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So the 2016 season has been over for four weeks, and we still miss it. So as Eri is taking a look at each individual team (god rest his soul), I'll be taking a smaller look at each team.
Yesterday, I took at look at the Ivy League. Today, we'll go to Big Ten country, where Maryland looked to have won their first National Championship in lacrosse since 1975. But just like the Flyers, they'll have to wait another year. Let's dive in.
The Good: You won three of your first five games, which is kind of good. Freshman Decker Curran had 10 goals and was fourth on the team in goals as well as in points with 15.
The Bad: You lost your final eight games of the season, and had close losses to Penn, Dartmouth, Marist, Maryland, and Ohio State along the way. You also didn't win a single conference game in 2016, which isn't good. You bring in top talent, but haven't been able to pan out as a team overall just yet.
The Future: Two Under Armour All-Americans arrive to Ann Arbor in Gonzaga midfielder Avery Myers and MICDS goaltender Matthew Trowbridge. Four other top recruits come to your school in Cherry Creek attackman Henry Adams, Bishop's midfielder Christian Ford, Dallas Jesuit LSM John Michael Priddy, and Deerfield defenseman Curtis Alexander. Other notables include attackmen Harry Bogle (Culver), T.J. Heagerty (St. Anthony's), and Jason Brown (Calvert Hall), Culver midfielder Ryan Prior, and Conestoga LSM/defenseman Sam Bouhdary.
The Good: You started the season 5-1 which included a win over Marquette. Later in the season, you beat Rutgers to spoil their chances of an at-large bid. Bellarmine transfer attackman Austin Shanks led you guys in assists and points in his first season in Columbus. You also had one of the biggest attendances of the season when you beat Michigan before the Buckeye spring game. Senior defenseman Robby Haus was a Third Team All-American.
The Bad: You lost seven of your final nine games, including a six game losing streak, after you reached the NCAA Quarterfinals last season and lost to Johns Hopkins in the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Close losses to Hofstra, Towson, Notre Dame, Penn State, Hopkins, and Maryland didn't help either. At least you were competitive in many of your losses, but a few goals more in your favor would've been a different season for BOSS Nick Myers, especially a win against Penn State, which would've given you a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Haus and Carter Brown have also graduated.
The Future: You have two Under Armour All-Americans and a would-be AA if he wasn't on the USA U-19 team along with BOSS Myers. The AA's are Smithtown East attackman Dan Rooney and Hill Academy goaltender Josh Kirson. The would-be AA but current U-19 player is Episcopal Academy FOGO Christian Feliziani. Other notables include Wilson midfielder Ryan Terefenko and Salisbury LSM/defenseman Brendan Wallace.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-7)
The Good: After a not-so-good 5-9 season in 2015, you rebounded for an 8-7 record and were in the discussion for a possible at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. A star was born in freshman attackman Grant Ament, who should've at least been an Honorable Mention All-American. Ament led the Nittany Lions in assists (32) and points (52) and complemented senior T.J. Sanders and junior Nick Aponte very well. Aponte led the team in goals with 30 and was second on the team with 49 points en route to being named an Honorable Mention All-American. Impressive wins over Harvard and Denver made you a team on the rise.
The Bad: You had three straight heartbreakers in Big Ten play to Maryland and Johns Hopkins at home in overtime, before heading to Rutgers and losing leads of 6-1 and 13-9 to the Scarlet Knights, as well as the game. You also had tough losses to Penn and UMass earlier in the season, which didn't help your at-large resume. Goalie Will Schreiner should have a better season in 2017 after taking over for the late Connor Darcey this year. Sanders is your only huge loss.
The Future: There's one Under Armour All-American coming to State College next year in Gonzaga FOGO Nick McEvoy. But, there's two USA U-19 players coming as well in Syosset attackman Mac O'Keefe and Smithtown East FOGO Gerard Arceri, both of whom will receive AA honors on Saturday. Other notable recruits include West Islip attackman Conor Smith, midfielders Barrett Sutley (McDonogh) and Tyler Will (Haverford School), LSM and defensemen Kane Randolph (St. Mary's), Nick Cardile (Avon Grove), and T.J. Connellan (Cazenovia), and Highland Park goaltender Colby Kneese.
The Good: In a season filled with many injuries, you managed to have a winning record and make the NCAA Tournament. With brother Wells gone, Shack Stanwick took control as the quarterback of the offense, leading the team with 38 assists and 58 points. Ryan Brown ended his Blue Jay career with a team-high 41 goals en route to Second Team All-American honors. Juniors John Crawley and Nick Fields were Honorable Mentions. Your best wins were against Navy, Towson, Syracuse, and Penn State.
The Bad: A ton of injuries that began right from the start. Connor Reed, Drew Supinski, Alex Concannon, and even to BOSS Dave Pietramala put some trouble on Hopkins throughout the season. And also not having Joel Tinney due to an ineligibility reason hurt as well. Hopkins had a ton of first year starters, such as Kyle Marr and Patrick Foley, and it showed throughout the season. Close losses to Loyola, North Carolina, Virginia in overtime, Maryland, and Rutgers showed some of that youth and inexperience.
The Future: Brown, Craig Madarasz, and Holden Cattoni are graduated, and Henry Grass and Hunter Sells transferred. Hopkins brings along five Under Armour All-Americans next year to reload. They include Sachem North goalie Jacob Giacalone, Upper Dublin defenseman and long-pole faceoff Jack Rapine, Montgomery midfielder Matt Stagnitta, and attackmen Forry Smith (Haverford School), and Cole Williams (Loyola Blakefield). Westfield LSM/defenseman Owen Colwell and Middlesex defenseman Jack Lyne are other top recruits coming to Baltimore as well. Other notable recruits include attackmen Matt Hubler (Lawrenceville) and Joe Pollard (St. Paul's), Haverford School midfielder Brendan O'Neill, and Bullis LSM/defenseman Paul Steel. Add everyone that was hurt or ineligible and Hopkins looks to be a potential National Champion contender in 2017.
RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (11-5)
The Good: From 5-10 to 11-5, absolutely the most-improved team of 2016. Like, you should've been in the NCAA Tournament, but got snubbed by Hopkins (whom you beat TWICE)! Senior attackman Scott Bieda was a Third Team All-American and led the team with 38 assists and 66 points, while defenseman Zack Sikora was an Honorable Mention All-American. But your main story (and shoutout to Jules Heningburg as well) was freshman Adam Charalambides, who led you guys with 43 goals in his first season. He was definitely one of the top three freshmen this season. You started the season 5-0 with wins over Army and Fairfield, and followed that up with a four-game winning streak, including a big win at home against Johns Hopkins in your Big Ten opener.
The Bad: After starting 5-0, you lost two games against Stony Brook and Princeton. You also lost to Maryland twice, and then finished the regular season with a 12-10 loss on the road against Ohio State. The Princeton and Ohio State losses probably didn't help your case to making the NCAA Tournament. Bieda, Sikora, Ryan Hollingsworth, and starting goaltender Kris Alleyne have graduated, so there are big spots to fill for 2017.
The Future: You're probably the least popular Big Ten school, although you had more success than Michigan and Ohio State this year. There are some valuable assets coming to Piscataway for 2017. You'll get Culver attack/midfielder Brodie Gillespie and a pair of Cardinal Gibbons players in attackman Mark Schachte and midfielder Kevin Barry. Other notables include Centennial midfielder Matt Chase, St. Joseph Metuchen defenseman Brendan Moreau, and Yorktown goaltender Liam Donnelly.
The Good: You won the Big Ten Tournament and made the National Championship game again. You finished the season ranked 2nd in the country after spending most of the regular season at #1 and were the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. You defeated Albany, North Carolina, every Big Ten team at least once, Syracuse, and Brown this year. Midfielder Bryan Cole and defensive midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen were First Team All-Americans, while attackman Matt Rambo, defenseman Matt Dunn, and goaltender Kyle Bernlohr were Second Team All-Americans. LSM Greg Danseglio and defenseman Tim Muller were Third Team selections, and attackman Colin Heacock was an Honorable Mention. Freshman FOGO Austin Henningsen was an easy replacement for the graduated Charlie Raffa.
The Bad: All of the said above was great, but once again, you fell short of your ultimate goal. This time, it was in overtime against North Carolina in heartbreaking fashion. Yale and Notre Dame were early season losses which you easily bounced back from, but the main stinger is the UNC loss. That's what really matters. Cole, Henry West, Pat Young, Dunn, Danseglio, Mike McCarney, and Bernlohr all graduate. There's a ton of holes that need to be filled.
The Future: As always, there's a talented recruiting class coming to College Park for the 2017 season. One Under Armour All-American comes to Maryland in Don Bosco midfielder Russell Masci. But the big name recruit is USA U-19 attackman Jared Bernhardt from Lake Brantley. Bernhardt continues the family legacy, following in the footsteps of brothers Jake and Jesse. Maryland's other top recruits are mainly defensive players, except Radnor midfielder Jack Wilson and Syosset FOGO Alex Giovinco. They include Riverhead LSM Blake Carrara, Southlake Carroll LSM/defenseman Jack Welding, and Gonzaga defenseman Henry Chastain. But wait, there's more! Other notables include midfielders Ethan Mintzer (Calvert Hall), Drew Harrison (Mount Saint Joseph), and Jared Chiachetti (St. Augustine Prep), St. Paul's FOGO Tyler Rockhill, Hempfield defenseman Will Blair, and Christian Brothers (Tennessee) goaltender Sam Ross.