- History will be made on Saturday when the Tusculum College men's lacrosse team makes its debut against Ohio Valley University in a non-conference game in Vienna, West Virginia. (2014 Promo)

Head coach Richard Carrington has spent the last 14 months assembling a roster representing 11 states and two provinces that will take the field this spring as the 15th varsity sport at Tusculum. The Pioneers' roster includes 13 players with previous experience at the collegiate level, including 11 junior-college transfers.

"We want to be a model program both on and off the field. We strive to be intense and hard-working every day, and that expectation carries over to our role in the college community," said Carrington, who has previous head coaching stints at Chestnut Hill and Alvernia. "We want to build an identity for this program that represents the pioneering attitude that Tusculum is known for."

The Pioneers will play a 13-game schedule, including seven South Atlantic Conference contests as the league sponsors its first championship in the sport. Tusculum was picked for seventh in the preseason coaches poll, one spot ahead of fellow first-year program Brevard.

"Our schedule is suitable for us this year. There are some first-year programs in Post and Brevard, along with some established programs like perennial national contender Limestone," said Carrington. "We run the full spectrum of the competition in NCAA Division II lacrosse, but I tell the men every day that there isn't a team on that schedule that we should be intimidated by."

ATTACK

The Pioneers should boast a potent attack that features a couple of the top scorers in junior college lacrosse from last season.

Junior Jack Timerson led the NJCAA in goals last year with 82 while playing at Finger Lakes Community College, including a nation-best nine man-up goals. Timerson scored in 20 of his 21 games played, and had games with six and seven goals each. The Newark, N.Y. native is a two-time All-Conference and two-time All-Region honoree.

Fellow junior David Fernandes was also a two-time All-Region selection during his career at SUNY Delhi, including a freshman season in which he scored 55 goals to rank ninth in the nation. The native of McGraw, N.Y. tallied 20 goals during the 2013 season, including four games of three goals or more.

Freshmen Kellen Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), Darrin Wilson (Nanaimo, B.C.), Ben Boyd (Bel Air, Md.) and Ryan Kelly (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) all stand at least 6-1 and will bring size and versatility to the Pioneer attack. Also providing depth and experience up top will be junior Brad Sage (Nashville, Tenn.), who had three goals and two assists for five points at Tennessee Wesleyan last year.

MIDFIELD

Junior Steven Raimondi was a key member of a Genesee Community College team that advanced to the NJCAA national tournament each of the last two years. Raimondi, a native of Amherst, N.Y., had 11 goals in 10 games in 2012 and added five goals in 16 games last spring.

Junior Thomas Loudon was named honorable mention All-Region following his career at Finger Lakes CC, where he scored 21 goals across two seasons and had 33 ground balls as a sophomore. The Overland Park, Kansas product was an All-State selection and offensive MVP during his scholastic career. Additional veteran support will be provided by junior Sean Gilbane, a Saugerties, N.Y. native who was a first-team All-Conference pick at SUNY Delhi and had seven goals and 21 assists as a freshman.

Freshmen Timothy Drumtra (Fort Washington, Md.), Coogan Lethco (St. Augustine, Fla.), Garrett Farthing (Newport Beach, Calif.), Justin Jardeleza (Boonsboro, Md.) Ezra Cason (Worthington, Ohio), Matthew Hoffman (Brewster, N.Y.), Alexander Kleinberg (Bel Air, Md.) and Ross Parsons (Coquitlam, B.C.) will provide the Pioneers with significant athleticism from line to line.

DEFENDERS

Three collegiate veterans will be counted on to solidify the defensive half of the field for the Pioneers as they embark on their inaugural season.

Sophomore Jake Smith finished ninth in the NJCAA last season with 81 ground balls in 18 games, and also had seven caused turnovers for Finger Lakes CC. The native of Canandiagua, N.Y. also had a goal and an assist during his freshman year for the Lakers.

Junior Tyler Schafer, a Bel Air, Md. native, played two years at Harford Community College and finished with 15 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in 16 games last season for the Fighting Owls.

Sophomore Mitch Chapman is a transfer from NCAA Division I Bryant and had a stellar career at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The Oshawa, Ontario product was a US Lacrosse All-American in 2011 and an Underclassmen All-American honoree in 2010, as he helped lead the team to consecutive NNELL titles.

Junior Michael Graziano comes to Tusculum after being a two-year captain at Niagara County Community College. He recorded 39 ground balls in 12 games last season after appearing in 14 games as a freshman. The native of Buffalo was team MVP as a senior at Sweet Home High School prior to moving on to Niagara County CC.

The team's lone senior is Justin Albertson, who appeared in 10 games as a freshman at Hudson Valley Community College and had a goal and an assist to go along with five saves in a 30-minute stint in goal for the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. native. Rounding out the defensive unit are freshmen DJ Evans (Cordova, Tenn.), Benjamin Thompson (Lake Monticello, Va.) and Ryan Hill (Orlando, Fla.).

GOALKEEPERS

Junior John Perrucci was an All-Conference and honorable mention All-Region selection last year at Finger Lakes CC after he led the NJCAA with 305 saves and minutes played with 1,033. He also ranked 14th nationally in goals against average at 12.02. As a freshman, the Myrtle Beach, S.C. native also led the nation in minutes played with 1,201 and ranked third in saves (334) and 27th in goals against average (11.89).

Freshman Eddie Schoenig II was an All-League selection in both football and lacrosse during his high school career, and had an 87.6 save percentage as a member of the Westchester Warriors club team. The Brewster, N.Y. native also had a pair of goals with his club team.

SCHEDULE

After opening at Ohio Valley this weekend, the Pioneers make their home debut on Saturday, Feb. 15 against Lees-McRae at Pioneer Field. Tusculum plays its first SAC match on Saturday, March 1 at home against Lenoir-Rhyne, and closes out the conference schedule on Saturday, April 12 at Wingate.

The SAC Tournament will be played April 17 and 19 in Charlotte, with NCAA quarterfinal and semifinal matches scheduled for May 10 and 17 ahead of the NCAA Division II national championship game on May 25 at M&T Stadium in Baltimore.