent,” Shay said. “He’s one of the best to ever play the position, but you’d never know if you saw him on the street. What he’s done, his level of consistency, that’s a tribute to how hard of a worker he is. He’s got all the talent and ability, but he’s tough as hell, and he’s not above the dirty work.”
Unlike some other prolific faceoff men, Ierlan does not fuss much over how his numbers stack up against others, though Shay said he’s as driven as any player to come through Yale.
Ierlan’s work ethic was instilled in him early in his childhood. His father, Mike, a football and lacrosse coach, pushed his two sons and their sister, Doyle. TD and Chayse battled in the backyard playing lacrosse and football, and when things got heated, they resorted to wrestling.
“Whether it’s Yahtzee or any family event, he’s always trying to win and outdo me,” Chayse Ierlan said. “Even when he was in chess club in high school, he was trying to compete.”
Ierlan created another challenge in the summer of 2018 when he decided to transfer from Albany, where he and Connor Fields had just led the Great Danes to their first final four. Yale had throttled Albany 20-11 in the NCAA semifinals en route to the Bulldogs’ first national championship since 1883.