Few players can turn a program around like a goalkeeper, and when Joe Zebrowski started between the pipes for the Clarkson Men’s Lacrosse team, the Golden Knights’ defense elevated to elite levels.

In Zebrowski’s first season with the program the Green and Gold allowed the fewest goals per game in program history, and the team went from 2-4 in the upstate Collegiate Athletic Association league schedule to a perfect 6-0, as the Golden Knights advanced to their first NCAA Tournament in a decade. 

Zebrowski was the backbone of strong defenses for the Golden Knights for four seasons, starting 48 games and winning 32 times, the second-most in program history. As a freshman, he ranked eighth in the nation in goals against average (6.89) and 22nd in save percentage (.628), helping the team to an 11-2 record. A year later he was even better, leading the nation in goals against average (5.89) with the sixth-best figure in save percentage (.683). Although he appeared in only eight games during his junior campaign, he still ranked in the top 20 nationally in goals against average, and he had an otherworldly performance in the UCAA Tournament. Zebrowski made 11 saves in a 13-9 opening round win over St. Lawrence, and then stopped 14 shots in an 8-6 win in the championship game victory against Rensselaer, earning UCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors along the way to push the team to its second NCAA Tournament in three seasons. 

A four-time conference all-star, Zebrowski was the UCAA Rookie of the year in 2002 and earned USILA All-American Honorable Mention honors in both 2003 and 2004.