- 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.
Tusculum gets ready for program debut on Saturday
Posted: Feb 07, 2014
- TC -