Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Opens 2022 Campaign at Mercer

Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 PL) vs. Mercer (1-0, 0-0 SoCon)
When: Saturday, Feb. 5 – 11 a.m.
Where: Five Star Stadium – Macon, Ga.
Live Stats: MercerBears.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are set to open their 2022 campaign with their first-ever game against Mercer, which began collegiate competition in 2011.
• During the abbreviated 2021 season, Bucknell posted a 2-6 (1-5 PL) record, missing the Patriot League Tournament for only the third time since 2005.
• In 2020, the Bison went 5-1 (0-0 PL). The week their season was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat, they were ranked 20th in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• In 2019, Bucknell logged a 6-9 (4-4 PL) record. The Bison closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak and earned their 13th Patriot League Tournament berth in 15 seasons.
• Bucknell was selected to finish seventh in the 2022 Patriot League preseason poll. Midfielder Harry Wellford represented the Bison on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team for the second-straight season.
• Bucknell returned defenseman Travis Talarico, a 2020 Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American.
• The Bison lost two-time All-Patriot League defenseman Bryant Boswell to graduation following the 2021 campaign.
• Bucknell will also need to replace four-year starting attackman Tommy Sopko, who finished just three goals shy of cracking the school's all-time career top-10 list; his final stat line read 118 points on 91 goals and 27 assists in 44 career games, all of which were starts.
• The Bison brought back senior attackman Alston Tarry, who led the team in assists in both 2021 (11) and 2020 (14).
• Bucknell also returned junior short-stick defensive midfielder Danny Striano, who paced the team in ground balls (30) a season ago. Striano is a critical faceoff wing for the Bison.
• Talarico, Wellford, senior offensive midfielder Matthew Barkauskas and senior faceoff specialist Nick Crovatto are serving as team captains this year.
• Frank Fedorjaka is in his 17th season as Bucknell's head coach and 22nd campaign as a collegiate head coach. He is just the second head coach in Bison men's lacrosse history.

Mercer at a Glance
• The Bears opened their 2022 season with a 9-4 victory over Bellarmine on Jan. 29.
• Mercer was picked to finish fourth in the 2022 SoCon preseason poll.
• Defenseman Wesley Chairs and faceoff specialist Ashton Wood represented the Bears on the 2022 All-SoCon Preseason Team.
• In 2021, Mercer went 5-8 (2-4 SoCon) and failed to make the SoCon Tournament.
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Bucknell and Mercer.
• The Bears began collegiate competition in 2011, having started out as a club program in 2007.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison continue their season-opening road swing with a 1 p.m. tilt with Robert Morris on Saturday, Feb. 12.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Head coach Frank Fedorjaka believes that the Bucknell men's lacrosse team, which features a deep roster with talent across all four classes, is poised to excel in both non-conference and Patriot League competition.

"I'm really excited to coach this team," Fedorjaka said. "We have a senior class that provides not only talent but great leadership. Our seniors are surrounded by many other classes that have a lot of talent and play-making ability. We have really strong team chemistry. I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule and working with this particular group of student-athletes. We'll be tested by our non-conference schedule, and we're looking forward to getting on the road and playing some good competition so that we're ready for our Patriot League opponents."

The Bison open their campaign on February 5 with an 11 a.m. game at Mercer. Their first home game is scheduled for February 19 against St. John's. Highlights of their 2022 schedule include a home tilt with Penn State on March 15 and a full compliment of eight Patriot League games for the first time since 2019.

Complete position breakdowns can be viewed at the below links.