2026 - Senior Season - Orchestrated one of the most decorated campaigns by any athlete in Christopher Newport history ... Honored as the IMLCA National Defensive Player of the Year and the USILA National Goalie of the Year ... Also was recognized as the Coastal Lacrosse Conference, IMLCA Region 3, and VaSID All-State Defensive Player of the Year ... Became only the third unanimous first-team All-American in program history after receiving top accolades from USILA, IMLCA, and USA Lacrosse Magazine ... Garnered first-team All-Conference, All-State, and All-Region citations as well ... Broke the single-season school record and ranked third in the NCAA with 286 saves ... Also set a new program standard with a .593 save percentage, while his 18 victories were the second-most by a Captain in school history ... Established a new program record with 26 saves during a 12-9 win over No. 6 Salisbury on April 18 ... Had 14 stops after halftime against the Sea Gulls, which also marked the most in a second half in school lore ... Also added 20 saves in triumphs over No. 14 Amherst on March 21 and Stockton on March 28 ... Became the first goalie in program history with multiple 20-save outings ... Honored as the USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week on March 24 and April 22 for his historic mid-season run ... Named to the USILA National Team of the Week on April 1 and April 22 as well ... Had 16 total double-digit save efforts during the year, including nine against nationally-ranked competition ... Turned away 18 shots against No. 1 Tufts on March 14 and had 16 saves against No. 9 Gettysburg on February 14 and No. 5 Salisbury during the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Championship on May 3 ... Named to the CLC All-Tournament Team for his work in the league playoffs ... Continued his postseason heroics with 15 stops in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Pfeiffer on May 9 ... Came back with 12 saves in a 13-12 win over No. 13 Washington and Lee during the third round on May 10 ... Capped off the victory over the Generals with four saves in the fourth quarter, including a remarkable double-save on back-to-back shots in the final seconds to lock up the program's sixth straight trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals ... Collected at least 10 saves in six straight outings from February 7-28 ... Had 13 stops and seven ground balls in a win over No. 17 Stevenson on February 21 ... His seven rollers were the second-most by a goalkeeper in program history ... Finished the year with 58 total ground balls, which ranked 10th among all players in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference and marked the second-highest total by a goalie in school lore ... Scooped up multiple ground balls in 15 of his appearances, including six in back-to-back battles against No. 1 Tufts on March 14 and No. 14 Amherst on March 21 ... Added nine caused turnovers during the year as well ... Recorded three strips in the opener against Elizabethtown on January 30, which equaled the highest single-game total by a CNU goalie ... Chipped in with two more takeaways, 17 saves, and an assist during a win over Roanoke on April 8 ... Finished the year with three points, including a game-tying goal on a coast-to-coast clear during the win over No. 6 Salisbury on April 18 ... Punctuated the season with another assist in the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 12 Wesleyan on May 16 ... Honored as the CLC Defensive Player of the Week on February 9, February 23, March 23, March 30, and April 20 ... Became the first Captain to receive the award five times in a single campaign ... Entered the year with high expectations after being named the Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine National Preseason Goalie of the Year ... Secured first-team Preseason All-American nods from USILA, Inside Lacrosse, and USA Lacrosse Magazine as well ... Also was celebrated as a USILA Scholar All-American for his academic endeavors ... Concluded his tenure as the program's all-time record-holder with a .574 career save percentage ... His 9.89 saves-per-game average also set a new school standard ... Ranked third all-time with 35 career wins and fourth with 544 saves as well.
2025 - Junior Season - Took over as the team's starting goalie and rewarded the Captains with an All-American campaign ... Secured third-team All-American accolades from USILA and honorable mention plaudits from USA Lacrosse Magazine ... Also was a first-team All-Conference, All-State, and All-Region selection ... Became just the second goalie in program history to earn first-team All-Region nods ... Finished the year with 241 saves, which stood 16th in the NCAA and marked the third-highest total by a Captain ... Also led the league and ranked sixth on the program's single-season charts with a .555 save percentage ... Slotted second among conference competitors with a 10.19 goals-against-average ... Recorded 17 victories, which was the third-most in school history ... Had double-digit saves in 13 of his 22 appearances, including all five postseason contests ... Named the CLC Defensive Player of the Week after pocketing 19 stops at Roanoke on March 8, which equaled the third-highest single-game total by a Captain ... Matched that performance in the NCAA Quarterfinals after setting aside 19 shots against No. 8 Bowdoin on May 17 ... Stepped up against top-flight competition throughout the year, including 17 saves at No. 18 Stevenson on February 22 and 13 against No. 8 Gettysburg on March 14 ... Also had 15 stops at No. 2 Salisbury on April 5 before adding 14 more against the Sea Gulls in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Championship on May 4 ... Opened the postseason with 13 saves while allowing just two goals against Kean in the league semifinals on April 30 ... Had 15 saves in the opening battle of the NCAA Tournament against Grove City on May 10 before swallowing 10 shots while surrendering only eight goals against No. 16 Lynchburg in the Elite Eight on May 11 ... Matched his season-high with two takeaways in that showdown with the Hornets as well ... Held the opposition to five goals or less in seven of his appearances, including four straight from April 12-30 ... Finished the year with 12 caused turnovers, including two in wins over Adrian on February 15 and Kean on April 12 ... Hauled in 65 ground balls, which marked the most by a goalie in school history and ranked fifth among all non-faceoff specialists in the league ... Collected six rollers at Roanoke on March 8 and six more against Salisbury in the league championship on May 4 ... Picked up multiple ground balls in 19 of his appearances ... Also chipped in on the offensive end with five points, including four assists ... His five points matched the combined career total of every other goalie in school history ... Erupted for two points, including a coast-to-coast game-tying strike in the fourth quarter, against Williams on March 26 ... Came back two minutes later with an assist on the go-ahead dart in the 12-11 win over the Ephs ... Also handed out helpers against Scranton on March 2, No. 1 Tufts on March 20, and No. 16 Lynchburg in the NCAA Tournament on May 11 ... Started 21 of the 22 games during the year and saw 1,136 minutes of action ... Served as an assistant team captain during the season.
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2024 - Sophomore Season -Â Continued to serve as a solid backup in the cage during his second year with the Captains ... Appeared in four games and saw 12 minutes of action ... Collected a pair of saves in a pristine appearance at Kean on April 13 ... Also brushed aside on-target rips in back-to-back outings against Mary Washington on April 17 and Stockton on April 20 ... Added a scoreless outing in his season debut against Berry on February 17 as well ... Finished the year with a 9.63 goals-against-average and .667 save percentage while facing eight total shots.
2023 - Freshman Season - Saw immediate action as a reserve goalie during his debut campaign ... Finished with a .500 save percentage while making 13 total stops in 61 minutes of action ... Played the entire third quarter and made a season-high four saves during a conference victory at Mary Washington on April 22 ... Added two stops in wins over Catholic on March 4, Stockton on April 15, and Kean on April 29 ... Made a save and collected a ground ball during the final two minutes of the team's NCAA Tournament victory over No. 7 Gettysburg on May 13, which helped propel the squad towards a Final Four berth for the second time in school history ... Came through with a save during nine minutes of action in his debut against Randolph-Macon on March 1 ... Also stoned a shot against Montclair State on March 11.
At Paramus - Excelled as a goalie during his tenure with the Spartans ... Was a three-time first-team All-League selection and a two-time first-team All-County honoree ... Also garnered a pair of second-team All-North Jersey plaudits and earned a spot on the first-team All-State Group 2 squad ... Helped lead Paramus to the program's first league title as a freshman before winning a second conference crown as a junior ... Wrapped up his career with 558 saves and a .630 save percentage while also contributing three assists and an overtime game-winning goal ... Also earned first-team All-League accolades as a member of the basketball team ... Was a two-year team captain in both sports ... Competed on the club circuit with Brotherhood Lacrosse as well.
Personal - Mason Vincent Bellinger is the son of Michael and MariaElena Bellinger ... Has an older sister, Maria, and an older brother, Matthew ... Maria played volleyball at the University of Delaware from 2016-19 ... Jimmy Butler is his favorite athlete, and Lil Tjay is his favorite musician ... His dream vacation would be a trip to Italy ... Chicken Parm is his favorite food ... "Step Brothers" is his favorite movie, and "Money Heist" is his favorite TV show ... Majoring in communication and leadership.
