WASHINGTON, Pa. – W&J will usher in a new era of men's lacrosse when they open the 2022 season on Feb. 19 with a non-conference game vs. Marietta College. The Presidents and Pioneers face off with a 1 p.m. start at Alexandre Stadium.

2021 Season Review: Cody Golon was named as head coach of the W&J men's lacrosse program in June of 2021.

Golon recently spent the past year as the head coach at fellow NCAA Division III member La Roche University. He led the Redhawks to a 2-2 record during an abbreviated 2021 campaign. The Redhawks earned victories over Hiram (10-3) and Wells (11-2).

Before Golon joined the Presidents, W&J posted a 3-5 record (2-3) in the abbreviated 2021 season. W&J picked up a pair of wins vs. Thiel and added a decisive 18-3 victory vs. Franciscan in its PAC opener on March 31.

The Presidents had five members named to the 2021 all-conference teams by the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Three of those All-PAC honorees return in 2022.

 "The team has done a great job so far this off-season and pre-season working hard to physically prepare their bodies for the duration of the season," said head Coach Cody Golon. "We have seen a big commitment to the weight room since the fall and it has really been paying off for a lot of our guys. It is important to continuously monitor the team's workload as well as the season goes along. The biggest thing we want to stay away from is overuse injuries. We really need every member of the team this season if we want to be successful. The effort and energy on a daily basis have been great. If we have those two things, we feel that the rest will fall into place as the season goes on."  

2022 PAC Preseason Poll:

1. Grove City (7)	70	11-2 (6-0 PAC)
2. Saint Vincent	62	9-3 (4-2 PAC)
3. Chatham (1)	58	6-5 (4-1 PAC)
4. Westminster	54	9-5 (3-3 PAC)
5. W&J	43	3-5 (2-3 PAC)
6. Bethany	39	4-9 (2-4 PAC)
7. Thiel	37	4-6 (2-4 PAC)
8. Franciscan	29	0-12 (0-6 PAC)

PAC Players to Watch: James Deiuliis, Luke Geister, Nathan Petrarco, Alex Strain, Carter Watts

Team Captains: TBA



Position-by-position Breakdown:

Attack - The Presidents' have strong group of players returning at the attack position for the 2022 campaign.  

Senior Alex Strain (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) returns as a key player for W&J's offense. Strain secured All-PAC First Team status after leading the team in goals (29) and points (38). He ranked third in the PAC in goals per game (3.62) and fourth in points per game (4.75).

"Alex is a special talent. He will be one of the best players in the conference, I have no doubts about that, but where he has really taken a step forward this year has been with his leadership," said Golon. "When your leaders are your hardest workers, you typically have the chance to be pretty successful. He is both of those things."

Junior Carter Watts (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) finished his sophomore season tied for third in goals (8), third in points (18) and second in assists (10) for W&J.

"Carter definitely brings a lot to the table for us on the offensive side of the ball," said Golon. "I expect to see him make a pretty sizeable jump not only on the stat sheet, but more importantly with his impact for the overall offense. He brings a ton of energy and effort with him every day. He is someone that positively impacts the team just with his presence." 

Sophomores Sean McCaffrey (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) and Zach Mey (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) appeared in a handful of games last spring in their debut seasons.  

Midfield – With the graduation of offensive threats Liam Sullivan (Hingham, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) and Reilly Oliverio (Carlisle, Pa./Trinity) in the midfield, the Presidents have opportunities available for returnees and newcomers to fill the void in the lineup.

"Anytime you lose a group of upperclassmen I think there are always some question marks, but we feel like we have a few guys that will come in and contribute or expand their role this season," said Golon. "Sam Snider, a senior midfielder will be expanding his role on the team as well as sophomore Sean McCaffrey just to name two."

Sam Snider (Morgantown, W.Va./University) and Ronin Keane (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) each started in two games during the 2021 season for the Red & Black. Snider finished his season with two goals and four caused turnovers while Keane finished with 17 ground balls.

Defense – W&J will have experience in the defense as they are returning all of their key defenders from the 2021 season.

Senior Luke Geister (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) started in all eight games during his junior season. He led the team in caused turnovers (22) and was second in ground balls (50). Geister earned All-PAC Honorable mention for his junior year efforts.

"Luke is a really aggressive player, and we love that. What is going to really take his game to the next level has been his focus on body positioning and the timing of his checks," said Golon. "His overall leadership and communication on the defensive side of the ball has been fantastic so far as well. Like all of our senior leaders, Luke is extremely selfless and although I know he has personal goals, he is someone that always puts the team first. With the LSM position, he has the opportunity to impact the game in multiple different ways and I fully expect that to occur this spring." 

Sophomore Aiden Herman (West End, N.C./Pinecrest) and junior James Deiuliis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) each appeared in seven games for the Red & Black while both recording 23 groundballs throughout the 2021 season.

Goalkeeper - Junior Henry Beardwood (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum School) started three games for the Presidents last season and racked 22 saves overall. That included a nine-save effort in a win against Thiel on March 27.

"His biggest improvement has come in the form of his communication. When he is commanding the defense and taking ownership of the defensive side of the ball, that is when we are at our best as a unit," said Golon. "We fully expect him to have a big impact this season. Being the lone goalie comes with a certain number of expectations and responsibilities, but we are confident that Henry will rise to the occasion this spring." 

Newcomers: The Presidents welcome four freshman and one sophomore to the 2022 roster.

"All of our new players have really found immediate ways to impact the team. Nate Petrarco, a sophomore transfer, has really been a standout since getting to W&J in the fall. We expect him to have a big on-field impact all over the field for us this spring," said Golon. "Austin Hopkins is going to really help give us depth on the defensive side of the field and has brought a lot of energy on the field and in the weight room. We also have three dual sport players that played football in the fall. Parker Lucas, Carlo Basile, and Sean Berardino have brought a physical presence to practice. All three of them will play critical roles on our team this spring."

A/M- Parker Lucas (Delmar, Del./Delmar)
D- Nathan Petrarco (Norwin)
D-Austin Hopkins (Hempfield)
D-Carlo Basile (West Palm Beach, Fla./The Kings Academy)
D-Sean Berardino (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding)
 
Looking At The Schedule – The Presidents are scheduled to play a 15-game schedule in 2022.

"Right now, our expectations are on more of a micro level," said Golon. "We want to get better each day, each practice, each drill. If we keep that focus, we feel that his team can achieve some great things this season." 
 
W&J will open their season at home on Saturday, February 19 against the Marietta College Pioneers.

PAC play commences on April 2 as W&J will travel to Steubenville, Ohio to face Franciscan University of Steubenville. The Presidents will play a single round robin conference slate.  

The top four teams qualify for the PAC Championships, which are slated to start on May 4.

The Final Word:  "I think everyone is really looking forward to getting back to a full schedule and a more normal spring in terms of guidelines. I feel strongly that we have a shared vision and expectations as a team for the spring," said Golon. "However, we are really taking it day by day, practice by practice, lift by lift. Our goal is to be the best version of ourselves at the end of the year. We are nowhere near a finished product currently. We have a lot of talented and hardworking players on the roster. They want to be successful and we want to help them be successful. It is going to be a group effort to get there, and we talk about that daily."