New Lacrosse Recruits Heavy on Potential

Author: Peter Yordan

The Middlebury men's lacrosse team, shouldering the burden of expectations that comes with three consecutive national championships and a preseason number one Division III ranking in the national polls, is trying to downplay the hype and hoopla surrounding the squad as its season gets under way.
Despite the depth and strength of the Panthers, the team refuses to get carried away looking ahead to the postseason. "Our goals can be best summed up by the phrase the captains chose to put on the back of the warm up shirt, 'Day to Day'," said Head Coach Erin Quinn. "We want to work hard every day in practice, enjoy the time together and improve as players and as a team. We have not spoken about any "outcome goals such as championships."
Indeed, much of the core of the old championship team has graduated, leaving a young and less experienced team in its wake. Only five seniors offset the 12 new first-years who form a large part of the Panther roster. Middlebury has a new offensive look this season as the team tries to fill the void left by departed offensive dynamos like Adam Dunn '02 and Holt Hopkins '02. With a young attack, Quinn points to his defense as the team's heart. "Our strength is great balance by having talent and depth at each position," said Quinn. "We have more experience at the defensive end of the field, especially with Eric Krieger '04 returning in the goal. We will need to play great at the defensive end of the field as we gain experience on offense. The talent is there at the offensive end, we just need to develop some confidence."
The team will, as always, look to its captains for leadership. This year the mantle falls to a trio of seniors, Brian McGregor, Christopher Davis and Mike Frissora, a member of last year's All-American team.
Quinn also highlighted the deep new group of faces that populate his squad. "We have an excellent freshman class overall with a number of players that will be outstanding for us in their respective careers." Chief among the first-years who are making an immediate impact this season are attacker Jon Sisto, middie Travis Meyer and Gabe Wood at defense.
The team, which started out 2-0 with wins over New England College and Colby, will take on non-conference foes Springfield, Union and powerful Gettysburg College over Spring Break before turning its attention to its in-league rivals in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Middlebury has won the fiercely competitive NESCAC Championship in its first two years of existence.
The team will be looking to gel as quickly as possible in order to get their new players integrated into the vaunted, offensive Middlebury system. Despite their glossy pedigree, the Panthers know that they can ill afford to rest on their laurels with every single team in Division III Lacrosse gunning to take away their crown.