Men's Lacrosse primed for breakout 2022 season

The Muskingum men's lacrosse team is primed to make a run for the OAC playoffs in the 2022 spring season.

The Coach: Muskingum is led by fifth-year head coach Alec Chisholm. Under Chisholm's guidance, Muskingum has set program records for wins in a season, most goals scored, most assists, most groundballs, and most faceoffs won. Chisholm arrived in New Concord after previously serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant coach for the Oberlin College men's lacrosse program. This season, the Muskingum men's lacrosse roster will be made up entirely of Chisholm's recruits for the first time in his tenure. "We've been building for this season for four years," said men's lacrosse Head Coach Alec Chisholm. "I feel we have a special group of guys that will bring an exciting up-tempo style of play this year."

On the Attack: Lead by stand out sophomore Spencer Zecchini, the Muskies' attack unit will look to guide the offense this season. Along with Zecchini, senior Zachary Westmeyer, sophomore Hunter McGuire, sophomore Grant Webster, sophomore Jack Watts, and freshman Brycen Craft will look to use an up-tempo style of play to lead the offensive charge. A season ago, Zecchini registered a team-high 17 goals as well as nine assists, Westmeyer tallied six goals and one assist, McGuire punched in 10 goals and six assists, and Webster netted five goals for Muskingum.

The Midfield: This season, a deep group of midfielders will be led by senior captain Hazen Powell and junior captain Maxwell Pezzot. Last season, Powell tallied eight goals and six assists, while Pezzot registered 11 goals and five assists. Powell and Pezzot will be supported by a talented group of returners, including: senior Mason Kesler, junior Michael Honeycutt, junior Nathan Robey, junior Griffin Holiga, sophomore Travis Geyer, and sophomore Harry Galloway Jr. Last year, Geyer logged six goals and two assists for the Muskies, while Galloway Jr. grabbed 16 groundballs and forced three caused turnovers. Also looking to make a significant impact in the midfield this season will be freshman Drew Davis, freshman Alec Terbovich, and freshman Noah Washburn.

Faceoff: The faceoff position will be held down by senior Smith Hickenlooper, junior AJ Zecchini, freshman Drew Schneider, and freshman Aidan Gaedcke. 

The Defense: The Muskingum defensive unit will return all starters from a season ago, headlined by senior captains Douglas Gorski and Drew Iarussi. Last season, Gorski tallied 22 groundballs and forced 18 caused turnovers, while Iarussi grabbed 14 groundballs and forced nine caused turnovers. Also returning for the Muskies will be senior Luke Swartz, senior Spencer Durso, senior Brock Hudgins, and junior Walker Litke. A season ago, Swartz scooped up 25 groundballs and forced 18 caused turnovers, Durso grabbed 12 groundballs and forced five caused turnovers, Hudgins tallied eight groundballs and six caused turnovers, and Litke notched 25 groundballs as well as 21 caused turnovers. Also looking to make an instant impact on defense this season will be senior Adam McRowe, junior Anthony Mazzagatti, junior Austin Stobbs, sophomore Blake Turano, sophomore Evan Showler, sophomore Tyler Reed, freshman Brock Butler, freshman Logan Coon, and freshman Jackson D'Amico.

In the Net: Stand out sophomore Trevor Connolly will lead the Muskies' goaltending unit this season. Last year, Connolly logged a 52.4 save percentage and 150 saves to lead Muskingum. Looking to add support in net this season will be sophomore Chase Kesler and freshman Isac Soto.

The Schedule: This season, the Muskies will compete in 17 games followed by the OAC Tournament. Muskingum will play eight non-conference games, as well as nine conference matchups. Muskingum will open their season at home on Saturday, February 19, at 2:00 p.m. against Anderson (IN.). The Muskies' first OAC contest will be Saturday, March 26 at Otterbein. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

Broadcasts: All home games will be played at the North Athletic Turf Field and will feature an HD video stream accessible through the OAC TV app and on fightingmuskies.com.