DETROIT (9/17/2026) -- University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse head coach and former Titan standout midfielder Charlie Hayes '18 will play for another championship ring in the Premier Lacrosse League when the Philadelphia Waterdogs face the Denver Outlaws on Sunday.

The U.S. Bank PLL Championship is set for 12:30 p.m. at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The game will be televised on ABC and ESPN+.

A defensive midfielder, Hayes has seen action in nine games this season and has nine ground balls and three caused turnovers. He helped the Waterdogs win the Eastern Division with a 9-3 record, earning a bye in the quarterfinals, and recorded a ground ball in the 13-10 semifinal victory over the Boston Cannons.

Hayes has been in this position a few times in his professional career. He was on the Waterdogs championship squad in 2022 and was also on the PLL runner-up Maryland Whipsnakes in 2021 and MLL runner-up Denver Outlaws in 2019 and 2020.

In 58 professional games, Hayes has tallied 104 ground balls, 28 caused turnovers, nine goals, and three assists.

As a Titan, he was one of the best midfielders in the MAAC and the NCAA from 2015-18, helping UDM to its first two winning seasons, a school-record number of wins, three postseason trips, and a trip to the MAAC Championship game. He was tabbed Second Team All-MAAC as a junior and rose to First Team All-MAAC Short Stick Midfield and MAAC All-Tournament as a senior after posting career highs with 34 caused turnovers and 83 ground balls - both team highs - to go with a career-best 14 points on nine goals and five helpers. He led the MAAC and ranked seventh in the nation with 2.13 caused turnovers per game, the seventh-highest rate in school history, while his 34 total caused turnovers tied for the most ever by a short-stick midfielder in NCAA history. His 83 ground balls were second in school history and second in the MAAC, while his 5.13 ground balls per game were third in the league and 26th in the nation.

Hayes ended his career registering 70 caused turnovers and 1.21 caused turnovers per game (both third in school history), 147 ground balls (sixth in the record books), and 21 points on 15 goals and six assists in 58 games. He was also a three-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll and a two-time recipient of the MAAC Academic Honor Roll and All-Academic Team.