Men’s Lacrosse 2005 Team Outlook
Swarthmore men's lacrosse team enters the 2005 season loaded with experience on offense and an infusion of youth on defense. Head coach Pat Gress and his staff return four players who tallied at least 20 points in 2004, and look to mix in ten exciting freshman, all with a chance to make an immediate impact. Gress, entering his 10 th season, has been diligently preparing the Garnet thru the winter months for five exciting non-conference games and the ultra-competitive Centennial Conference schedule.
Anchoring an experienced offensive attack in 2005 will be senior tri-captain Tim Chryssikos (Ellicott City, MD / Loyola Bakefield), All-Centennial Honorable Mention selection in 2004. The attackman led the Garnet last season in scoring with 25 goals and 24 assists (7th in the Centennial) for 49 points, accumulating the ninth-best points per game (3.27) in the conference. Classmate Jeff Donlea (Burke, VA / Thomas Jefferson) is an experienced returning attackman who scored 19 goals last season, and will look to fill the void left by the graduation of Joe DeSimone (103 career goals)
A proven playmaker in the midfield is senior tri-captain Tom Coughlin (Lutherville, MD / Gilman), who finished second on the team with 15 assists in 2004. A trio of sophomores, midfielders Ryan McKenna (Oakdale, NY / Connetquot), Gavin Nurick (Wilton, CT / Phillips Exeter) and Jay Charles (Chadds Ford, PA / Tatnall, DE) made a significant impact on the Garnet in 2004, and enter the current season expecting to improve on the sixth place finish.
McKenna finished fourth on the squad with 25 points and 19 goals, including a career-high four scores in an 11-5 victory over Ursinus College. Charles, one of the strongest players on the team, handled the lion's share of the face-offs, winning 53 % of the face-offs he encountered (sixth-best in the Centennial). Nurick picked up 31 ground balls and had 5 points last season.
Tri-captain Charlie Sussman '05 ( Southport, CT / Choate Rosemary Hall), who has started every game in his career, will be counted on to lead an inexperienced corps of defenders. Sussman led the Garnet with 19 takeaways and was second among defenders with 38 ground balls. Gress will look for returners James Addona '05 (Levittown, NY / Hoy Trinity) and Anthony Orazio '07 (Fairfield, CT / Fairfield) to challenge for time on the defensive end.
Senior Paul Chung (Morristown, NJ / Morristown) is experienced and talented and should have a breakthrough season this year. The lone junior on the squad, Matt Perez (Floral Park, NY / Floral Park), has improved greatly since last season and will play on both the attack and midfield. Also, on defensive midfield, the Garnet will rely on seniors Troy Smith (Lutherville, MD / St. Paul's) and Rob Buechner (Cincinnati, OH / Cincinnati Country Day) and sophomore Rich Jaronczyk (Manhasset, NY / Manhasset).
"The senior class is outstanding this year. Deep, talented and hard working, they have played in quite a few big games in their careers and welcome the challenge that our competitive schedule provides," proclaims Gress.
A large and talented freshmen class has mixed well in the pre-season with the fourteen returners from last year. The Garnet graduated goalkeeper Steve Isbister and turn to freshman Frank Mazzucco ( Redding, CT / Joel Barlow) to protect the net in 2005.
Defenders Dan Sartori '08(Darien, CT / Darien), Drew Bonessa '08 (Pittsburgh, PA / Shady Side), Kevin Murphy '08 (Berwyn, PA / Conestoga) and Mike Johns '08 (Wilmington, DE / St. Andrew's) had strong showings in the fall.
Freshman midfielders Adam Miller (Freehold, NJ / Freehold Township), Adam Winegar (Chatsworth, NJ / Lenape) and Ivano Ventresca (Macungie, PA / Emmaus) will provide some depth to a thin midfield group. Finally, both Alex Hahn '08 (Sykesville, MD / Chapelgate) and Chris Harman '08 (New Market, MD / St. John's Prospect Hall) will play important minutes this season at attack.
The Garnet provide their fans with a first-hand look of the team in the opening weeks of March, hosting contests at Clothier Field each Saturdays afternoon. Swarthmore opens the season on March 5 th, hosting Goucher College at 1:00 p.m., and finish against sixth-ranked Gettysburg College on the 26 th at 1:00 p.m.