Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/12/15
From Press Release
UMass Lowell Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Ed Stephenson has announced the class of 18 newcomers that will join the team for the 2016 season.
Entering their second season as a Division I program in the America East Conference, this incoming class includes players from eight different states and provinces. The River Hawks welcome freshmen John Bartlett [Methuen, Mass], Mark Campanile [West Chester, Pa.], Nicholas D’Eramo [Burlington, Mass.], Ryan Garry [Port Washington, N.Y.], Wesley Harrington [Westford, Mass.], Dillon Hayes [Burlington, Mass], Clifford Kurker [Needham, Mass], Austin Lane [Aurora, Ontario], Grant Lardieri [Ada, Mich.], Ryder Lessing [Framingham, Mass], Blaine McMahon [New Milford, Conn], Haydn Matarazzo [Oakhurst, N.J.], Ryan Morrison [Uxbridge, Ontario], Greg Ponce [West Islip, N.Y.], Eric Robbins [Merrimac, Mass.], Michael Rouskas [Montville, N.J.], Will Russo [Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.] and Gage Sevigny [Goffstown, N.H.] to the program this season.
“I’m very excited to welcome our second recruiting class to the UMass Lowell men’s lacrosse family,” said Stephenson. “This group is fully committed to competing at an elite level both in the classroom and on the lacrosse field.”
RIVER HAWK MEN’S LACROSSE PLAYER PROFILES
Name: Mark Campanile
Hometown/High School: West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin
Position: A
Height: 6’2″
Club Team: Old School Lacrosse
Major: Accounting
Why UMass Lowell: “UMass Lowell is known for its academic excellence as well as competitive athletic programs. The campus is great and I have connected with friends here.”
High School: Four-year varsity player…Second-Team All-Conference as a senior…second leading scorer in school history…four-year captain of team’s Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night team…16 consecutive semesters on the Honor Roll
Name: John Bartlett
Hometown/High School: Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic
Position: D/LSM
Height: 5’8″
Club Team: Middlesex Bears
Major: Nursing
Why UMass Lowell: “It is a great school and I got into the program I wanted too. Along with that I get to play Division I lacrosse and I know a lot of people who attend UMass Lowell.”
High School: Played lacrosse, hockey and soccer in high school…All-League lacrosse player and All-Conference Soccer player as a senior…hockey team captain his senior year…scooped up over 100 ground balls as a junior…Honor Roll member
Name: Nicholas D’Eramo
Hometown/High School: Burlington, Mass./Burlington
Position: M
Height: 5’10”
Club Team: Top Gun Fighting Clams
Major: Business
Why UMass Lowell: “I just fell in love with it. Loved the campus, the kids, and the lacrosse team.”
High School: Four-year varsity player…Middlesex League All-Star his junior and senior years…Team Captain and League MVP as a senior…Honor Roll member senior year
Name: Ryan Garry
Hometown/High School: Port Washington, N.Y./Schreiber
Position: M
Height: 5’8″
Club Team: Be The Best
Major: History
Why UMass Lowell: “I’ve always wanted to play college lacrosse and when I came to vist I loved everything about it. I thought it would be a great place for me to go to school and play lacrosse.”
High School: Four-year varsity player…tallied 43 career goals and 20 assists
Name: Wesley Harrington
Hometown/High School: Westford, Mass./Westford Academy
Position: D
Height: 6’1″
Club Team: N.H. Tomahawks
Major: Electrical Engineering
Why UMass Lowell: “UMass Lowell provides great opportunities in both athletics and academics.”
High School: Three-year letter winner in hockey and lacrosse…2015 Academic Achievement Award winner…won the 2012-13 Cape Cod Cup…member of the hockey team for the 2013-14 Irish/American Shootout…four-year honor roll student…Academic Achievement Award winner in 2012 and 2013
Name: Dillon Hayes
Hometown/High School: Westford, Mass./Bishop Guertin
Position: FOM
Height: 5’9″
Club Team: N.H. Tomahawks
Major: Computer Science
Why UMass Lowell: “I chose UMass Lowell because of its great balance of academics and athletics.”
High School: Second-team All-State as a junior
Name: Clifford Kurker
Hometown/High School: Needham, Mass./Needham
Position: M
Height: 6’1″
Club Team: 128 Lacrosse
Major: Business Administration
Why UMass Lowell: “I wanted to be able to get a great education while close to home. I also wanted to be able to start a tradition and make an immediate impact on the field.”
High School: Played football and lacrosse in high school…First Team All Bay State Conference and runner-up MVP in lacrosse…First Team All Eastern Mass…All-American nominee…2015 Boston Herald All-Scholastic Team member…2015 Second-Team All-American for Eastern Mass…First Team All-State and All-Conference in football his senior season…team MVP…appeared on Sportscenter’s Top 10 in back-to-back years…team captain in football and lacrosse his final season
Name: Austin Lane
Hometown/High School: Aurora, Ontario/The Hill Academy
Position: A
Height: 6’0″
Club Team: Newmarket
Major: Psychology
Why UMass Lowell: “I came to UMass Lowell to get a great education and to help build a successful lacrosse program.”
High School: Played lacrosse, hockey, rugby and football…won the North American Lacrosse Invitational his senior year
Name: Grant Lardieri
Hometown/High School: Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Northern
Position: G
Height: 5’11”
Major: Chemistry and Spanish
Why UMass Lowell: “I’m attending UMass Lowell to receive a good education while playing the game I love.”
High School: Three-time First-Team All-American and All-State performer (2013-15)…holds the career record for saves in the state of Michigan (901)…holds several records for top ten per game save totals in the state of Michigan…finished 4th of 288 members in the 2015 graduating class…winner of the UMass Lowell Provost Scholarship and UMass Lowell Additional Study Scholarship…recipient of Academic Booster Scholarship and Ernie Popiel Memorial Scholarship (Given for Outstanding Leadership On the Field and in the Classroom)
Name: Ryder Lessing
Hometown/High School: Framingham, Mass./Framingham
Position: D/LSM
Height: 5’8″
Club Team: Team Central
Major: Business
Why UMass Lowell: “I chose UMass Lowell for the opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing Division I lacrosse. UMass Lowell is close to home, had a great business program and what really influenced me was the approach the coaches had for a start-up program.”
High School: Four-year varsity player for hockey and lacrosse…First-Team Bay State All-Star and Team MVP as a senior in lacrosse…nominated for Leadership and Service Award…won freshman and sophomore Athlete of the Year award…Bay State All-Star in hockey his junior and senior seasons…lacrosse and hockey team captain his senior season…Framingham Character Award…sang backup and played tambourine and maracas in student-run musical concert, F Cubed
Name: Blaine McMahon
Hometown/High School: New Milford, Conn./New Milford
Position: A/M
Height: 5’9″
Club Team: Connecticut Hurricanes
Major: Computer Engineering
Why UMass Lowell: “UMass Lowell has a strong engineering department, great facilities and a great group of coaches.”
High School: Competed in track, hockey, soccer and lacrosse in high school…First Team All-South Western Conference Lacrosse member his final three seasons…lacrosse team captain for two years…assistant hockey captain his junior season…Second team All-South Western Conference in soccer…First Team All-South Western Conference in indoor track and academic team his senior season…scored 230 career points in lacrosse…Sprint medley relay South Western Conference record holder…Athletic Council member
Name: Haydn Matarazzo
Hometown/High School: Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township
Position: D
Height: 6’4″
Club Team: Leading Edge South
Major: Undeclared
Why UMass Lowell: “I chose UMass Lowell because of the vibrant location and the great academic reputation.”
High School: Played four years of lacrosse and three years of football…lacrosse team captain his senior year…2015 Vince Lombardi Award winner…Principal’s Commendation member all four years
Name: Ryan Morrison
Hometown/High School: Uxbridge, Ontario/Uxbridge Secondary School
Position: A/M
Height: 5’11”
Club Team: Edge
Major: Criminology and Justice
Why UMass Lowell: “UMass Lowell has the perfect balance of athletics and academics and presents a great opportunity to start a tradition with the men’s lacrosse team.”
High School: Three-time Edge All-Academic Team member…2014 All-Ontario attackman while playing with the Newmarket Redbirds of the OJMFLL…played rugby
Name: Gregory Ponce
Hometown/High School: West Islip, N.Y./West Islip
Position: G
Height: 6’0″
Club Team: West Islip
Major: Business Administration
Why UMass Lowell: “UMass Lowell seems to be the best of both worlds. While searching schools, UMass Lowell stood out as the perfect balance between both academics and athletics.”
High School: 2015 Suffolk County Honorable Mention All-Division…three years of varsity lacrosse and football…lacrosse team captain his senior year… 2014 Suffolk County finalist in Class A boy’s lacrosse… fifth place in season saves at West Islip with 146 in 2014…National Honor Society and National English Society member
Name: Eric Robbins
Hometown/High School: Merrimac, Mass./Central Catholic
Position: M
Height: 5’10”
Club Team: Middlesex Bears
Major: Civil Engineering
Why UMass Lowell: “I choose UMass Lowell because I loved the campus and I was really impressed by the Civil Engineering department. Being able to play lacrosse with the education I will get made my decision a lot easier.”
High School: Team captain his senior season…three-time All-League performer his final three years…High Honors Roll member as a senior and Honor Roll member as a junior and sophomore
Name: Michael Rouskas
Hometown/High School: Montville, N.J./DePaul Catholic
Position: FOM
Height: 5’7″
Club Team: NJ Thunder
Major: Undeclared
Why UMass Lowell: “I love the city of Lowell and UMass Lowell has the program that I want to study.”
High School: Two-time All-County performer…team captain and MVP…First-Team All-County and Division senior year…selected to New Jersey State All Star game Passaic County Championship…World Language Honor Society member
Name: William Russo
Hometown/High School: Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North
Position: M
Height: 6’1″
Major: Accounting
Why UMass Lowell: “I chose UMass Lowell because they had a great educational program where I can major in accounting and obtain my Master’s Degree. It was also the best fit school I would be able to play NCAA lacrosse.”
High School: Scholar athlete his final two seasons…Sachem North Hustle Award as a senior…team captain for JV lacrosse and soccer his sophomore year…member of National Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, Business Honor Society and Social Studies Honor Society
Name: Gage Sevigny
Hometown/High School: Goffstown, N.H./Bishop Guertin High School
Position: M
Height: 5’10”
Club Team: NH Tomahawks
Major: Business
Why UMass Lowell: “I’m attending UMass Lowell because it is a great school and I fell in love with the atmosphere. I also picked it because I get to play lacrosse for Coach Stephenson and the rest of the coaching staff at the Division I level.”
High School: Four-year member of the Bishop Guertin field hockey team…won state titles during his sophomore and junior years…named team captain for senior season…selected to NH All Star Game during senior season…named to Honor Roll
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