FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) announced Adrian College's very own, Brett Wetzel, as the 2025 Men's Lacrosse Coach of the Year on Tuesday morning.

Coach Wetzel and the Bulldogs recently wrapped up their 2025 campaign, which saw the team go 11-7 and 5-1 in MIAA conference play, a season well enough to earn themselves the No. 2 seed going into the conference tournament. The 5-1 mark was the program's first instance since 2015 and gave the Bulldogs the right to host the MIAA Semifinal at home back on April 29.

In his seventh season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Wetzel led his squad to impressive conference wins over Calvin, Kalamazoo, Trine, Alma, and Albion, with their only MIAA regular season loss coming to top-seeded Hope College. A key note to highlight on Wetzel's season resume is Adrian's win over Albion on April 23 being their first over the Britons since 2014.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the Bulldogs were set out to host the tournament semifinal at Docking Stadium for the first time in ten seasons, with their opponent being decided from a quarterfinal match-up between No. 6 Kalamazoo and No. 3 Albion. The Britons were ultimately the ones to advance, setting the stage for an exciting rematch between the Bulldogs and their foes from Albion to determine who would proceed to the MIAA Championship. The Bulldogs eventually fell short to the Britons by one goal, ending their historical campaign.

2025 was a remarkable season for Adrian College Men's Lacrosse and Coach Wetzel, who guided six All-MIAA honorees (Four 1st Team, Two 2nd Team) and two MIAA Conference Players of the Year, in Michael Jonas and Cameron Reed. On top of the All-Conference recognitions, Wetzel oversaw a ton of record breaking as Jonas, Reed, and Sam Spangler each shattered numerous AC men's lacrosse program records and the team itself established new program marks for goals, assists, points, assists per game, and saves in a single season. The Bulldogs also carried the highest Save Percentage, Assists Per Game rate, Points Per Game rate, Penalty Killing rate, and Man-Up Goals Per Game rate in the entire conference during 2025.

"This season presented some new challenges for myself, and as a team, we would not have been able to accomplish the things that we did this season without my amazing staff, Assistant Coaches Kyle Hibbard and Carey Smith, and this great group of Seniors," stated Wetzel. "I appreciate all they were able to help with as we jumped to new heights for Adrian College Men's Lacrosse. I'm truly honored to receive this award."

To date, Wetzel holds a 51-51 overall record and a 16-20 MIAA record with the Bulldogs. Wetzel also became the winningest coach in Adrian College men's lacrosse program history after the team's victory over Otterbein back on March 7, 2025. His 44th win on that day put him past Don LaSala's previous record of 43 wins.

Adrian College congratulates Coach Brett Wetzel on this prestigious honor and thanks him for all he's done for Adrian College Athletics.