Hall of Fame
A native of Manchester, Vermont, Matthew Van Der Kar was one of the most prolific scorers to step foot on the field for the Castleton men’s lacrosse program in the early 2000’s. He graduated in 2007 ranked second in career goals and points, scoring 117 times and totaling 167 points. Twice he was in the top 25 in the NCAA in points per game, solidifying himself as one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country. A force at the face-off dot, Van Der Kar led all NCAA Division III players in face-off percentage and ground balls per game in 2007, claiming 81.1 percent of face-offs and collecting 12.93 ground balls per game. He graduated as the program’s all-time leader in ground balls, with 501 and has the program’s top two single-season ground ball totals with 193 in 2005 and 181 in 2007. In 2006, Van Der Kar racked up 12 points against Norwich, scoring seven goals and dishing out five assists to become just the second player in program history at the time to record 12 points in a single game. On three occasions he won every face-off he took in a game, taking 10-of-10 against Emerson in 2006 before winning 24-of-24 against both Becker and Johnson State in 2007. He was a three-time team captain, a three-time First Team All-North Atlantic Conference selection and was named the NAC Player of the Year in 2007. He was also named the team’s Most Valuable Player in each of his three seasons. Van Der Kar is currently the Doors and Windows Sales Manager at r.k. Miles, Inc., and coaches his children in lacrosse with the Equinox Lacrosse Association. He resides in Dorset, Vermont, with his wife Hayley and their two sons, Finnegan and Bodhi.
