Rye City School District celebrated the 2026 Rye Boys Varsity Lacrosse team during their board of education meeting on Tuesday, September 8, as they honored the team with the Rye Recognition of Excellence Award. Those team members from last spring who could make it were recognized with the very prestigious award after helping the Garnets to the program’s first ever state title.
“This team’s success was much more than what happened on the lacrosse field,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tricia Murray said during the ceremony. “With a new coach at the helm, the players built trust in one another, put the needs of the team ahead of themselves, and committed to working together toward a common goal.”
The Garnets entered the 2026 season with Jeremy Guski at the helm in his first year, who instilled the motto “It’s always about the WE and never about the ME” in his players. They responded admirably, climbing to the top of the New York State mountain for the first time ever.
“To our student-athletes: You have made Rye history,” Murray continued. “You brought home the first New York State Boys Lacrosse Championship in Rye High School history, and you did it by demonstrating what can happen when a group of people believes in one another and puts the ‘we’ before the ‘me.'”
Beyond Dr. Murray and the team, several other Rye figures attended the award ceremony, including Assemblymember Steve Otis and and City of Rye Councilmember Keith Cunningham. All student-athletes in attendance received certificates recognizing their achievement from state Sen. Shelley B. Mayer and Westchester County Executive Kenneth W. Jenkins.
Dr. Murray also recognized those unable to be in attendance, including the players who were seniors at the time of victory who are now away at college.
The Boys Lacrosse team becomes the second Rye athletic team to earn the Rye Recognition of Excellence Award from 2025-26, following in the footsteps of the fellow defending NYS-champion varsity hockey team.
