Freshmen are coming onto campus more and more expecting to play right away. Gone are the days where development would allow for a year or two before someone could crack into the lineup. A lot of rookies are going to be asked to contribute heavily to guide their teams to the heights of Division I lacrosse.
- Joel Tinney – Johns Hopkins – Midfield
Sure Stanwick has to live up to the hype of being a Stanwick, but Tinney might be the important piece to the puzzle. There is a lack of a feature midfielder on the team with the graduation of Rob Guida, so the team needs someone to feature in the midfield. The offenses that the Jays’ have been most successful in feature a dynamic midfielder, or two, so could he be that for Hopkins.
- Ryan Keenen – Penn State – Attack
Penn State lost a couple of feature pieces last season and could use a spark from this year’s recruiting class. With the amazing 2014 NCAA Tournament his brother had at Duke, in leading the team in goals on their way to the championship, it would be a great pickup for the Nittany Lions if they could get the same production from him.
- Adam DiMillo and Christian Zadawzki – Maryland – Midfielders
Coach Tillman needs to replace some midfielders to get the Terps over the hump and to a National Title in 2015. The Terps lost midfielders due to graduation and transfer, so there is room to add pieces to their 2015 puzzle. If these two can fit into his system and be productive, Maryland could have gained two with years of potential ahead of them.
- Jake Seau – Duke – Midfield
Watching Duke midfielders develop is a lot of fun. With Kyle Keenan moving to attack full time, there is room for Seau to produce on the top two midfield lines this Spring. He is an athletic specimen and will enjoy playing in Coach Danowski’s open offensive system. Can you imagine a line of Myles Jones, Deemer Class, and Seau?
- Tyler Blaisdell – Princeton – Goalie
Remember the days when the Tigers had the best goalies in the game year in and year out? Blaisdell is the highest ranking goalie picked up by Princeton since Tyler Fiorito and will be looked at to compete right away in a tough Ivy League. If he can stabilize the backline for the Tigers, they might be able to crack the top of the Ivy League again.
- Hunter Moreland – Johns Hopkins – Face Off
The competition is fierce at Homewood for a number one face off midfielder. Drew Kennedy and Craig Madarasz have been strong, but went through a lull in the middle of the season. Moreland will push the competition and quite possible take over the lead role. Look back to the last time Johns Hopkins won the NCAA Title and had a dominant face off group. This could be the second coming for the Blue Jays.
With the Fall season ending these next two weekends, fans everywhere are going to have to wait for the first action in January to see if and when these names will be able to produce. So begins off season conditioning…
