Men's Lacrosse | 3/2/2012 11:17:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY -- After appearing in last season's national semifinal, the 2012 RIT Men's Lacrosse Team is looking to take the next step toward a championship.

"We had a great year," said Head Coach Jake Coon, who was named the 2011 Division III Coach of the Year by USILA.  "We were happy with our accomplishments, and were proud of the guys' efforts."

The Tigers began last season with a program-record 19 consecutive victories before falling to Tufts University 16-12 in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, held at RIT. This season's team will include three of last years' top-six scorers, and returns five starters overall.

"This year the goals aren't going to change a whole lot," Coon said.  "We're going to try to win our league and hopefully play for the national title."

Captains Jordan Collins-Hartwig (Buffalo, NY/Clarence), Evan Burley (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) and Alex Crepinsek (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) will lead the Tigers both on and off the field in 2012.

"They're all doing a great job," said Coon.  "Crepinsek really changed his game, he's working hard 100 percent of the time.  Jordan is a lead by example guy.  Evan is still feeling it out, working on becoming a vocal leader.  Great leadership is a key ingredient to success."

Defense
RIT returns all three starting close defensemen from a season ago, led by senior Eric Horeth (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder).

"It's a strong core," Coon said.  "We hope they'll be a key part of the team's success, our backbone."

Horeth had a strong 2011 season, his first with the Tigers, garnering All-Empire 8 second team honors.

Juniors Burley and Elliot Cowburn (Oakville, ON/Holy Trinity) round out a defensive unit that allowed just 8.40 goals per game a season ago.

Seniors Thomas Gray (Pittsburgh, PA/Central Catholic) and Devin Lamb (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), as well as sophomore transfer Joe Dupra (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) and freshmen Baird Wilbur and Scott Shamp (Rochester, NY/Churchville Chili) will all vie for playing time.

"Tom Gray and Devin Lamb (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), a couple of seniors, are great team players," said Coon.  "Joe Dupra (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) is a great addition, very vocal.  He works his tail off and brings some game experience as well."

Defensive Midfield
Despite losing First Team All-American and Empire 8 Player of the Year MJ Kiekebelt (Caledon, Ontario/St. Andrews College/Aurora), the defensive midfield remains a key factor in the teams' success. Senior Avery Hallett (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) leads the group of long-stick midfielders that includes juniors Luke Wolfe (Buffalo, NY/Williamsville North) and Nick Schiefer (Birmingham, MI/Birmingham Seaholm).  Hallett was a key contributor to the Tigers last season, appearing in all 20 games.

"We have a good group of LSM's," said Coon.  "Avery has seen the field a lot over the last couple of years.  He brings a lot of consistency.  Guys like Schiefer and Wolfe will also be vying for time on the field."

The veteran group of Crepinsek, Tyler Bigham (Newtown, CT/Trinity-Pawling), Ian Dominick (Severn, MD/Mt. St. Joseph), Nick Gianelle (Salisbury, MD/Parkside) and Mac Keehfus (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) round out a defensive midfield that helped cause 11.5 turnovers per game last season, second best in the conference.  Freshman Dan Getachew (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) will also be in the hunt for playing time.

Sophomores PJ Hart (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) and Tyler Shaw (Tully, NY/Tully) will be competing for the starting job at the faceoff "X", with both showing promise at the position.

Goaltending
Three Tigers will battle for the top spot in net this season.  Sophomore Anthony DeLeo (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) returns after posting an impressive 8.42 goals against average last year, backing up Honorable Mention All-American Bob Tonnessen (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield).

After missing last season, junior Dan Wiatrowski will look to earn some playing time, while sophomore transfer Pat Johnston (Long Beach, CA/Norwell (MA)) is sure to use the experience he gained at Division I VMI to his advantage in the fight for the starting job.

"There's not a lot of game experience," Coon said.  "It's very competitive, and all three guys are capable of playing."

Midfield
The RIT midfield has always been a crucial part of the teams' success.  Led last season by Jordan MacIntosh (Oakville, ON/Holy Trinity) and Chris Cherami (Olwick, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), this season's group of midfielders includes pre-season All-American selection Collins-Hartwig, as well as key contributors Tom Riley (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) and Ryan Speciale (Painted Post, NY/Corning West).

Collins-Hartwig, an Empire 8 honorable mention selection a season ago, finished last year with 47 points on 34 goals and 13 assists.  Riley added 10 goals and five assists, while Speciale chipped in with 11 points.

"All three are senior leaders at the offensive midfield," said Coon.  "And they have a good supporting cast around them that can fill some gaps for us."

A group of underclassmen eager to prove themselves will be vying for playing time.  Second year player Taylor Wisman (Seattle, WA/Inglemoor) will be looking for an increased roll, while the freshman class of Cory Ashmore (Sutton, Ontario/Sutton District), Foster Wisman (Seattle, WA/Inglemoor), Kyle Aquin (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean De Brebeuf), Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute), Jarett Schmauder and Braden McDonald (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post) will look to make an immediate impact.  Brad Gillies (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) and Pat McMullan (Easton, PA/Wyoming Seminary) will be splitting time between mdfield and attack.  RIT hockey player Stuart Brownell will also be competing for playing time this season.

Attack
Last season the Tigers' offense scored a remarkable 15.40 goals per game, fifth most in the nation.  Seniors Tyler Russell (Livonia, NY/Livonia) and #A.J. Tingle will look to lead the attack after losing two 60-point scorers in (Fairport, NY/Fairport)Iric Bressler and Academic All-American (Fairport, NY/Fairport)Kelso Davis#.

Pre-season second team All-American selection Russell enjoyed a breakout junior season, scoring a team-record 69 goals, the second most in Division III.

"He's very capable of playing at the same level as last season," Coon said.  "He's taken on a little more of a leadership roll on that end of the field too."

Tingle was a key contributor, finishing the season with 32 points on 20 goals and 12 assists. 

Sophomore Jack Krzyston (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) will look to step into a more advanced roll in the system, and freshmen Brendan MacDonald (Georgetown, Ontario/Trinity-Pawling) will battle for playing time with the veterans.  Freshman Nick Sterge (Malvern, PA/Loomis Chaffee) will keep the pressure on.

"There are a couple of guys that could do a good job for us," stated Coon.  "Tingle could do great things down there.  He filled in for Bressler last season and played well.  Krzyston is an excellent finisher and is great around the crease.  He really worked hard in the offseason.  MacDonald is a big frame with great finishing ability."

Schedule
RIT will face a daunting schedule in 2012, with five games against teams ranked in the preseason top 20.  The move to the Liberty League poses a new challenge, as three teams in the conference are ranked.

The Tigers start the season playing at Harvard University against #14 Endicott on March 3.

"Endicott is a great team," Coon said.  "We're going to have our hands full.  They're a hard working group with great coaching."

RIT's home opener comes just four days later when it hosts SUNY Brockport.  The Tigers will play three teams from their former conference, the Empire 8, with the first coming at St. John Fisher on March 17.  The Tigers travel to old rival Nazareth on April 4 and Ithaca comes to RIT on April 11.

"It makes sense," Coon stated.  " The fact that we're so close together, and they're all great teams, we wanted to keep those rivalries.  It was mutual."

RIT's biggest non-conference test comes on March 28 against #6 SUNY Cortland.

Clarkson comes to town on March 24, marking the beginning of conference play.  The Tigers then face #18 Rensselaer on April 7, and close out the season with four-straight Liberty League games, including #12 Union and #19 Skidmore.  RIT's final game of the regular season comes on April 28, at St. Lawrence.

"All the in-league opponents are tough," said Coon.  "There's three top-20 teams and a couple of other really good teams. I think the boys are up for the challenge."