Former Greyhound Supports the Growth of Lacrosse

Lacrosse is one of Maryland’s state sports, but there’s no reason it can’t take hold elsewhere. Romar Dennis, ’17, is harnessing his Loyola education, athletic skill, and infectious personality to ignite passion for lacrosse—and bring hope—around the globe.

His work has garnered so much attention that in September, he was named the Premier Lacrosse League’s Welles Crowther Humanitarian of the Year. But his journey started at Loyola.

An All-Patriot League midfielder on the Greyhounds’ 2016 men’s lacrosse team that reached the national semifinals, Dennis decided he wanted to help grow lacrosse in underrepresented communities. He volunteered with the Baltimore chapter of Harlem Lacrosse, a nonprofit that provides academic support, leadership training, mentorship, and lacrosse instruction through partnerships with city schools.

After graduation, when Dennis moved to Los Angeles, he started coaching and working with Harlem’s chapter on the West Coast. He also continued his lacrosse career professionally in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), which led to opportunities to help spread the word about the game in Central America and Asia.

“I’m very fortunate to represent Loyola all over the world,” said Dennis, whose father is from Panama and mother is from El Salvador.

Dennis conducted impromptu clinics for players from Latin America during a tournament in Costa Rica in 2021. After that, the PLL invited him to participate in multiple trips to Japan focused on showcasing the sport to young athletes.

Making Points

He also maintains a healthy schedule in the United States as part of PLL Assists, the league’s nonprofit arm. Since PLL teams converge together in different cities each week as part of a traveling schedule model, there are many chances to connect with new communities throughout the year.

“When they asked me to visit hospitals or a local underserved community, I thought, ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I?’” Dennis said. “Giving back through service was one of the values I grew up on in high school at St. Mary’s Ryken and then at Loyola.”

Those traits were already evident when he arrived at Loyola, a little more than a year after the program won a national title game. Dennis grew up in Huntingtown, Maryland, and—with his positive personality and offensive prowess—quickly found a place with the Greyhounds, scoring twice in his collegiate debut at Virginia.

“Look at what he has been able to do and the platform he has right now,” longtime Loyola head men’s lacrosse coach Charley Toomey, ’90, said. “Size is one thing. Shooting ability is another. But when you add culture to a locker room, that’s a whole other dynamic, and he’s been able to do that anywhere he’s been.”

More than a Game

Dennis’ success as a player and volunteer, and the PLL’s growth, have allowed him to invest in lacrosse-related pursuits full-time. Increasingly, Dennis has found his attention turning to how his ties to the sport can help others.

“So much of that is ingrained in lacrosse culture, especially at Loyola,” Dennis said. “It’s never about just putting the ball in the net. It’s about what type of person you are—and what type of student. I’ve always been thinking about what I can do for other people.”

Dennis is upbeat and excited to have a role in both the sport and the community. He is still an active player with the PLL’s California Redwoods team, so he brings built-in credibility, especially with young fans.

But most of all, it feels like something of a calling, one that comes with an eager audience.

“They’re going to gravitate to him because of who he is, personality-wise,” Toomey said. “That smile is infectious, and his conversations are infectious. That’s what our sport needs.”

A Man for Others

While his work with the PLL can take him many places, Dennis is also making a difference as a coach at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. One of his players, midfielder Trent Turner, ’27, played in eight games for Toomey’s program last year and blossomed into a second-line midfielder.

Dennis also hears echoes of his Greyhounds background in this stage of his life.

“I feel like I find myself in Coach Toomey’s shoes more than anything with these young guys,” Dennis said. “I find myself repeating all the things I kept hearing from Coach Toomey and my high school coach constantly. It’s about being men for others—and then that translates to the game.”