DENVER, Colo. – Former University of Vermont standout defenseman Warren Jeffrey '19 claimed the 2019 Steinfeld Trophy as Major League Lacrosse Champion after the Chesapeake Bayhawks defeated the Denver Outlaws at Dick's Sporting Park Sunday afternoon. 
 
RELATED LINKS
MLL Release | Bayhawks Release
 
The top-seeded Bayhawks defeated Atlanta in the semifinal on Friday night to advance to yesterday's championship against the second-seeded Outlaws. Jeffrey recorded a ground ball and three caused turnovers in the semifinal win.
 
In the final, the Bayhawks jumped to an 8-3 halftime lead, but saw the Outlaws claw back to tie the game at 9-9 in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake's Andrew Kew scored the go-ahead goal late in the fourth quarter to secure a 10-9 win.
 
Jeffrey lined up against Denver's John Grant Jr. for the majority of the championship game, and held the MLL's all-time leading scorer to just a single goal. It marks Chesapeake's first championship since 2013 and league-leading sixth in franchise history.
 
In 14 regular season games played as a rookie in the MLL, Jeffrey finished the season with 18 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers, and just four penalties.
 
There are multiple UVM connections to the Chesapeake franchise outside of Jeffrey. Chesapeake's head coach, Dave Cottle, was the head coach at Maryland when Vermont head coach Chris Feifs was a student-athlete. UVM assistant coach Jake Bernhardt's brother, Jesse, is also a defenseman with the Bayhawks.
 
The Mimico, Ontario native was selected sixth overall by the Colorado Mammoth in the 2019 NLL Collegiate Entry Draft last month. The Mammoth kick off the 2019-20 NLL season in the annual Face Off Weekend. They host the Saskatchewan Rush at the Pepsi Center on Friday, Nov. 29.