I took an informal poll of college coaches at the tournament about the best defender in the ’28 division, and “No. 4 on East Ave” was the most popular response. Stiernagle plays good old-fashioned defense, shutting down opposing teams’ No. 1 attackmen. He has the size and strength to match up with bigger attackmen and the foot speed to run with most. Behind the cage, he took sharp approach angles and closed out well when his matchups worked up the hashes. With heavy checks that could chop wood, Stiernagle made ball carriers feel his presence, both on the ball and when he snuck in for a backside double. He was rock solid off the ground and in the clear, too, coming away with groundballs out of scrums, making the right reads, and showing the steady stick to execute them.