BOCA RATON, Fla. – The 2024 Lynn University men's lacrosse team will be heavily influenced by upperclassmen at all positions, while some underclassmen will be put in key roles for the Fighting Knights under the direction of second year head coach Mark Miller.
 
"We are going to lean on our upperclassmen and playing strong between the lines with veteran groups at midfield, at attack and even in the defensive midfield side as those guys got a lot of repetitions last year," said Miller. "They are going to give as a lot of cadence, a lot of good pressure and allow us to play very strongly between the lines."
 
This year's veteran presence will be highlighted by a trio of captains in junior Matthew Canedo (defense), along with graduate students Thomas Murray (midfield) and Jalen Stanton (midfield) as the group have over three seasons of playing time together.
 
"They have a lot of strength as leaders and they always lead the way," said Miller. "I'm also excited for a few guys that will show up as seniors like Colin Farragher (midfield) who had a great fall season and excellent start to the spring season."
 
The defensive side of the field will be led by senior keeper Eric Suits and sophomore keeper Tristan Lenard who are fighting for the starting spot.
 
"Canedo will move down to close defense and provide some leadership and Jake Podmilsak (junior defense) returns after two solid seasons. He's a strong lefty that provides a great presence," added Miller.
 
Canedo and Podmilsak started 16 games last spring and combined for 18 caused turnovers and 23 ground balls.
 
"Really that entire junior class has come in a with great attitude this year to help develop our team in the direction we want," said Miller. "They have shown tremendous growth from sophomores to juniors whether that be in the weight room or with team chemistry and culture."
 
Scoring
The offensive end of the field might be the deepest on paper as Lynn returns seven players that registered at least 10 points from last spring. Murray leads the group with 36 points (21g/15a), followed by Stanton (28g/7a) and graduate Joseph Michalski (17g/6a).
 
"We have a lot of newcomers at attack that are going to add to that group, including graduate Scott Friant and freshman Mitch Rini along with a host of veterans at both midfield and attack," mentioned Miller.
 
Those veterans include junior Connor Houston (12g/5a), graduate Fisher Williams (12g/2a), Farragher (8g/5a) and sophomore Jackson Cutter (7g/3a).
 
"We are the deepest we've been on the offensive half of the field by far," added Miller.
  
Face-Off
Juniors Camren Santos and Charlie Shannon played in 22 games last spring and won 64 faceoffs. Santos returns after winning 53-of-85 (62.4%).
 
"Santos is our primary faceoff guy, but Charlie has had a fantastic fall," said Miller. "Sophomore Jack Herman is a returner to the team and he will have a chance to play. We are going to continue to fight the matchups and find our best option. Putting our best guy forward on that day will be our best matchup."
 
Newcomers
"Our new additions will be a big part of our team as we brought in some really talented players like sophomore Connor Zombro (midfield), sophomore Aidan Kapral (defense), graduate Ryan Vette (defense), Jordan Cofield (LSM), graduate Brian Hoskins (attack) and junior Brandon Dappen (defense)," added Miller.
 
"The transfer portal will play a role in our success with some of the individuals we brought in," added Miller. "I think we will have a defenseman and an offense player or two from the portal that will make an impact for us this year."
 
These players, including a deep and talented freshman class will also be vying for playing time with the Blue and White throughout the 2024 season.
 
Schedule & SSC
"I think the Sunshine State Conference is going to be extremely tough again this year and it will continue to be a challenge in a number of ways," said Miller. "I wouldn't be surprised if we have three or four of the top-20 teams in the country in the conference. It's a pleasure to play in this league as not everybody has the ability to compete against that every year."
 
Rollins (15-2), Tampa (13-4) and Florida Southern (13-5) were picked to finish first, second and third in the SSC this season and all three finished inside the 2023 USILA Top-20 Final Poll.
 
Lynn opens its 2024 campaign with a road trip to Flagler on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1:00 pm. The Fighting Knight home slate gets under way on Wednesday, March 20 at 4:00 pm.