LANCASTER, Pa. – Returning to the postseason during the 2023 season after winning the Centennial Conference Championship in 2021, the Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team will look to carry on its tradition of excellence with a balance of returning talent and infusion of youth this spring.
Position Breakdown
Attack
Christian Sullivan enters his senior season as the top returning goal scorer after finding the back of the cage 47 times (fourth in CC) last year in addition to 10 assists. He has 66 career goals in 26 career games played to rank ninth in program history with 2.54 goals per game. Fellow senior James Moroney started all 16 games in 2022 and scored 28 goals and will look to return to that form again in 2024. Kai Kelly was another leader on the attack in 2022 with 32 goals and 10 assists before injuries limited him a season ago to just eight games, while classmate Brett Rama scored the first four goals of his career last spring. Leading the sophomore class, Liam Timmins started 13 of his 16 appearances last season while scoring 16 goals and assisting on 10 more. Carter Conners and Jack Luviano also scored during their rookie campaigns in 2023 while Braeden Klausner also returns to this unit with a year of experience to lean on.
Newcomers: Jack Cicchelli, Ryan Connelly, Luke Hayes, Mason Montrella, Declan Tobin
Midfield
The Diplomats return a number of experienced options that will look to become leaders in the midfield to the 2024 roster. Senior Colin Hueston is the most experience of that group with 37 career games play. He has 20 career goals and assists after scoring nine goals and tallying 13 helpers last spring. Fellow senior Kyle Russell has played in 25 career games, totaling five goals and five assists. Junior Pierce Archer has played in all 33 games during his F&M career and contributed 50 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers to the team's efforts and now ranks among the top 30 players in program history for those career averages.
Also in the junior class, Gavin Schulz (23 career games), Charlie Bernicker (19 games), Peter Della Volpe (15 games played last season), and Kyle Stevenson (13 games) will be experienced options for the Diplomats to deploy. The junior class makes up a large portion of the midfield unit with George Gervais, Hogan Rose, Ryan Roberts, Christian Theoharides, and Matt Melkonian now stepping into upperclassmen roles. Sophomores Matthew Giller and Dillon Mannix also gained valuable during their rookie seasons and will look to use that experience this spring.
Newcomers: Kyle Evancho, George Hardy, Rocco Ippoldo, Jacob Szczepanski
Defense
Seniors Drew Pascal and Kevin O'Connor have both seen extensive starting time on the defensive unit and will be looked to as leaders of this year's group. O'Connor started all 17 games last season where he recorded 26 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Pascal started all of his appearances during the 2022 season before a limited junior campaign. Dalton Church will be another veteran option for this unit.
With graduation losses, there will be plenty of chances for players to step and compete for playing time. Juniors Jack Hagan and Matt Hamrah step into upperclassmen roles this spring, with sophomores Tyler Howe, Jason Wagner, and Nate Yanick also returning to the Diplomats with a year of college experience.
Newcomers on defense: Jackson Barnhill, Cole Keefer, Luke Topley, Bernie Townsend
Long/Short Stick Middies
Bolstering the depth of the midfield are a number of options with the Diplomats' specialists. Senior Brendan Murphy has played in 41 career games at F&M, including every contest during the past two seasons. The Diplomats' SSDM has 54 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers throughout his career. Junior TJ McCabe and sophomore Owen Hire each played in 16 games last season, with Hire accumulating 24 ground balls and seven caused turnovers last spring. While a number of first-years join the 2024 roster, seniors Sean Gifford, Drew Martin, and Dylan Mollick join sophomore Ryan Schappell as players who will better the team through the previous experience.
Newcomers: John Bolgnesi, Declan Connaughton, Nick Dotro, Alex Fraser, Connor Traynor
Face-off
Senior Adam Soper is the most experienced option at the face-off X for the Diplomats entering the 2024 season with a career win percentage that ranks 14th in program history (.458). Soper posted the best percentage of his career last spring when he won 24 of his 51 restarts (.471) and has 32 career ground balls to his credit. Will Bowen saw 11 chances at the X last season, with first-year Rory de Vere White giving F&M another option.
Goalie
The Diplomats will carry six goalies on this year's team, but the incumbent is three-year starter Sage Garito who ranks sixth in program history 22 wins, 11th with 323 saves, 18th with a .558 save percentage, and 24th with a 10.05 GAA. Splitting halves for most of the season last year, Garito's best statistical season came in 2022 when he allowed just 9.35 goals per game and stopped over 56 percent of the shots that he faced. Seniors Lachlan Barber and George Rioseco have both seen limited action in the crease behind Garito, as has junior John Donovan for this veteran group that will be joined by two first-years.
Newcomers: Max Russell, Teddy Scarborough
Schedule
With six straight home games to start the 2024 season, fans will have 11 total chances to catch F&M inside Shadek Stadium during the regular season. The 2024 season opens on Saturday, February 17 with a 12 p.m. face-off against Lebanon Valley. Centennial Conference play opens on Saturday, March 23 at Haverford.
Centennial Conference Preseason Poll
Playoff spots in the Centennial Conference Tournament will once again go to the top five teams from the regular season. The Diplomats were picked fourth in the CC preseason poll during a vote of the conference's head coaches. Dickinson, Gettysburg, and Swarthmore each received first place votes to finish in the top three spots of the poll. Muhlenberg was the conference's pick for the fifth and final playoff spot. Dickinson and Swarthmore will be the first two home games on the Diplomats' schedule when they turn their attention to conference play.
Coaching Staff
Head coach Todd Cavallaro returns for his 17th season leading the Diplomats. He has guided F&M to 150 wins and a .638 winning percentage over his career. His players have garnered 28 All-America honors and advanced to eight Centennial Conference Tournaments, winning CC titles during the 2017 and 2021 seasons. Cavallaro is just 10 wins away from tying Ross Sachs as the program's all-time winningest coach at 160 wins. Fittingly enough, Nolan Sachs – the grandson of the former F&M coach who won seven MAC Championship and advanced to two USILA National Tournament appearances – has joined the staff with Nick Kirk for the upcoming season. Rich Lefever, who has been a part of both of F&M's Centennial Conference Championships, also returns for his eighth year as an assistant coach.
