Bucknell University Athletics
2001 Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Team Gearing Up For Upcoming Season
2/8/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 8, 2001
Lewisburg, Pa. - After graduating 14 members from last season's squad, the 2001 Bucknell men's lacrosse team returns 14 letter winners and a strong nucleus of talent. Head Coach Sid Jamieson will begin his 34th season at Bucknell relying on the leadership of a small but very accomplished senior class. In a preseason poll, the Bison earned a 27th ranking and hope that this will cause opposing teams to under-estimate the talent that exists on this season's roster.
"We're very excited to be entering what looks like the most challenging schedule in the history of Bucknell University lacrosse. As we do so, it will be with many new faces after having graduated 14 players from last year's Patriot League Co-Championship squad," commented Coach Jamieson on the upcoming campaign.
A trio of senior captains represents the Bison in 2001. Mark Juelis (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) returns for his final season wearing the Orange and Blue after a very successful junior campaign and being named to the All-Patriot League second team. Juelis led the Bison last season by picking up 65 ground balls and will play an integral role in 2001. Sharing the captain duties with Juelis are J.C. Metivier (Portland, Maine/Salisbury School) and Brian Treacher (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa). Metivier will solidify the Bison defense around the goal while Treacher brings an explosive transition game to the field having converted from the long stick midfield position to close defense. Metivier and Juelis enter the 2001 campaign having already earned preseason honorable mention All-American accolades from Inside Lacrosse and Face-Off Yearbook.
Also providing depth to the Bison defense from the senior class is Michael Florio (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage). Florio has been a constant presence in the defense and will be looked to in 2001 for leadership. The fifth senior on the roster is an always-surprising offensive midfielder in Michael Cheng (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park). Cheng comes into this season with 36 goals and 27 assists. Last season Cheng was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team and will be one of the Herd's primary offensive weapons in 2001.
After losing several players on the attack line to graduation, sophomore Dennis Geraghty (Kings Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) returns as a leader on the attack line with seven goals during his freshman campaign. His highlight last season was scoring three goals against Army, and he will no doubt be an important player in that game this season. Andrew Sanders (West Chester, Pa./West Chester) and Kelly Hogue (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West) will be the primary ball carriers and creators for a young and well-balanced attack unit. Classmate Chris Cutillo (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) will provide very strong depth to the frontline. Cutillo scored two goals and one assist last season in only three games while Hogue managed to put the ball in the net once on the year. Also on the attack line are junior Chris Decker (Heritage, Colo./Heritage), and freshmen Craig Fleishman (Wayne, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy), Wes Fetchet (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan), and Sean Joffe (Westfield, N.J./Westfield). Fleishman headlines the freshman attack group as the state of New Jersey's all-time leading scorer with 284 points.
Coach Jamieson on his attack line and midfield unit, "The attack group has skill and depth which we'll need as we compete with the top Division I defenses. The midfield unit will have good depth, skill, and be very balanced as we look to challenge defenses in front of the goal."
Helping Cheng out in the midfield this season will be a host of talented individuals. Junior Brian Loesch (Baldwin, N.Y./Kellenberg) has been a very consistent player for the Bison during his first two seasons. Primarily a transition player from the face-off to either the offensive or defensive end, Loesch will be called upon by the coaching staff to take on a more offensive role in 2001. After spending the fall semester abroad, junior Derek Dahlgren (Durham, N.C./Durham Academy) will use his strength in the weight room to earn minutes on the field.
The sophomore class supplies seven talented midfielder's to Coach Jamieson's disposal in 2001. John Terracciano (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) and Andrew Copelan (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) have the most experience out of their class after having playing in all twelve games last season. Terracciano, who is no stranger to success after having competed on a New York State high school championship lacrosse team, is one of the fastest players to ever set foot on the Bucknell campus and will play an integral role on the team. Copelan is a gritty offensive-minded player who has an uncanny ability of getting an open shot in front of the goal. Rob Lane (Boonton Twp., N.J./Mt. Lakes) has taken a step to the next level and will be asked to use his speed, quickness, and athleticism to create from the midfield. Adding depth at the midfield position from this class are Crager Boardman (Brattleboro, Vt./Avon Old Farms), Sal Cataldo (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), and Justin Slama (Chestertown, Md./Kent County).
Freshmen Luke and Alan Wikander (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) will provide a "twin" punch to the midfield line after very successful high school careers. The other member of the freshmen class who will compete for time on a midfield line is Brendan Fitzgibbons (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest), who may become an outstanding defensive specialist.
"Our close defensive unit will again have outstanding size and feature aggressive play while our defensive midfielder units will show solid physical play and very good quickness," said Coach Jamieson on his defense.
The back line for the Bison will be solidified this season by Treacher, Juelis, and Metivier, but has a host of other talented individuals that will contribute as well. Juniors Matt Ewalt (Prince Frederick, Md./Calverton School) and Kevin Smithies (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) add serious depth to the Bison defensive line. Coupled with an uncanny ability to knockdown passes, Smithies is a big, strong defender that has very good stick skills with the longer shaft. He played in all twelve games last season, starting in five games, and will be asked by Coach Jamieson to contribute even more to this team's success. Ewalt, who did not play lacrosse his freshman year, was a welcome addition to the team last season. Even though he only saw action in two games, his work ethic and practice attitude may help him get time in 2001.
With no other long stick defensive players on the roster, the freshmen class has an opportunity to contribute immediately at this position. Entering Bucknell after being a three-time all-state selection in New Hampshire, Eric Hannon (Nashua, N.H./Nashua) will be a strong presence in the middle of the field for the Bison. Blaise Fletcher (Glen Mills, Pa./Archmere Academy) comes into his first season of collegiate play after being named high school All-American during both his junior and senior year. Fletcher is a very athletic player that had a very encouraging fall ball season. Also competing for time will be Magnus DuBorg (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes), Steve Kelly (Manhasset, N.J./American School in London), and Rich Guyre (Landing, N.J./Roxbury).
Coach Jamieson said the following on his last line of defense, "We're strong in goal with Justin Sussman coming off a very good freshman year and having that first season already under his belt. He will be backed up by junior Beau Standish who started in goal for us at one point and freshman Josh Mayer."
Sophomore Justin Sussman (Towson, Md./Friends Academy) enters the 2001 campaign as the starter between the pipes for Bucknell. Last season, Sussman finished with a 7.62 goals against average in eight games and a .605 save percentage. With a strong fall ball season under his belt, Sussman has the skills and now the confidence to be a leader on the field for Bucknell. Backing Sussman up at goalkeeper will be junior Beau Standish (McLean, Va./Exeter) and freshman Josh Mayer (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster). Standish has been a versatile player for the Bison over his first two seasons playing anywhere from goal to defensive midfield. He returns to the keeper position after the graduation of Andy Smith '00. Mayer comes to Bucknell having been an all-league, all-section, and all-area selection in high school.
The Bison are no doubt entering the 2001 season with confidence and the skills to back it up. After a 5-1 record in conference last season, the Herd will be eager to avenge their loss to Hobart and earn themselves an NCAA tournament appearance.
"Overall, each season and each squad bring new challenges. As we move through our pre-season scrimmages we'll be looking for continued strong leadership and the consistency with which we played last season," commented Coach Jamieson, "Many new faces need to rise to the occasion and we're quite confident that it will happen. Again, we're very excited to begin the most challenging season in the history of lacrosse at Bucknell University."
The Bucknell men's lacrosse team will have its first pre-season scrimmage this Saturday, February 10, at Towson at 12:30 p.m. The 2001 season will officially start on February 24, when the team travels to Calvert Hall high school in Maryland to play against North Carolina at 1:00 p.m.
