Kaden Quirk always felt a connection to Springfield College. His father, Sean, played lacrosse for the Pride — and won a national championship — under longtime coach Keith Bugbee. He heard his dad talk about the importance of the “tight-knit family” at Springfield. The Quirks even played the same position, goalie, but Kaden’s path to Springfield was distinctive from his dad’s.
Sean was a highly successful collegiate coach with Endicott College from 1998 to 2015, where he racked up the 16th best winning percentage in Division III lacrosse history, and an astounding .918 winning percentage in conference play. Sean would later become the coach of the Boston Cannons, a team in the Major Lacrosse league when he was hired, and eventually became the Premier Lacrosse League in 2019. His son Kaden was around lacrosse from a young age, and the time around the game and college players later influenced his decisions.
“I had a fortunate situation where I was around the sport a lot, and it definitely factored into how much I loved it,” Kaden said. “Growing up, just being around those college guys definitely made me want to play at the next level.”
Kaden, a Massachusetts native, competed in the Swampscott Youth Lacrosse League. His team played a scrimmage during halftime of an Endicott College lacrosse game when Sean was the head coach. To this day, Kaden still emphasizes the scrimmage’s impact on him.
“The scrimmage was special. Being around that program, knowing all those guys, and having them support me during the halftime of their game was really cool,” Kaden said. “Doing something like that at a college in front of my dad and the players really stuck with me. It’s definitely a time that I won’t forget.”
Kaden didn’t start in goal to begin his playing career. He started off playing attack — the position he closely watched the Endicott student-athletes play. Kaden played attack from first to fourth grade but switched to goalie in fifth grade. The decision to switch positions was his alone.
Staying out of a kid’s way can be extremely difficult at times, but for Sean, it was something that he and his wife, Luz, instilled when their kids first started playing sports.
“We tried to expose our kids to as many sports as possible at a young age, and they stuck with the ones they truly loved,” Sean said. “It wasn’t something we wanted to control.”
As the years went by, it became clear that Kaden had made the right decision regarding sport and position. Kaden was a standout goalie for St. John’s Prep High School, and was named an All-American in 2021. Kaden committed to St. John’s University, a Division I program, in early 2020.
In his first year at St. John’s, Kaden won the starting job for the Red Storm. He played all 14 games in 2022 and put up impressive numbers, especially for a first-year player. Notably, Kaden ranked third among NCAA Division I freshmen in saves, with 169.
The 2023 season, however, was a sudden scratch for Kaden, as it wasn’t the fit he imagined. He thought it was best to redshirt his sophomore year because he knew he was transferring, so he could hang on to an extra year of eligibility. Kaden looked around at a few schools, but one in particular stood out.
“Springfield was such a big draw for me because you have a connection to the program for the rest of your life,” Kaden said. “It’s a special place and a special program.”
Bugbee has been at the helm of Springfield College’s men’s lacrosse team for over 42 years, and Sean played under Bugbee, including the national championship run in 1994. While Kaden eventually chose Springfield, the process was a bit different.
Bugbee has been in Kaden’s life for as long as he can remember, and he bought into the family that Bugbee built.
“Coach is someone I can go to when times get tough or I need advice,” Kaden said. “In terms of the recruiting process, he was like, ‘It would be pretty cool if you came here. I want you to do what’s right for you.’ That told me everything I needed to know because he didn’t necessarily want me to do something that wasn’t in my best interest. But at the same time, when that point came to where Springfield was in my best interest, he welcomed me with open arms.”
Sean also wanted to be a support network through Kaden’s transfer stage and was pleased to hear his son wanted to play on the same field that he once roamed.
“In the back of my head, to see him play on Stagg Field and study at Springfield would be pretty special,” Sean said. “It became clear that Springfield was always going to be home for Kaden.”
When Kaden took the field in the fall of 2023 for the first time as a Springfield College athlete, Sean and the entire Quirk family were filled with emotion. He cherished the moment as Kaden played between the pipes on Stagg Field, just as he had.
Lacrosse, as Sean says, is a medicine game. When former players discuss Bugbee and his influence, they often cite the unified feeling that he brings to the program.
“Kaden and I play the position pretty similarly, and it was very surreal,” Sean said. “I was there with my mom, watching the game, and we both looked at each other and just said, ‘How blessed he is to be at Springfield College, playing under coach Bugbee.”’
Although the Pride had sights on another NEWMAC title in 2024, the season was far from a breeze. Springfield started 0-7, with four losses coming to nationally ranked opponents. The daunting schedule wasn’t done yet, as 14-ranked Middlebury came to Stagg Field and utterly dominated the first half. Kaden didn’t start the game — his only non-start of the season. The Pride went down 18-3 at the half, as the bleachers and sideline went mute. Kaden started the second half, along with other young players who hadn’t seen much time on the field. Springfield outscored Middlebury 12-5 in the half, eventually losing 23-15, but the overall outcome wasn’t a topic of discussion.
Players’ meetings usually happen in times of stress or need, and most happen before or after practice. The Pride held one right after the game.
“It was about an hour long,” Kaden said. “Multiple players spoke up about what they thought needed to happen to turn the season around, and as players of this program, we knew the coaches had a lot of trust in us to do so.”
Springfield took the players’ meeting as a sign of life. After a loss to Middlebury brought them to 0-8, the Pride rattled off seven wins in their next eight games, culminating with an appearance in the NEWMAC championship game
“[The Middlebury game] was definitely a big momentum shift in our season. We were sitting in the locker room, looking at ourselves, thinking where we needed to get to if we wanted to be successful,” Kaden said. “The meeting was crucial to us.”
After losing that championship game to Babson, Kaden and the rest of the Springfield team were destined for an improved season in 2025, as they entered with 18 players that have one last year of eligibility.
In Kaden’s first season at Springfield, he wore 42 — for the 2025 season; he wanted to pay tribute to his father by wearing the number two. Sean noticed something different about Kaden last fall as the Pride took the field to face Bentley in a scrimmage.
“I got there early for warmups, and I saw Kaden wearing two,” Sean said. “It was so awesome to see him wear my number.”
The number was a family connection. Sean wore it because he wanted to take a piece of his older brother’s number, 22.
Donning the number two, Kaden made the game-clinching save with 35 seconds left to help the Pride pick up their first win of the season against No. 20 Union this past weekend 11-10. The Pride will play their first game on Stagg Field, Friday night, against Sean’s former program; Endicott.
Because of the redshirt year at St. John’s, Kaden has one more year of eligibility after 2025. Although he’s unsure if he will use the year, he wants his legacy to end on a positive note. The Quirks are one of the nine father-son duos to have played under Bugbee and Kaden is eager to start his coaching career soon, while emulating some of his father’s and Bugbee’s philosophies.
“It was never about the wins and losses. I want my teammates and coaches to say I was a great leader,” Kaden said. “I want people to remember my days as a leader in 30 years, which is what’s happening to my dad right now.”