LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team returns 44 players for the 2025 season. The Diplomats are hoping that the experienced gained will help them make a return to the postseason this coming spring. The 2025 season officially gets underway this Saturday, February 15 at Lebanon Valley, with Centennial Conference action slated to begin in late March.
Position Breakdown
Attack
The attacking unit will be one of the more experienced lines for the Diplomats with multiple players who have started throughout their career headlining that group. Kai Kelly was an honorable mention All-Centennial Conference pick last season after scoring 37 goals and assisting on 10 more. Coming into his senior season, Kelly ranks 18th in program history in goals per game and 26th in total goals (77). Junior Liam Timmins has started nearly all of his 33 career appearances, scoring 30 goals during that time. Classmate Jack Luviano had his breakout season last spring when he scored 20 goals and dished out 13 assists. Sophomore Mason Montrella will look to build on a strong rookie season in which he scored 15 goals and registered 12 assists. Senior Brett Rama, along with sophomores Ryan Connelly, Luke Hayes, and Jack Cicchelli will support that unit.
Newcomers: Preston Blue, Alex Pilling, Dylan Reese, Matthew Spagnoletti
Midfield
A number of seniors will be counted on to lead this unit into the upcoming season. Pierce Archer is most experienced of that group with 50 career appearances. He ranks in the top 20 in program history for both caused turnovers (34) and ground balls (108) entering his senior campaign. Peter Della Volpe (30 career appearances), Charlie Bernicker (29 career appearances), Kyle Stevenson (29 career appearances), Ryan Roberts (25 career appearances), and Matt Melkonian (23 career appearances) will also bring a strong veteran presence to the team. Roberts started 16 games last season, scoring 12 goals, while Stevenson and Melkonian additionally appeared in all but one contest last spring. Classmates Hogan Rose and George Gervais are two more individuals who will provide a strong veteran presence.
Junior Dillon Mannix made 11 starts last season, scoring 16 goals during that time, while classmate Matthew Giller appeared in 12 contests. The junior class will be bolstered by the return of Carter Connors who missed last season due to injury, while Braeden Klausner has seven career appearances to his resume. The most experienced sophomore in the midfield is George Hardy who played in 15 games last season. Classmates Jacob Szczepanski, Nick Dotro, and Rocco Ippoldo each return to the team with a year of collegiate experience to their ledgers.
Newcomers: Beckett Burley, Eli Crystal, Matt Marino (UMBC transfer), Owen Metz, Gavin Pierson, Hayden Roeder
Defense
Sophomores Jackson Barnhill and Luke Topley both made instant impacts during their rookie campaigns as each started all 17 games a season ago. In just one season, both Topley and Barnhill already rank among the top 20 players in program history for caused turnovers per game and will be looked to as leaders of the defense. A number of players will have the opportunity to compete for playing time to fill out the remainder of the defense. Seniors Matt Hamrah and Jack Hagan are the veterans of this unit, with juniors Ryan Schappell, Jason Wagner, Tyler Howe, and Nate Yanick joining the ranks of upperclassmen. Sophomores John Bolognesi, Cole Keefer, and Bernie Townsend also gained valuable experience and will have a chance for increased roles this spring.
Newcomer: Mason Hudson
Long/Short Stick Middies
Junior Owen Hire (33 career games played) and senior TJ McCabe (27 career games played) lead the poles with the most experience. After just two seasons, Hire is already among the top 30 players in program history for caused turnovers (22). Alex Fraser, Will Bowen, and Declan Connaughton will bolster that unit which is made up of all returning players this spring.
Face-off
Looking to replace Adam Soper, the Diplomats have three face-off men listed on the roster. Sophomore Connor Traynor is the lone returner of that group. First-years Owen Krause and Braden Shipp will compete for the open position as the Diplomats went just under 50 percent from the X last spring.
Goalie
With another starter graduated in the crease, sophomore Teddy Scarborough has the most returning experience of the goalies. He appeared in eight games as a first-year, making three starts. He logged just over 234 minutes and stopped 56.7 percent of the shots he faced with a 9.97 GAA. That included a 17 save performance against Gettysburg. Senior John Donovan has two appearances in the crease to his credit where he has stopped 66.7 percent of the shots he faced, while sophomore Max Russell is another returning option as the last line of defense.
Newcomer: William Shaw
Schedule
The Diplomats will play six of their 16 regular season games inside Shadek Stadium as they host Bates and Ohio Wesleyan in non-conference action before welcoming Ursinus, Haverford, Muhlenberg, and Gettysburg to Lancaster in CC action. The 2025 season will see the team make a trip to Tennessee to play both Sewanee and Ohio Northern during the College's week of spring break. The Centennial Conference will once again take the top five teams from the regular season standings to the conference tournament which begins with a first round game on Tuesday, April 29.
Centennial Conference Preseason Poll
Coming off a season in which they won seven games, the Diplomats were picked to finish sixth in the Centennial Conference Preseason Poll. Their 26 votes tied them with Ursinus for that spot in the poll. Dickinson and Gettysburg split the first place votes to garner the top two spots, while Swarthmore, Muhlenberg, and Washington College rounded out the predicted playoff teams.
Coaching Staff
Head coach Todd Cavallaro returns for his 18th season leading the Diplomats. He has guided F&M to 157 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 three wins away from tying Ross Sachs as the program's all-time winningest coach at 160 victories. Nolan Saches – the grandson of the former F&M coach who won seven MAC Championship and advanced to two USILA National Tournament appearances – will return for his second season on staff alongside Nick Kirk. Rich Lefever, who has been a part of both of F&M's Centennial Conference Championships, returns for his ninth year as an assistant coach.
