2008 Wooster Men's Lacrosse Season Outlook

Talented Scots’ Team Seeking to Challenge for NCAC Championship

Cole Simmons, one of several veteran midfielders for Wooster, ranked second on the team in groundballs last season with 36.

A group of players similar in talent to that of The College of Wooster men’s lacrosse program’s 2004 team, which won a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and went on to the NCAA Div. III tourney, is in place for the 2008 season, according to seventh-year head coach Jason Tarnow.

“We’re probably the most talented since the ’04 playoff team, but the question is will that translate on to the field,” commented Tarnow, who has accumulated a 45-35 career record, including 8-4 last spring. “If we play 60 minutes of lacrosse, we’ll be very successful.”

The Fighting Scots did lose four starters to graduation, two being attackers, however, two-time all-NCAC award winner Mark Weschler returns to lead the offense. The junior standout has totaled 84 points on 58 goals and 26 assists, which puts him on pace to finish among the top-10 scorers in school history, and Tarnow said he enters 2008 “playing the best he’s ever played.”

Supporting Weschler will be senior Conor Hannan, who has provided steady contributions throughout his career (12 goals, 13 assists), as well as sophomore Alex Mies and freshman Joe Sulliman. Tarnow believes that foursome gives him a “pretty solid” group of attackers, and senior Jordan Sawkin, sophomore Dan MacVarish, and freshman Mike Duffy also could get into the mix.

The strength of Wooster’s team is expected to be its offensive midfielders, keyed by the return of veterans Pat Coyne, Chris Curran, Chris Gatsch, Tim Lee, and Cole Simmons. Coyne looks to build off of an all-conference (honorable mention), 14-point freshman season, while Curran, now a junior, also is a former all-NCAC player (second-team), having earned the recognition in 2006 when he threw in 14 goals and assisted on six others. Gatsch has scored 19 goals his first two years, several coming at critical times, and fellow junior Lee is a two-year starter. Simmons, the lone senior of the unit, has steadily improved throughout his career while tallying 16 goals.

Additionally, the highlight of the Scots’ recruiting class, Matt Pullara, is an offensive-minded middie, and another first-year, Graham Zimmerman, could work his way into the regular rotation.

Wooster’s defensive midfielders are described as the “most improved part of the team” by Tarnow. The short-stick middies include seniors Dan Adair and Chris Nixon, and juniors Garrett Dennett and John MacVarish, all of whom have been contributors the last couple of seasons, while handling the long-pole duties will be sophomore Phil Blecher and freshman Bill Hiatt. Noteworthy, MacVarish was one of the conference’s top face-off specialists last spring, and an addition to the squad is senior Jalam Cutting, a defensive back on the Scots’ football team who has never played lacrosse before but has brought a “level of positive energy that is contagious to the team,” according to the coaches.

The area hit hardest to graduation was the backfield, where three-time all-NCAC honoree Adam Chapman and four-year starter Dave Loudenslager consistently gave the opposition’s attackers headaches, however, Tarnow is not too concerned due to the return of seniors Greg Lentz and Kyle Story. Lentz is a two-year starter and Story has received significant minutes throughout his career, and they will serve as team captains, along with Hannan and Simmons. Ryan Story, a sophomore and Kyle’s younger brother, and three freshmen – Hiatt, Bryan McDonald, and Scott Heisler – are all expected to see playing time as defenders as well.

Wooster’s final line of defense features senior Matt Biester, a two-year starter at goalkeeper, and sophomore Calvin Todd. Biester has compiled career numbers of a stingy 7.63 goals against average as well as a .591 save percentage, and was all-conference (honorable mention) as a sophomore. Tarnow feels equally confident in Todd’s abilities.

All in all, the Scots are optimistic about their potential for 2008.

“If we have the focus and desire to play every second of every minute of every game, then we’ll find ourselves in position for the league championship and in position for a bid to the playoffs,” Tarnow summarized.