The military is deeply embedded in Patrick Dunleavy’s bloodlines. His grandfather Hugh served in the Korean War as a Navy gunner on a ship; his father, also named Hugh, was an Army Ranger; his brother Connor is an Army infantry officer; and his brother Ryan graduated from the Naval Academy. It’s only natural for the recent St. Mary’s graduate and three-sport athlete to follow with the family tradition.
Dunleavy has elected to go to West Point, where he will play lacrosse. He will attend the United States Military Academy Preparatory School—which is on the West Point campus—in the fall before his freshman year.
“I have always wanted to be in the military with my family’s history,” Dunleavy says. “I grew up in Annapolis, so I have visited the Naval Academy a lot. I never really thought about Army. When I visited, I decided I wanted to go there because it was something totally different. It was a chance to go to a really great school in a totally different environment.”
Dunleavy, an Arnold resident who carried a 3.63 grade point average, has his sights set on becoming an engineer. “I want to do something with agricultural engineering,” he says. “Maybe get an internship with John Deer or do something in the agricultural industry. I would like to work with tractor supply tools or tractors to make them more efficient. I always wanted to do something that was a hands-on job and not work behind a desk.”
Dunleavy got a taste of agriculture last summer, which he spent renovating an old farm house with his best friend Charlie Brady. “I worked on his family’s new house,” he says of the home on St. Margarets Road in Annapolis. “We redid their barn and took out fences. It was enjoyable the whole time. I always wanted to work on a piece of land and work every day outside.”
Lacrosse was a big factor for the 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound Dunleavy’s choice of West Point. Johns Hopkins, North Carolina, Michigan, and Loyola also tried recruiting him.
“Navy and Army were my top two and it just so happened that Army pursued me more,” he says. “I really liked Army coach Joe Alberici. He made me feel like I was part of a really big family up there.”
Dunleavy had a stellar lacrosse career at St. Mary’s, where he started for three years. His junior year was his best. Dunleavy totaled 12 assists, ranked among the team leaders in ground balls, and sparked the offense from his midfield position.
“He was our biggest and strongest midfielder,” St. Mary’s Boys Lacrosse Victor Lilly says. “A lot of our offensive formations would start with him having the ball. He was phenomenal in the transitional game and was really the set-up guy for the offense.”
Dunleavy often defended the opponents’ best offensive midfielder. He made it difficult for them too, since he was the most physical player on the team. “He was a special player because he could play from one end of the field to the other end,” Lilly says. “That has become a lost art with the way the game is played today.”
The 17-year-old Dunleavy shined on the football field, too, as he was one of the few Saints to start on both offense and defense. He earned All-County honors and received Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference recognition for his play from the linebacker position in 2019. That year, Dunleavy, who also played tight end, led the team in sacks (6), racked up 63 tackles, forced two tackles, and had two safeties.
“We moved him from strong safety to outside linebacker,” St. Mary’s Football Coach Jason Budroni says of his senior year. “He was a force and did a really great job coming off the edge. He used his speed well and was a physical presence.”
Dunleavy added a third sport to his resume this winter, playing ice hockey for the first time. “I never even skated before,” he says. “My friends and I wanted to do something fun for our senior year so we made an ice hockey team. I really enjoyed it.”