MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's lacrosse team earned its first win of the 2026 season while handing the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford its first loss of the year with a 13-3 drubbing on Wednesday night at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

In their second game of the spring, the Gators (1-1) became the first of four Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) teams to defeat Pitt-Bradford (3-1). The Panthers entered the night with a perfect 3-0 record after taking down Bethany College, Thiel College, and Washington and Jefferson College over the last two weeks. However, the Blue and Gold got off to a great start offensively and held UPB scoreless for the first 32:03 in an all-around strong performance.

The duo of JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson) and Nathan Wheeler (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) got the ball rolling early. Rakis and Wheeler combined for the first three goals of the night, including back-to-back tallies from the latter at 11:10 and 9:16. Rakis logged one of the top highlights with his second goal at 13:08 in the second quarter. Senior long pole Jared Swisher (Cumberland, Maine/Berwick Academy) forced a turnover, transitioned the ball upfield, and found the senior attackman for a diving score right on the doorstep of the crease.

Wheeler notched his hat-trick goal at the 4:26 mark of the second stanza. The man-up marker extended Allegheny's advantage to 9-0 before the halftime break. Second-year midfielder Tomi Horsley (Salt Lake City, Utah/Brighton) also had a hat trick, with his third goal coming at 9:55 in the fourth quarter.

Of the eight Gators who earned a tally in the scorebook against the Panthers, Rakis (3g-5a), Wheeler (3g-1a), and Horsley (3g-1a) led the way with a trio of hat tricks and 16 of the team's 23 points.

Inside the Box Score

• The Gators scored the first nine goals of the night while holding Pitt-Bradford off the scoreboard in the opening half.
• Allegheny finished with a sizable lead in shots (42-to-28) and shots on goal (26-to-14).
• The Panthers, who won 14-of-20 faceoffs, also had a slight advantage in ground balls, 45-to-42.
• Rakis netted three goals with five assists for a game-high eight points.
• Wheeler (3g-1a) and Horsley (3g-1a) each recorded four points.
• Jack Pearl (Ladera Ranch, Calif./JSerra Catholic) and Griffin Cates (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) rounded out Allegheny's goal scorers with two apiece.
• Senior defenseman Liam Kruck (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin) finished with a game-leading five caused turnovers.
• Keeper Garin Stearns (Hudson, Ohio/Revere) made 11 saves, picked up three ground balls, and caused two turnovers.
• UPB's Luke Amberman paced the Panther offense with two goals.
• Austyn Stack won 14 faceoffs for Pitt-Bradford and collected eight ground balls.

News and Notes

• Allegheny is 2-0 all-time against Pitt-Bradford and has outscored the Panthers 32-7 in those matchups.
• Pitt-Bradford, which averaged 15.0 goals per game against PAC foes Bethany, Thiel, and W&J, was tagged with its first loss of the season.
• Rakis, the program's all-time leader in points, reached two milestones on Wednesday night with his 200th point and 100th assist.
• Wheeler, a freshman attacker, earned the first points and the first hat trick of his young career against the Panthers.
• Swisher's assist marked his first collegiate point in his 45th career appearance.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for a nonconference bout against Lycoming College on Saturday, February 28, at 4 p.m.