(Rochester, NY)… The fans have spoken. The Rochester Knighthawks announced today that Nathan Kapp is the recipient of the team’s Unsung Hero Award. Through an online fan vote, Kapp was named the player who represents heart, hustle, and a drive to do the little things that don’t show up on the scoresheet. Kapp is the first rookie in franchise history to earn the honor.
“It’s always been my dream to play professional lacrosse, and it’s been everything I anticipated and more,” Kapp said. “One of the coolest things is how much you really get to bond and learn with the fan base. We’re not just playing for the team now. This is the first time I’ve really gotten to play for a fan base, so being recognized by the fans is a really good feeling, just to know that it’s paying off and the fans see that I’m able to bring that energy to the game is awesome.”
This season, in seven games, Kapp won 114 of 196 faceoffs and scooped up 50 loose balls. He recorded at least 60 percent at the faceoff dot in four of those seven games, breaking 70 percent three times. He finished the year ranked sixth in the league in faceoff winning percentage of any player with over 10 attempts.
Kapp made his NLL debut on a crazy weekend, opening his career by playing in back-to-back games in less than 24 hours. He made his pro debut in Philadelphia, against the Wings on Jan. 9, and then traveled to Rochester to battle the Buffalo Bandits on Jan. 10. He went a combined 25-for-57 in his opening two games, enough to keep him in the lineup for the rest of January. The next week, against the Toronto Rock, he recorded his best percentage of the season, winning 16 of 21 draws for 76.2 percent.
In March, he played two of the best games of his young career against Las Vegas, going a combined 48-for-66. His best effort came in front of the home fans in Rochester on March 21. He tied the franchise record by winning 26 faceoffs, while picking up 15 loose balls.
Kapp joined the Knighthawks as an undrafted free agent, following a standout career at Jacksonville University. In five years (2020-24), he became the school’s all-time leader in faceoff wins (917) and groundballs (468). He graduated in 2024 and spent the next year building his game for the professional level and dedicating himself to becoming a full-time lacrosse player.
“Kapp was a guy who expressed interest in trying out. I’m sure he reached out to a few NLL teams, and we figured we’d give him a chance, knowing that was an area of our team that we needed to be better,” Carey said. “Over the past few years, we’ve had some faceoff guys not able to commit fully, and he did a great job for the games that he got in. It’s a challenge to go from field to box at this level, but we thought he did a great job. He’s a great teammate, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”