From Falcons to Foes: The Divergent Paths That Led Josh Yago and Jake Marek to ACC Stardom

Jake Marek stared down Josh Yago as the reigning ASUN Offensive Player of the Year charged toward his cage.

Yago unleashed a low-arcing left-handed effort, and Marek denied the shot as if he’d seen countless looks just like it. From 2022-25, Marek and Yago competed together at Air Force. One year later, Yago emerged as Notre Dame’s top scorer, while Marek became Virginia’s starting goalkeeper.

“On that first save against him I was like, ‘Oh, you’re going down, buddy,’” Marek said. “There was no trash talking or anything like that. He’s one of my best friends, just a phenomenal person in general. Going against him was just a really fun time because we know each other’s tendencies. I knew how elite he was going to be and how elite he was at the Academy.”

In the Cavaliers’ 11-9 win over the top-ranked Fighting Irish on March 28, Marek made 11 crucial saves and held Notre Dame scoreless in the fourth quarter. Facing his former netminder, Yago posted two goals and an assist in Charlottesville, Va.

“All my boys from Air Force were texting me before that game,” Yago said. “Jake Marek was amazing. He was a big reason why they won that game. He definitely stole some shots from me that I wanted to go in. So, I’m glad I got a couple on him.”

For the two former Falcons, their mere presence on the field during their teams’ respective ACC openers seemed implausible just months prior.

Virginia didn’t recruit Marek after his Air Force graduation. The goalie, who aspires to serve on a special operations surgical team, chose the school for its nursing program. As he moved to the East Coast, Marek needed time away from the game before deciding upon next steps.

After repeated encouragement from Cavalier lacrosse alum Pete Dunne, Marek met with coach Lars Tiffany at Bodo’s Bagels. There, Tiffany agreed to give Marek a shot at walking on to the roster. Marek entered a five-deep goalie room and proceeded to earn the starting job in fall ball.

“This is the best goalie room I’ve ever played with in my life,” Marek said. “They are so supportive no matter what. We’re always hyping each other up. Yes, it was competitive, but we were all there for each other. We all wanted everyone to make saves.”

Yago, who produced 72 points in his senior season, was one of the most sought-after graduate transfers in the portal. The Denver native received limited Division I opportunities coming out of Arvada West High School.

This time around, he fielded calls from Notre Dame, Duke, Michigan and Ohio State, among others.

“It was a whole 360 shift because all those big-name schools that came emailing me and calling me the second time weren’t there the first time,” Yago said. “It was weird being in the process again, especially because it was completely different. Those were all my dream schools.”

But a major caveat accompanied his recruitment. He needed approval from the Air Force to play lacrosse — a monthslong process. Yago said he can hardly believe coach Kevin Corrigan remained patient throughout it.

After “blind faith” propelled his summer training through the uncertainty, Yago finally received the go-ahead in August. The active-duty member of the Space Force has since made the transition from the ASUN to the ACC appear seamless, scoring a team-high 32 points on 20 goals and 12 assists in 10 games.

Yago and Marek’s ascension has come as little surprise to Air Force coach Bill Wilson, who watched as the duo went from quiet-natured freshmen to true standard bearers of his program. Marek rose to the rank of squadron commander, while Yago captained the Falcons as a senior.

“They’re both brilliant and hold the bar very high for themselves,” Wilson said. “When they open their mouths, people listen. When they’re going to say something, it’s going to be worthwhile and valuable. It’s coming from their heart.”

Both Yago and Marek have leaned on lessons learned at Air Force in navigating their graduate seasons at civilian institutions. Each player emphasized the time-management skills their experience at the Academy equipped them with.

Marek’s regimen includes completing all schoolwork two weeks in advance so he’s never overwhelmed in a game week. He insists that his weekday schedule, which begins with 12-hour clinical work on Mondays, “isn’t as bad as it seems.”

“I’m the type of guy that after 8 p.m., my mind kind of shuts off, and I don’t like to do homework anymore,” Marek said. “I try to get to bed by 9-9:30. Last semester, my clinical was in Richmond at VCU. That’s where I was waking up at 3:30 a.m. and going in because I had to be at my shift by 6:00 a.m.”

While Marek and Yago garnered numerous conference accolades during their four years with the Falcons, neither navigated a linear path.

Yago sustained a torn ACL and meniscus during fall ball of his freshman year. As he reflected on his recovery journey, Yago considered the injury “one of the best things to ever happen” in his lacrosse career.

“It really made me hungry and helped me develop in my career to know I don’t ever want to feel like that again,” Yago said. “You just don’t know when your last time could be to play lacrosse. It obviously wouldn’t have opened up this opportunity for me to be at Notre Dame for a fifth year. That injury taught me more about myself than I’ve ever learned.”

Marek, who decommitted from VMI after gaining admission to dream school Air Force, walked on to the program ahead of the 2022 season.

He bided his time until an opportunity finally arose his junior season. A player who once contemplated quitting the sport, Marek earned the starting goalie job late in the 2024 campaign and never looked back.

“Jake just knew what he needed to work on, was driven and he did it,” Wilson said. “He had people working with him along the way, but Jake is somebody who had a vision for his future and attacked it. I’m not surprised at all that Jake has gone down the path he has.”

A year after guiding Air Force to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017, Marek and Yago each carry national title aspirations into the season’s final month. While Yago and Notre Dame are in prime position for a top seed, Marek and Virginia have no shortage of belief after a string of high-profile victories in late March and early April.

“We always knew we were the best team in the country,” Marek said. “We’ve always been right there, and we never lost hope, even after the losses. It just made us realize that we need to find our identity.”

In 11 starts, Marek has compiled a 6-5 record. He’s tallied 117 saves on a 48.7-percent save percentage. The goalkeeper credited assistant coach and former four-time All-American Connor Shellenberger as an unparalleled figure in preparing for the conference’s top shooters.

Yago said he quickly realized the ACC presents a gauntlet unlike any other in the sport. But it’s a challenge the attacker was keen to embrace. On April 14, the Philadelphia Waterdogs selected Yago with the No. 14 pick in the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft.

Four days later, Yago saw his name among the top 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award.

“I thought I would be wrapping up my career at Air Force a year ago, thinking, ‘This is the last time I’m going to be strapping up a helmet,’” Yago said. “My mom texted me a quote that just perfectly describes this whole past year: ‘The top of one mountain is the bottom of the next.’”

“What would make this year even better is winning a national championship. The personal accolades are awesome. It’s very humbling. I’m super grateful for them. But I could care less about how many goals or assists I have. What I really want at the end of the year is to be hoisting the national championship trophy on Memorial Day weekend.”