Update from Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Frank Fedorjaka -- November 2023

Greetings from Lewisburg,

I can't believe that it's already November. The leaves are turning and we are starting to get chilly nights - perfect lacrosse weather. It feels like I was writing my first update of the year last week. Even though "20-hour weeks" have ended, our fall season is still rolling as we are still working hard as we move through the offseason. We are now in "eight-hour weeks" until the week after Thanksgiving. Eight-hour weeks allow us to go a maximum of five days a week (with two days off per week), and within that, we are limited to four hours of lifting, conditioning, stretching, and another four hours of lacrosse-specific work (film, stick work, strategies, practice, etc).

On Saturday, October 7, we had our scrimmage day at Hofstra. We played Hofstra in the first of two games and outscored them 8-7 with our starters vs. their starters. As is the case each and every year, I know that there will be holes to fill by graduating some very talented players. Losing Jack Feda on offense, Danny Striano (at UNC for 5th year), Joe Scattareggia, and two all-conference defensemen in Andrew Stanzel (at Michigan for 5th year) and Hank Bethel (at NJIT for 5th year) has opened some opportunities for some new guys to take on important roles. Richie Striano, Ethan Gyllenhaal, Duncan Hill, and Louie Germain all stepped up big on defense. Grant Malas and Ben Bonafede played great short-stick defense and Max Nolan had a great day in net. I was pleased with the face-off production from Brendan Coyle and Colin McCloy. And finally, on the offensive end, first-year guys Sean Berrigan, Peter Grandolpho, and Luke Brunner really stood out while returners Michael Meyer, Connor Davis, Will Hopkins, and Cam Doolan played great as well.

The second game was great to be a part of as we jumped all over Monmouth with a strong 9-3 first-quarter lead and never looked back. It was great to see success from guys like George Herron in the cage, Griffin Shaffer and Ben Concepcion at the face-off X along with Tommy Armstrong and Brett Callahan scoring some nice-looking goals.

During the month of October, we try to get in as much Community Service as we can. Recently we were able to have the whole team work for two separate days at both the Lewisburg Community Garden and the Bucknell Farm. I had a great conversation with Professor of Biology Mark Spiro, who oversees the Bucknell Farm, and his assistant Jen. They were kind enough to explain all of the great things that the Garden and Farm provide. I asked Professor Spiro to send me something that I could include in my newsletter about the Farm. Here is a brief description:

The Bucknell Farm is a 5-acre site focused on regenerative agriculture to promote sustainability, nutrition, and student health and well-being. Since the Farm was founded in 2018 hundreds of classes, student groups and athletic teams have helped to grow food for other students and our local community. Students report that working at the farm provides a sense of accomplishment and a break from the stress of their daily routine. The Farm contains intensive vegetable production beds, a fruit orchard, native pollinator gardens, and a labyrinth for meditation, and we are presently establishing a food forest. We are currently seeking funds to increase year-round production and engagement during the cold months with the construction of a second greenhouse and eventually a classroom and teaching kitchen.

If folks are interested in contributing to the farm, they can go to https://give.bucknell.edu/ and select "Bucknell Farm Project" from the pulldown menu for designation.

Our recruiting for the 2025 class is going very well. We have had over 40 top prospects visit and have about nine guys who are verbally committed to the admissions process. We also have had three prospect days this fall, with one more coming up on December 3.

I have an update on the Pascucci Team Center being built in the south endzone of Christy. It's going very well and I cannot tell you how excited I am. The team house will provide a state-of-the-art massive weight room, a 50-person locker room with over 600 square feet, a new training room as well as a multipurpose film room that will hold over 100 people. It will be finished sometime in the spring - hopefully in time for some of our games.

In addition to the Pascucci Team Center, the Feeley Wall Ball campaign has made substantial strides, securing over $41,000 of our $50,000 target. For those who are not familiar with this effort, parents and alumni from 2016-2022 came together this past spring to raise funds for a future training wall in memory of Jim Feeley, avid Bucknell supporter, and valued member of The Herd. We deeply appreciate the outpouring of support from everyone who has rallied behind this memorial project dedicated to Jim. With your ongoing support, we are confident that we can achieve our goal by December 31, 2023. Your contributions are bringing us closer to realizing this meaningful tribute, and we couldn't be more grateful for your assistance.

Thank you for your continued support of our program. I look forward to providing future updates in December.

Go Herd!

Frank Fedorjaka
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Bucknell University
fedorjak@bucknell.edu

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Update from Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Frank Fedorjaka -- November 2023