U.S. Gold Medalist, 16-Year Pro Kyle Hartzell Retires

Kyle Hartzell, a 16-year pro who made a name for himself as a long-stick midfielder coming out of Division III Salisbury, announced his retirement from lacrosse on Monday.

Hartzell was a two-time member of the U.S. men’s outdoor team and played once for the U.S. men’s indoor team, winning gold with the outdoor team in 2018, silver with the outdoor team in 2014 and bronze with the indoor team in 2011. Hartzell recently served as a coach and evaluator for the launch of the National Team Development Program in 2019.

“To all my USA teammates, coaches and staff: thank you for everything!” Hartzell wrote in a statement. “Representing my country and winning gold was the highest achievement of my career.”

A pioneer of the sport.

Thank you @Khartzell81 for being apart of the #BoomSquad for your last ride. Congratulations on a remarkable career. pic.twitter.com/N30ysiV5Uz

— Cannons Lacrosse Club (@PLLCannons) September 18, 2023

Hartzell’s path to a nearly two-decade long professional career was not like most. Fairly under recruited out of high school, Hartzell went to CCBC-Essex and won an NJCAA championship in 2004 before transferring to Salisbury, where he walked on. He didn’t carve out much of a role until his senior season, when he was a captain and led the Sea Gulls to an NCAA championship in 2008.

He parlayed that season into what became a lengthy professional career, playing in the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse and Premier Lacrosse League. He won MLL championships with the Chesapeake Bayhawks (2010) and New York Lizards (2015) and an NLL championship with the Washington Stealth (2010). He was a seven-time All-Star.

With the Cannons in 2023, Hartzell played in five games and caused three turnovers. He picked up seven ground balls in his only year with the team.