Evidence of Achievements Fueling Men’s Lacrosse

Setting high standards, working relentlessly to achieve said standards, and having a "seeing anything is possible," mentality has enabled The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team to take massive leaps forward under now third-year head coach Eric Seideman. With the foundation fully bought into by the entire program, Wooster's staff is "excited to see some of those deepest roots come to bloom this year."

"One of the best parts of the first two seasons was our players seeing the rewards of their efforts," said Seideman. "We really encouraged our players to set the biggest possible goals and supported them as they worked towards them. Setting program records for wins, Casey Steffen setting a NCAA record for caused turnovers, our team leading the country in riding, having multiple All-Americans, a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American®, two United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Scholar All-Americans, and two national senior all-star game participants have been really great for showing the players they can achieve anything if they work at it."

Last year was the program's first year with multiple All-Americans, and two of them are back in 2025, setting up the offense, and Wooster's highly-touted ride, for great success. Junior All-American Lane Kellogg's 49 goals were the fourth-most in program history, and he delivered the Fighting Scots' first 75-point season since 1991. Senior All-American Will Fink scored 40 goals as Wooster's lead offensive midfielder, and is poised for an even bigger season in 2025.

"Lane is just amazing to watch every day," highlighted Seideman. "He is an extremely creative and skilled player. He is such a competitor and gets after it every day. Will is another guy who has just grown so much. His game has really flourished from when he came in. He will draw a lot more attention this year from opposing defenses. He has further developed his field awareness and feeding ability to become a more multi-dimensional player for us."

The return of senior Rory Zahren from injury provides another boost to Wooster's offensive core. Zahren was one of Wooster's top all-around players in 2023 and is looking to return to that form. After only playing as a faceoff specialist as a first-year, Zahren saw extensive time on offense in 2023, contributing 23 goals and nine assists while winning 113 faceoffs and scooping 67 groundballs.

Rising junior Rowan Piani, described by Seideman as "being one of the best riding attackmen in the country," slides into a projected starting role after being a key two-year contributor on the Scots' second offensive line.

"Rowan is the lynchpin in our ride," said Seideman. "He is a very tenacious player and we are excited to see Rowan in a more full-time role."

Junior Luke Budd, a starter at offensive midfield the past two years, switches to attack and is poised for a big year.  Also returning at attack are senior Jackson Young, and sophomores Mo Bajinka and Sam Green.

Fink and rising junior Austin Jourde are the headliners of the offensive midfield core. Wooster's talent and depth gives the program the "ability to mix and match people in different spots," per Seideman.

"Austin had a really solid sophomore season with 39 points," shared Seideman. "He is a really good initiator, feeder, shooter, and kind of does everything for us. We are excited to see him with another step of development."

Seniors Colton Beaudoin and Riley Schulze have both been significant contributors for years, and "are playing their best lacrosse," according to Seideman. Sophomores John Lloyd and Evan Laudenslager broke into the top-six offensive midfielders in 2024 and look to increase their roles, while classmate John Allen Ginder has switched to attacking midfield after an excellent first-year season as a starting defensive midfielder. Other returnees to watch in the offensive midfield include seniors Cam Culton, JoJo Jordan, and Renick Wiltshire, and sophomore Baird Hruska.

Wooster's defense graduated several key pieces, including Steffen, a two-time All-American and one of Div. III's greatest at causing turnovers. Seideman's excited about "the overall athleticism and cohesiveness of the group," and is confident Wooster is more than prepared to be just as strong defensively.

Senior Bill Holtzer's contributions have been instrumental in Wooster's high volume of causing turnovers and opposition failed clears the last few years. Holtzer now slides into the featured spot in the Scots' backline.

"Bill is super athletic and is a really talented, high-motor player," said Seideman. "He will be in that key role in our ride. Look for him to be a real chaos agent out on the field. We are excited about seeing him step into an increased role."

Rising junior Sutton Ursillo switched to a close defender, per Seideman, and has "improved his game each year." Ursillo is described by the staff as "smart and reliable."

Senior Silas Richard, one of the most all-around athletic players on the team, has positioned himself into a more featured role as a long-stick midfielder. Junior Rye Kral and sophomore Pierce Baker  have "improved tremendously" and will "look to compete for some time this year," per the staff.

Wooster's short-stick defensive midfield is a position of strength, per Seideman. Senior Aidan Hyatt leads the group and "brings an incredible intensity and leadership to the position," per Seideman. Junior Cooper Nichols "has worked really hard to come back from injury and is tough, physical, and a real threat for us in transition," per Seideman, who also mentioned senior Grant Rivera and junior Luke Peter successfully made the move to defensive midfield roles. Sophomore Patrick Kane is the other returnee for Wooster at short-stick defensive midfield.

Goalkeeper is a "wide open competition," per Seideman, whose team graduated three-year starter Paul Chandler. Four goalies, including senior returnee Jason Astle and junior returnee Théo Weidinger are "all competing presently to be the starter," per Seideman.

Zahren is Wooster's current all-time leader in faceoff winning percentage (59.6 percent) and will return to that position this spring. Junior Owen Bosland and senior Cody Mox are the other returnees and "have worked hard to improve and grow in the position," according to Seideman.

Wooster's newcomers include sophomore transfer Jesse Fisher and first-years Tobi Aina, Harry Brinkman, Will Crane, Domenic Cuda, Jude Harris, Charlie Hayes, Tim Higgin, Jack Holub, Case Lowery, Bennett Viverito, and Charlie Zabatta.

"We have a great incoming class," said Seideman. "We fully expect at least half of them to be significant contributors this year. They have worked diligently to compete for playing time on a very upperclass-heavy team and we are excited to see them on the field this year and in the future."

Wooster's season starts at Saint Vincent College on Saturday, February 22. Wooster is home for the first time on March 1 when John Carroll University visits John P. Papp Stadium for a 2 p.m. start. North Coast Athletic Conference play starts with a home date with Wittenberg University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 22.

"We are excited about the schedule this year," wrapped up Seideman. "We picked up some really strong out-of-conference opponents. The NCAC is only getting more and more competitive each year. This is probably the first year that there is no real clear frontrunner coming into the season and it is going to be exciting to see how it all plays out."