BOCA RATON, Fla. – A new era of Lynn University men's lacrosse starts with the 2023 season as
Mark Miller takes over the Fighting Knight program that is entering its 10
th year as varsity sport.
The Fighting Knights are picked fifth in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll and return a wealth of talent from a year ago. Lynn opens the season this Saturday with No. 17 Newberry in Jacksonville at 2:00 pm.
"Every opener is different and we have a few scrimmages to polish things up," said head coach
Mark Miller. "We have a top-20 team to open the season, but we are excited to see some of our new faces step up as we head into the opener."
The 2019 Fighting Knights finished 11-4 overall and advanced to the SSC Tournament and Miller wants the Fighting Knights to reach those heights again.
"Some of those guys that experienced that tournament berth are still on the roster and we want the rest of our guys to get that experience as well," added Miller.
This spring, the Fighting Knights will be led by senior
Jalen Stanton, graduate student
Mikey Troese, graduate student
Shane Dodge, sophomore
Connor Houston and senior
Thomas Murray. A pair of newcomers in graduate students
Michael Miocic and
Chase Showalter will also join the fray and should make an immediate impact for Millers' squad.
Stanton, who enters his final season in a Lynn jersey, garnered preseason All-American honors by Inside Lacrosse after playing in 15 games last season and finishing fifth on the team in scoring behind 23 goals and three assists.
In his previous three years at Lynn, Stanton has totaled 57 goals, eight assists, 24 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
"He is a returning captain and one of the fastest players in our league," said Miller. "He certainly has the potential for a special senior season."
Troese enters his final year at Lynn as a team captain after appearing in 14 games last spring. He scooped up 32 groundballs, caused 15 turnovers, scored a goal and added an assist.
"Mikey sells out to be an absolute havoc, picking up ground balls, creating in transition and making disruptive plays on the defensive half of the field," added Miller.
Dodge made 11 starts and appeared in 12 games on defense as a senior last spring. He picked up 14 ground balls and caused nine turnovers.
"Shane is a tough as nails defender and will be one of the great cover guys on our roster," said Miller. "He has the ability to make some impact defensive plays one-on-one."
Houston played 11 games during his freshman season and scored five goals with two assists. He came on strong late in the season with nine appearances in the final 10 games.
"Connor finds ways to make all the plays on the field and he's an excellent student of lacrosse as he's the son of a coach," added Miller. "He's very smart on the field."
Murray could see a larger role within the offense this spring after playing in eight games as a junior with five goals and two assists.
"Thomas is the kind of player that grows and matures throughout his career and is ready to make a larger impact in his fourth year," mentioned Miller. "He has pushed through challenges as he started off a defensive midfielder before gaining the opportunity to be on the first midfield line this spring."
Miocic and Showalter join the Lynn men's lacrosse program as transfers from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Miocic played in 16 games as a senior in 2022 and was the team's primary faceoff specialist winning 110-of-183 attempts at the X. Showalter made 12 starts a year ago at Lindenwood and finished with 26 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. He was named a 2023 Preseason USILA All-American.
The Fighting Knights will host Adelphi on Monday, Feb. 20 at 6:00 pm at Bobby Campbell Stadium.
