2023 Season Outlook: Wooster Primed to Challenge for Top-Four NCAC Finish

There is certainly plenty of excitement surrounding The College of Wooster men's lacrosse program heading into the 2023 season under the first-year direction of veteran NCAA Div. III head coach Eric Seideman. Wooster's team now boasts a wealth of experience at every position, and the Fighting Scots return a standout goalkeeper who ranked in the top-25 nationally in save percentage in his first season as a starter, its entire starting defense, and 87 percent of its 2022 goal production.

"We have many really talented and hardworking players, guys who are pretty hungry after a couple of frustrating seasons, summed up Seideman, who has nearly two decades of coaching experience at the Div. III level, including 11 previous seasons as head coach. "We have a very veteran team with seven seniors and 17 juniors. They are highly motivated to take a big step forward this season."

A "fun, fast-paced, creative style" is what Seideman has been focused on installing since taking over the program. His style relies on everybody being involved in all facets, with an emphasis on scoring quickly in transition, evidenced by defensive players tallying 25 points on his 2022 Mount Saint Mary College team.

"We have been trying to encourage and develop (the offensive skills) and the confidence of our defensive crew," summed up Seideman. "We want everybody to create those transition opportunities and have the defensive players get up and join the rush."

Junior Vinny DiLeo headlines the returnees as an all-conference selection last year. The versatile attacker, who evenly scores and distributes, evidenced by near-identical splits of 28 goals and 26 assists in 2022, has really "improved his game in a number of ways," per Seideman.

Junior Charlie Ballou was one of Wooster's top scorers a season ago, and Seideman is hoping he will "be a mainstay finisher for us this year as well." Classmate Ben Byars ranked third on the team with 19 goals in 2022, while sophomore Colton Beaudoin is coming off a great fall, and "will be heavily in the mix on the attack and is competing for a starting position right now," according to Seideman. Other returning attackers include senior Teddy Berner, junior Sam Cook, and junior Pat Hrabak.

Rising junior Paul Chandler seized the starting goalkeeper position early in 2022 and turned in an "All-American-level season" evidenced by a 59.7 save percentage, a mark within the top-25 nationally. Among the returnees, sophomore Jason Astle and senior Adam Meyer are competing for the backup role.

"Paul is a brick wall in goal," shared Seideman. "He is very consistent, very patient, and plays his angles fantastically. He didn't get the postseason recognition last year, but he is a top-level goaltender."

Various injuries presented opportunities for Wooster to build up its youth-filled defensive core last year. Junior Casey Steffen is the leader of that group as a two-year starter. He earned all-conference honors as a first-year and is one of the NCAC's leaders in caused turnovers on an annual basis.

"Casey is the heart and soul of our team," said Seideman. "People will know his name by the end of the season. He brings a motor to practice every day, wears his heart on his sleeve, and plays his heart out."

Junior Oliver Snow, who started every game as a first-year, returns from a season-ending injury and is "in the best shape of his life," per Seideman. Senior Mason Poisson possesses significant experience and is a "steady and reliable player who does not make mistakes," according to Seideman. Sophomore Bill Holtzer projects to see time at close defense to take advantage of his athletic, aggressive style after spending 2022 primarily as a long-stick midfielder. Junior Seth Owens, sophomore Silas Richard, junior Mitch Shelman, and junior Jacob Van Der Hyde add depth to the unit and will compete for time.

Will Fink leads the offensive midfielders with his "great combination of size and speed," per Seideman, who also noted the sophomore "is an explosive athlete, who is really developing the finer aspects of his game." Senior Max Fletcher has been one of the best middies since the start of fall ball, according to Seideman, who is looking for the "speedy, physical dodger" to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2022. Seideman sees senior Ryan You as a really good initiator for the offense and junior Shane Epstein-Petrullo as one of the team's "most improved players who is looking to have a big impact this year as a dodging midfielder."

Defensive midfield is the team's deepest position, per Seideman, who feels he has five or six players there who can make strong contributions. Sophomore Aidan Hyatt, junior Rowan Keesser, and junior Henry McMahon lead that group, and all played a ton at various points in 2022. Senior Joey Harris switched from close defense to defensive midfielder and is a "real grinder" for the position, per Seideman, and sophomore Cam Culton "shows a ton of potential" while looking to bounce back from missing most of last year with injuries.

Other returning midfielders for the Scots include senior Atticus Moats, junior Jimmy Paranzino, junior Ben Huntington, junior JoJo Jordan, sophomore Grant Rivera, sophomore Riley Schulze, junior Aidan Sheil, sophomore Renick Wiltshire, and sophomore Jackson Young.

Sophomore Anderson Macdonald is the starter at long-stick midfielder, and "does a ton for us between the lines," according to Seideman. Senior Tucker Joseph is also back at the position, and has "developed into a steady and reliable contributor with a very high IQ," per Seideman.

Sophomore Rory Zahren and junior Jimmy Fisher, who are both at or near the top of the program's career and single-season faceoff winning percentage lists, giving the Scots a formidable one-two punch. Sophomore Cody Mox is Wooster's other returning faceoff specialist.

"Jimmy and Rory compliment each other well and both will contribute a lot this year," shared Seideman. "You could see Rory in other areas this year besides faceoffs."

Thirteen newcomers – Owen Bosland, Luke Budd, Peter Foulke, Logan Hyatt, Austin Jourde, Lane Kellogg, Rye Kral, Quinn Niblock, Cooper Nichols, Luke Peter, Rowan Piani, Sutton Ursillo, and Théo Weidinger – round out this year's team.

"We have a deep and talented first-year class, and many of them will compete for time," highlighted Seideman. "How quickly and how much they contribute will depend on their continued improvement and how quickly they acclimate to college lacrosse."

Wooster opens its season at Westminster College at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. The Scots' home opener is set for Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. against Capital University. NCAC play kicks off with a 1 p.m. game at Oberlin College on Saturday, March 25.

"We played a one-goal game with Kenyon College last year," wrapped up Seideman. "We played really competitive games with Oberlin and Wittenberg University. I feel like we have a good shot to compete with everybody and make some noise in the conference."