WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels men's lacrosse team is set to begin their 2022 season after finishing 4-9 in the 2021 season that included matchups with several ranked teams, including York (Pa.) and Stevens.  Head coach Curtis Jaques enters his seventh season heading the program in the 2022 season.
 
"We're 39 deep and every day in practice we're moving quite a bit," said Jaques.  "The level of excitement is really around our depth this year."
 
Ten seniors return to the Colonels this season.  Alex Myers (Cortland, NY/Cortland), Owen Grigas (Mountaintop, PA/Crestwood), Kyle Sokol (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury), Eric Ormsby (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), and Ethan Weaver (Olney, MD/James Hubert Blake) make up the midfielders, while Jake Chittem (Stratford, CT/Stratford) and Luke Palladino (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) are the lone senior defender and attack respectively.  Gavin Scofield (Stratford, CT/Stratford) plays both attack and midfield, while Daniel Cox (Stratford, CT/Stratford) and Ryan Lasher (Warrenton, VA/Liberty) return to anchor the Colonels defense in goal.  
 
"The real chemistry that we see in practice right now is coming out of our senior offensive leaders," said Jaques.  "So much that you know most fans won't see comes from our senior leadership and that core group of seniors."
 
Weaver had the highest point and assist total on the 2021 version of the squad, earning 36 points and 22 assists.  He also has the third highest goals of all returning Colonels with 14, while Myers had the second highest with 15 goals.  Ormsby recorded 11 points, while Grigas has played in 29 games for the Navy and Gold and Sokol 25, including all 13 last year.  Chittem has started in 19 games in his three years with the program and recorded 11 caused turnovers last season, good for second on the team, as well as 18 ground balls.  Scofield recorded two goals and four ground balls last season.  Palladino's 18 goals last season is the highest among all returning Colonels, and his 26 ground balls is tied for fourth-highest among returners alongside Weaver.
 
Lasher and Cox are set to split time in goal once more, with Lasher recording 133 saves in seven starts and Cox 112. The two combined for a .567 save percentage last season.
 
"I think the biggest impact with our depth is our two senior goalies," said Jaques.  "They really hold us accountable in our shooting abilities and to the next level."
 
Connor Champagne (Scituate, RI/Scituate), Dillon Kadis (McSherrystown, PA/Delone Catholic), Bradley Anacreon (Nesconset, NY/Sachem North) and Jacob Kudysch (Stratford, CT/Frank Scott Bunnell) make up the junior midfielders.  Hunter Riley (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa Central) and Kain Turner (Telford, PA/Souderton Area) both play defense, with Riley also being a long stick midfielder.  Tyler Knappenberger (Orefield, PA/Parkland) rounds out the junior class for the Navy and Gold at defense.  Riley is third among all returning Colonels with 27 ground balls and also caused 13 turnovers, most on last year's team.  Kudysch played in all 13 games last season, with five goals and six ground balls to his name.  Turner and Knappenberger have played in five and two games respectively so far, while Champagne, Kadis, and Anacreon are set to make contributions for the Navy and Gold.
 
The Colonels have a sizable sophomore class.  Blake Billingsley (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) and Henry O'Connor (Baltimore, MD/Dulaney) are the two most experienced faceoff men on the team, while rounding out the sophomore midfielders alongside Colby Opromolla (Patterson, NY/Carmel), Austin Seames (Newton, NJ/Kittatinny Regional), and Tommy Steffney (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford).  Tucker Parmer (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) and Matthew Warns (Cutchogue, NY/Mattituck) both play long stick midfielder, while Parmer joins Ryan Seibert (Chichester, PA/Cardinal O'Hara), Brandon Keegan, Tyler Haasis (Mountain Top, PA/Crestwood), and Bryan Schulcz (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) as sophomore defenders.  Joseph Marino (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) rounds out the sophomore class as the Colonels third goalkeeper.  Opromolla made an immediate impact in his first year alongside Warns, with Warns leading all returning Colonels with 39 ground balls and Opromolla second with 29.  Opromolla was also third on last year's team with 10 caused turnovers.
 
"We're young on defense but they're getting it done," said Jaques.
 
Seames, Parmer, Keegan, and Schulcz played extensively for the Colonels last season, the four combining for 27 starts in their first year with the team.  Seames recorded eight ground balls and shot 10 of his 15 shots on goal, while Parmer recorded 20 ground balls, Keegan 15, and Schulcz nine. 
 
Eleven first years join the Colonels this time, with Justin Wawrzynek (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) joining the squad as a redshirt freshman and L. Wawrzynek as an important addition to an inexperienced faceoff group for the Navy and Gold. 
 
"I think we'll see it at the faceoff X to start," said Jaques when asked about first year contributions.  "I think Luke Wawrzynek (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) has done a great job competing with O'Connor."
 
Luke Weakland (Sparks, MD/Hereford) and Jackson Casper (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) are set to contribute at midfield, while Zane Slade (Derwood, MD/Colonel Zadok Magruder), Charles Gordon (Pompton Plains, NJ/Don Bosco Prep), and Aiden Battista (Hockessin, DE/Delaware Military Academy) look to bolster the long stick midfielders.  Slade and Gordon join Joseph Shallo (Dingmans Ferry, PA/Delaware Valley) at defense, while Cameron Krisko (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) and Anthony DelDuca (Westchester, NY/Westlake) add to the Colonels attack.  Nicholas DeVitis (Conshohocken, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh) is a first-year addition at goaltender.
 
"We have some young guys that are going to step in and compete with those guys right out of the gates and we're looking forward to seeing some freshman on the field."
 
Stevens is ranked at 12th in the latest USILA Coaches Poll and is the defending conference champion.  Misericordia finished as the runner-up in last year's conference playoffs and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom is as tough as ever.
 
"We'll see some challenges with Stevens, top dog, they did a great job beating Misericordia in the championship last year," said Jaques.  "In our home town here I think King's, Misericordia those are always fun games for us and we're excited for those rivalries." 
 
The Colonels play on the road for seven of their first eight, with Jaques mentioning that "we're looking forward to the travel, its something we look forward to, something that brings us together."  Their season opener is at Marywood this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.  They open their home slate at Schmidt Stadium against Rosemont College on Wednesday, March 2 at 4:00 p.m., and open MAC Freedom play against Delaware Valley on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m.
 
"It's been a long, cold preseason and I think we're ready to see some outside competition," said Jaques.