Chestnut Hill Men Ready to Launch in 2010
from press release
Family has been the theme of the Chestnut Hill College men's
lacrosse program's inaugural season.
"We began this journey well aware of the challenges we would face,"
states Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Richard
Carrington. "We're young, small, and inexperienced. The
only way to make up for those deficiencies is to establish and
embrace a culture of hard work and togetherness."
Carrington knew his inaugural class possessed the hunger and desire
to consistently work hard. What he worried about was the challenge
of building a cohesive team with almost forty newcomers.
"We made a conscious effort to put family at the forefront of our
program's core values. We put family on the back of our t-shirts
and we probably say family at least twenty times a practice," said
Carrington. "To this team's credit, they've truly embraced the
family theme. They do everything together and that chemistry began
to reveal itself on the field as the fall season concluded."
As the newest members of the East Coast Conference, NCAA Division
II's top-rated men's lacrosse conference, Chestnut Hill expects to
experience a season full of ups and downs. However, Carrington is
confident that his Griffins will have a successful season if they
stay together and enjoy this journey as a family.
The Griffin attack features some diverse finishers. Freshmen
Shane Morlock (Whitby, Ontario) and Mark
Lively (Anmore, B.C.) hail from Canada and bring extensive
box and field lacrosse experience to Chestnut Hill College.
Freshmen Jake Reynolds (Chittenango, N.Y.) and
Andrew Johnson (Norristown, Pa.) are two shooters
to be reckoned with, and fellow freshman Mike Wenz
(Portland, Ore.) is a threat to feed or score from X.
"Attack is probably our biggest question mark heading into this
season," said Carrington. "This unit flip-flops on the depth chart
on a daily basis, but they are all threats to score and I am
confident the right combination will reveal itself by this
spring."
Chestnut Hill lacks size at the midfield, but depth and athleticism
are two areas where this group of Griffins excel. Freshmen
Mark Winkelspecht (Laury Station, PA.) and
D.J. Klusaritz (Allentown, Pa.) are two freshmen
middies that come fresh off of a successful season at Parkland High
School.
"Wink and D.J. have a great chemistry on the field. They're both
extremely quick players that do everything at full speed,"
commented Carrington.
Carrington tabs freshman Junji Wiener (Houston,
Texas) as the team's most improved player this winter. Wiener comes
to Philadelphia from Texas, where he was an All-State midfielder
and All-America nominee.
"Junji is a versatile player that is equally confident scoring and
feeding with his right or left hand," states Carrington.
"Dan Bohon (Lincoln University, Pa.) and
Nate Tharp (Laurel, Md.) are two savvy players
that are cut from the same mold as Junji. All three of these guys
have some experience playing attack as well, so they allow us to be
very creative on offense."
Carrington calls freshmen Charles Stroble
(Ellicott City, Md.), Alexander Sabia
(Conshohocken, PA.), and Mike Viviano (Poughquag,
N.Y.) three of the scrappiest midfielders he's ever coached.
"Charles is a horse that runs over his opponents. Alexander is a
bowling ball that runs through people, and Viviano has the speed to
run around defenders," says Carrington. "All three of these guys
are ground ball machines, and they're contributors on both sides of
the ball."
Face off responsibilities will fall on the 5'10" 250-pound frame
of Ricky Norman (Stafford, Va.)
"Ricky is a beast. He's won every face off tournament or
competition he's ever entered and he continues to work at his
craft. He's built like a power lifter, but I think teams will be
surprised by his quickness."
The midfield is rounded out by some of the fastest players on the
team. Bart Pierre (Maplewood, N.J.), Eric
Janda (Fredericksburg, Va.), Ean Little
(Wayne, N.J.), and Pat Murray (Havertown, Pa.)
have the ability to blow by their defender at any time. Carrington
expects these four to be reliable dodgers for the Griffins this
spring.
Defense is the most experienced unit on the Griffin squad. The
defense is led by sophomore Zack Hiller (Dunkirk,
Md.) and freshmen Tom Carfagna (Laury Station,
Pa.) and Jon Curtis (Harleysville, Pa.).
"Zack has been a leader for us since day one. He played last season
at Anne Arundel Community College, and that year of high level
collegiate experience has been invaluable to our defense's
development," states Carrington. "Tom Carfagna might be our most
gifted defender. He has the ability to strip his attack man, get
the ground ball, and take it the length of the field for a goal.
Jon Curtis has established himself as our vocal leader. He's all
heart and can play defense at close or the midfield."
Freshman Joe Rucinsky (Camp Hill, Pa.) and junior
Chris Green (Auburn, N.Y.) are expected to log
significant minutes for the defense as well.
"Joe is the smartest defender on our team. He does all the little
things correctly and with enthusiasm," said Carrington. "Chris is
the anchor of our team on and off the field. He's the oldest member
of our young squad and everyone looks to him for leadership."
Freshmen, D.J. Lynch (Mullica Hill, N.J.),
Zach Wilkins (Marlton, N.J.), and Joshua
Rogers (Philadelphia, Pa.) will assume long stick duties
this spring. Carrington calls Lynch a ground ball magnet and
intense competitor. Wilkins has the ability to pressure his
opponents all over the field, and Rogers has the athleticism to be
one of the best defenders in the league.
Freshmen Bill Brush (Rushland, Pa.), Alex
Kurbjun (Wayne, Pa.), and Danny Garavito
(Miami, Fla.) complete the defensive unit. Carrington expects all
three players to push for playing time. Brush is one of the hardest
workers on the team. Kurbjun has made major strides in the off
season, and Garavito has established himself as an attack man's
worst nightmare.
The goalie battle was back and forth all fall, and the Griffins are
still without a clear-cut starter for the spring season.
"Andrew D'Addona (Norristown, Pa.) is our most
fundamental goalie. He's a solid leader and makes all the saves
he's expected to make," Carrington commented. "Dakota
Maurer (Lititz, Pa.) might be the exact opposite of
Andrew, but he's equally effective. Dakota is a strong vocal leader
who finds a way to make big saves despite being a little
unconventional between the pipes."
Speculation and anticipation turn to culmination when the Griffins
debut on February 27th against the Knights of Neumann University.
