2026 men’s lacrosse preseason chat with jersey #26

It’s no secret that every jersey number has a story behind it; some are funny while others have a more sentimental touch. 

University of Richmond men’s lacrosse senior Ryan Thompson always donned number 22 on his back, but when he arrived at UR the number wasn’t available. As he sifted through potential jerseys, one stood out amongst the others. 

His older brother had been number 26 in college and it made Thompson feel connected to him. 

“It was a good fit, just being able to have a number stay in the family,” Thompson said.

It also made perfect sense as he switched from offensive midfield to defensive midfield upon his arrival, which just happened to be his brother’s position as well.

As the 2026 men’s lacrosse season starts on Jan. 31, the Collegian wanted to get to know the player with jersey number 26. Here is what we learned about Thompson and the upcoming season:

Collegian: 

What do you hope to be doing by the time you’re 26?

Thompson:

I would say I definitely hope to pursue a future in medical device sales. I would say, by the time I'm 26, I also want to connect myself with sports, lacrosse or the University of Richmond, whether it's part-time or full-time.

Collegian:

Are you more likely to be 26 minutes early or late?

Thompson:

Definitely 26 minutes early, especially being a member of the Richmond lacrosse team. If you're five minutes late, you feel super anxious, so I can guarantee you 26 minutes late would make me go crazy.

Collegian:

What is your top goal for the 2026 season?

Thompson:

My top goal is obviously, I'd say it's to win games, but more specifically, is just to be able to develop a group of guys with my senior class, that just enjoys showing up every day, enjoys competing and enjoys being around each other. Also, creating a culture that everyone wants to be a part of every day and everyone feels valued and wants success for everyone. 

Collegian:

Ranked No.1 in the preseason, the University of Maryland will be a tough season opener as usual. How is the team preparing?

Thompson:

We're obviously working really hard. Right now, I would say we're focusing a lot on ourselves, especially with the success last year. We know that it comes with a lot of added pressure, but we also know that we have never beat Maryland at home in our first game. 

We’re 0-8 in the last eight opening games. So, I think we're preparing with the mentality that we didn't have the success we did last year, that it's a brand new team, but we have that subtle confidence in that humility. Every day in practice, where we're just excited to get another opportunity to win this opening game and beat Maryland on our home field. 

Collegian:

Besides Maryland, there are other major names on the schedule such as Cornell University, the University of Virginia and the University of Notre Dame. Personally, which game are you most excited about?

Thompson:

For me, I would say it's Cornell. just because we had two tough losses against them last year. I don't want to say it’s just that we want to beat Cornell because that's not necessarily all we want to do. It was like a culture game because we have similar cultures and it's something that we pride ourselves on. We believe that’s a reason that we win games and I think we got a little outcultured last year against Cornell, and I think just going in there this year, we have a lot more experience. 

Collegian:

What do you hope your class’s legacy will be after graduation?

Thompson:

I think we are a class that is just super competitive. We've kind of been here for four years and we've kind of seen the ups and downs and each year we kind of as a class, we've understood what it takes to get there. I think our legacy as a class is to take this program to the next level. 

The Spiders kick off the season at home on Jan. 31 against No. 1 Maryland at noon. 

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu