Bucknell University Athletics
Update from Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Frank Fedorjaka -- October 2023
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Hello Everyone!
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We are less than a week away from our scrimmage day at Hofstra, and there is a lot to report since my last newsletter.Â
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We had Family Weekend at Bucknell on the weekend of Sept. 23, which has become my favorite weekend of the year. Our guys were excited to play our intrasquad scrimmage in front of all the families in Christy Mathewson. There were a lot of great individual efforts on both sides of the ball. Some familiar faces have been having a great fall like Connor Davis, Michael Meyer, Jaz Zanelli, Cam Doolan, Dutch Furlong, Will Hopkins, Will Pickering, Richie Striano, and Ethan Gyllenhaal. But there have also been some other guys that have come onto the scene that have impressed. Max Nolan in cage has been exceptional. Grant Malas moved over from attack to ss d-mid and has been nothing short of amazing. Duncan Hill is anchoring the close defense, Louie Germain has stepped into a starting role, Ben Bonafede has played well, Chris Begier is showing how dynamic he can be, Brett Callahan is playing his best lacrosse, and Brendan Coyle has improved in many ways. I have been very impressed with the play of our first-years as a whole. Luke Brunner, Peter Grandolfo, Hans Huber, Sean Berrigan, Henry Boykin, Colin McCloy, Ben Concepcion, Corbin Lukanski, Mac O'Neil, Matt Sheppard, Mac McGahren, George Herron, and Caleb Lewis have very bright futures and many of them will have significant impacts right away.
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This year Bucknell held its first-ever combined Family Weekend in conjunction with Alumni Weekend. Our younger alumni wanted to have the alumni game on a different weekend, so we held the game this past Saturday in Christy Mathewson. It was a beautiful day in the Valley and the game was very competitive as the current team squeaked out a 12-11 victory. Playing very well for the alumni team were Nick Clarke (MVP), Nick Crovatto, Tommy Sopko, Alston Tarry, Jack Feda, and Sumner Brumbaugh. The alumni played hard in spite of not getting the proper rest needed to pull out a win. It was a great turnout as there were 19 alumni back to share some good times including: Matt Fedorjaka, Conor McCusker, Frankie Higgins, Drew Wellington, Jared Hodell, Dan Parson, Matt Barkauskas, Harry Wellford, Danny Striano, Will Yorke, Brian Miller, Joe Scattareggia and CJ Baroni. After the game, we all went to the Towne Tavern and shared food, drink, and old stories (some of which I had never heard before - Wet or Sand!).
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On the assistant coaching front, Conor Whipple has taken a job at RIT. I want to thank Conor for a lot of hard work and commitment to Bucknell Lacrosse and I wish him all the best. I am pleased to announce that we have added Tom Gravante to our staff! Tom spent the last 30 years at Mount St. Mary's as the Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. Tom and I played lacrosse together in the 80's and I am very excited to work with him as he begins his life after the Mount with the Bison. Here is a link to the release.
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Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, we will be having a scrimmage day at Hofstra on Saturday, Oct. 7 starting at 9 a.m. vs. Hofstra. Our frontline guys will be playing the first three quarters of that game. Immediately following that game, we will play Monmouth at 10:45. Our starters will play the first half of that game as well. We are looking forward to going against someone in a different jersey to get a gauge of where we are!
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Go Herd!
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Frank Fedorjaka
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Bucknell University
fedorjak@bucknell.eduÂ
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Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.
Â
We are less than a week away from our scrimmage day at Hofstra, and there is a lot to report since my last newsletter.Â
Â
We had Family Weekend at Bucknell on the weekend of Sept. 23, which has become my favorite weekend of the year. Our guys were excited to play our intrasquad scrimmage in front of all the families in Christy Mathewson. There were a lot of great individual efforts on both sides of the ball. Some familiar faces have been having a great fall like Connor Davis, Michael Meyer, Jaz Zanelli, Cam Doolan, Dutch Furlong, Will Hopkins, Will Pickering, Richie Striano, and Ethan Gyllenhaal. But there have also been some other guys that have come onto the scene that have impressed. Max Nolan in cage has been exceptional. Grant Malas moved over from attack to ss d-mid and has been nothing short of amazing. Duncan Hill is anchoring the close defense, Louie Germain has stepped into a starting role, Ben Bonafede has played well, Chris Begier is showing how dynamic he can be, Brett Callahan is playing his best lacrosse, and Brendan Coyle has improved in many ways. I have been very impressed with the play of our first-years as a whole. Luke Brunner, Peter Grandolfo, Hans Huber, Sean Berrigan, Henry Boykin, Colin McCloy, Ben Concepcion, Corbin Lukanski, Mac O'Neil, Matt Sheppard, Mac McGahren, George Herron, and Caleb Lewis have very bright futures and many of them will have significant impacts right away.
Â
This year Bucknell held its first-ever combined Family Weekend in conjunction with Alumni Weekend. Our younger alumni wanted to have the alumni game on a different weekend, so we held the game this past Saturday in Christy Mathewson. It was a beautiful day in the Valley and the game was very competitive as the current team squeaked out a 12-11 victory. Playing very well for the alumni team were Nick Clarke (MVP), Nick Crovatto, Tommy Sopko, Alston Tarry, Jack Feda, and Sumner Brumbaugh. The alumni played hard in spite of not getting the proper rest needed to pull out a win. It was a great turnout as there were 19 alumni back to share some good times including: Matt Fedorjaka, Conor McCusker, Frankie Higgins, Drew Wellington, Jared Hodell, Dan Parson, Matt Barkauskas, Harry Wellford, Danny Striano, Will Yorke, Brian Miller, Joe Scattareggia and CJ Baroni. After the game, we all went to the Towne Tavern and shared food, drink, and old stories (some of which I had never heard before - Wet or Sand!).
Â
On the assistant coaching front, Conor Whipple has taken a job at RIT. I want to thank Conor for a lot of hard work and commitment to Bucknell Lacrosse and I wish him all the best. I am pleased to announce that we have added Tom Gravante to our staff! Tom spent the last 30 years at Mount St. Mary's as the Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. Tom and I played lacrosse together in the 80's and I am very excited to work with him as he begins his life after the Mount with the Bison. Here is a link to the release.
Â
Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, we will be having a scrimmage day at Hofstra on Saturday, Oct. 7 starting at 9 a.m. vs. Hofstra. Our frontline guys will be playing the first three quarters of that game. Immediately following that game, we will play Monmouth at 10:45. Our starters will play the first half of that game as well. We are looking forward to going against someone in a different jersey to get a gauge of where we are!
Â
Go Herd!
Â
Frank Fedorjaka
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Bucknell University
fedorjak@bucknell.eduÂ
Â
Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.