Matt Delestienne

The 2007 Wittenberg University men's lacrosse team is preparing for what Head Coach George Harris (Ithaca '89) hopes is nothing short of a breakthrough season. He has plenty of reason for optimism.

At attack the Tigers have an abundance of talent and experience, starting with 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honorable mention selection Brandon Hulett (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson). Hulett, a junior, finished last season with 16 goals, which tied for third on the team, and 31 total points, tops on the team. He is joined on the attack by fellow junior Jon Van Vranken (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover), who had a breakout season with 16 goals and one assist during the year. In addition, sophomore James Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) will look to continue racking up points as he collected five goals and one assist in his first collegiate season.

In the midfield, the Tigers relied on a variety of players - led by all-conference performer and leading scorer Cory Windle - last year. Sophomores Andrew Goldstein (Rockville, Md./Thomas S. Wootten) and Sam Henderson (Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootten) turned in fine first collegiate seasons despite injuries, as they collected six and five total points respectively. The junior duo of Ross Holland (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Matt Delestienne (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) are also expected to keep up their fine play as they recorded a combined five goals and two assists. Numerous talented freshmen, as well as returning juniors Mike Provost (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) and Austin Cortez (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson), will also vie for playing time.

Jon Van Vranken

Three returning junior short stick defensive midfielders will play a key role for the Tigers: Dylan Baun (Mars, Pa./North Allegheny), Jon Felter (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) and Will Wismer (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids). Felter missed the entire 2006 season due to illness, while Baun and Wismer appeared in 13 and 12 games respectively.

Defense is where the Tigers appear to be fully stocked for the 2007 campaign. Bryan Arnold (Columbus, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) returns to the team this year after accepting his fifth year of eligibility. Last year Arnold was a second-team All-NCAC selection as he picked up 44 ground balls to rank third on the team. Also providing veteran leadership will be senior Brandon Schwind (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), the team leader with 70 ground balls a year ago and one of two Tigers to receive first-team All-NCAC recognition last year. Seniors Mark Morrell (St. Louis, Mo./C.B.C), who started seven games last year, and Jansen Wehrley (Medina, Ohio/Medina) will also provide depth on defense. Along with the incoming freshmen, junior Chris Martin (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and sophomores Blake Birner (Chesterfield, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) and Steve Koppenhafer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), who started six games in 2006, are in the mix.

In goal, the Tigers will also have a lot of experience as senior Pat Garlock (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles), who was injured for much of the 2006 season, and junior Andy Shively (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) both return. Last year, Garlock started seven games while Shively started six. Garlock recorded 78 saves compared to Shively's 59 and will go into the season as the leading candidate to start in net.

Written By: Sarah Fetters '08

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