Behind new head coach Will Mark, the Menlo boys’ lacrosse team charges into their new season undefeated. 

Blake Kim, the previous boys’ lacrosse head coach, reached out to Mark last spring after recently transitioning to lead the girls’ lacrosse program. Mark, a professional goalkeeper for the New York Atlas and four-time collegiate All-American, took on the role as the new director of the boys’ lacrosse program after graduating from Syracuse University in 2024. 

“We were forced to be a little uncomfortable while battling the preseason field situation; however, I think it’s awesome because we’ve had to handle adversity early,” Mark said. 

Coming from last year’s 7-12 overall record, the team was left unsatisfied, making this season an opportunity for redemption. 

“We didn’t do as well as we’d hoped, and I think this season we have a real chance to do really well against a lot of the teams in our league and a lot of teams that we play,” Hinkie said. 

According to Hinkie, this season’s overarching focus is on having humility on and off the field and building the players’ characters overall. 

“Something that past teams have struggled with is thinking that everything is only about the individual and how many highlight plays you can have instead of how many games we could win and how hard you work,” Hinkie said. 

According to Mark, the goal for the 2026 season is to build something that extends beyond the scoreboard.

“I want to make this group better friends than they were before I got here. If we lose every game, but these guys are talking to each other for five, 10 years down the road, then I did my job,” Mark said. 

“There’s so much importance in realizing that you’re playing for something bigger than yourself, not the program only, but your family and the community as a whole,” Hinkie said.