SPARKS, Md. — After helping their teams to undefeated records during the month, Robert Richardson of Brigham Young and Joseph Brant of the College of Idaho have been named the USA Lacrosse MCLA Players of the Month for March.

Brigham Young rolled to an 8-0 record in March and is the unanimous No. 1 team in the MCLA’s Division I ranks thanks to the defensive play of Richardson. The close defenseman from Las Vegas has been superb thus far, grabbing 36 ground balls along with 25 caused turnovers and a perfect faceoff mark.

In the highly anticipated matchup with Concordia-Irvine on March 19, Richardson, a team captain, buried the game-tying goal before the Cougars won the game with just six seconds left. 

“Rob represents BYU and our program in every positive way,” Brigham Young coach Matt Schneck said. “He’s talented on the field, in the classroom and in life. The team looks to him as a leader and knows that he is always giving 100 percent. He’s consistently creating game-changing opportunities to help us win.”

Brant has done it all for the College of Idaho, as the Yotes racked up a 4-0 record in March, including wins over a pair of top-10 teams. They are currently ranked No. 3 in the MCLA’s Division II poll. 

A native of Bend, Ore., Brant scored seven goals and dished out a pair of assists in March while also winning 27 of 29 faceoff opportunities and gobbling up 30 ground balls.

“To quote Brendan Mundorf, ‘There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.’ Joey is a lacrosse player,” College of Idaho coach Alan Morgan said. “He has a non-stop motor and a drive to be the best. He is our utility guy. There’s nothing that we ask of him that he’s not capable of doing. He’s an unbelievable talent who benefits all the rest of our guys.”

For their efforts, both Richardson and Brant will receive a one-year membership to USA Lacrosse, the governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States. Membership includes on-the-field insurance coverage, discounted tickets and apparel, along with a subscription to USA Lacrosse Magazine.

USA LACROSSE MCLA HONOR ROLL

Division I

James Dugan, Attack, Florida
Carter Elliot, Attack, Liberty
Alexander Gerdak, Midfield, Florida State
Aidan Smith, Attack, Virginia Tech
Sam Weis, Attack, South Carolina

Division II

Alexander Franz, Attack, UC San Diego
Miles Hess, Attack, Montana
Dylan Polanski, Attack, Kennesaw State
Luke Tardich, Attack, Grand Valley State
Quinn Thompson, Midfield, Dayton