February 15, 2012
Harvard men will rely on incoming recruits
by Diana Pugliese/
Harvard's incoming freshman class - which is ranked third in the nation - includes defenseman Stephen Jahelka, who was on the U.S. Under-19 national team. (photo: U.S. Lacrosse)
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Harvard has been ranked atop the academic world for years, but it hasn’t had the same lofty status in the lacrosse world.
After finishing 10-6 and playing in the first Ivy League championship game last season under rookie head coach Chris Wojcik, the Crimson open the 2012 campaign with a solid core of returning players and the third-ranked freshman class in the country, according to Inside Lacrosse.
“This freshman class has been an infusion of high-character young men who are very talented and want to win,” Wojcik said. “We are definitely excited and expect more than half of them to contribute right away. There’s 11 of them, so at least six should strongly compete for playing time right away, either starting or in a contributing roll.”
While Wojcik is quick to credit his predecessor John Tillman for landing such a banner haul, he has a right to be excited about the new prospects patroling the field this year. Five of the recruits were ranked in the ESPN Rise top 50, including defenseman Stephen Jahelka and goalie Jake Gambitsky, who each topped the list at their respective positions. Harvard gains help at every spot with three defensemen, three attackmen, a goalie and four midfielders, including Sean Mahon and Keegan Michel, who were part of the U.S. Under-19 national team with Jahelka.
The class also includes New Jersey Defenseman of the Year Jack Breit, three-time All-American defenseman Brian Fischer, All-American attackman Philip Wagley and New England All-Star attackman Will Walker, who was selected to the UnderArmour All-American underclassmen game in 2010. Midfielders Grove Stewart and Murphy Vandervelde — selected as a Jake Reed Nike blue chip — will look to contribute with Boston Globe All-Scholastic attackman Matt Scalise, who hopes to play alongside his brother Mark, a senior for the Crimson.
Despite the glowing credentials of the newcomers, it is that senior class that Wojcik plans to take advantage of this season. Only seven players graduated last year, so there’s a strong returning nucleus — led by tri-captains Paul Pate, Kevin Vaughan and Terry White — to show the newcomers the ropes.
“We have a great group of senior leaders and they have set a high standard for the rest of the team,” Wojcik said. “Paul Pate understands the defense as well as anyone and gets things organized while Kevin and Terry lead the midfield and do it all. They set the tone for how we play.”
If those three play the way they did last season, then the winning should continue for Harvard as Pate made the Ivy League all-tournament team and was an All-Ivy League honorable mention after grabbing 24 groundballs and causing six turnovers while the midfielders also had strong performances. Vaughan made the All-Ivy League first team and the NEILA All-New England first team after finishing third on the Crimson with 19 goals and 27 points, and White came in fifth in scoring with 22 points.
Aside from the captains, Wojcik plans to lean heavily on seniors Daniel DiMaria and Jeff Cohen. DiMaria, a defenseman who led Harvard with 56 groundballs and 13 caused turnovers, will be tasked with shutting down the opponent’s top player, while Wojcik looks for Cohen to build upon his three consecutive seasons of at least 30 goals. The lefty attackman started strong in fall ball, notching two goals and an assist in Harvard’s 19-14 triple-overtime victory over Denver in the San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic this past October.
With strong veteran leadership and a crop of youngsters clamoring to get on the field, the future looks bright for Harvard. The team is one of five Ivy League schools to crack Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll, breaking in at No. 19, meaning four league opponents are rated higher. That means it will be a dogfight just to get to the Ivy League tournament, let alone another trip to the league’s title game.
For his part, Wojcik’s not looking past the season opener Feb. 25 against Vermont.
“The Ivy League is very strong, so we’re not taking anything for granted,” he said. “We’re going to approach this season, every game really, motivated and as if we’ve got something to prove. Last season’s success doesn’t mean anything in terms of making it this year, so we have to play just as well and just stay hungry.”
This article originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of New England Lacrosse Journal.
Diana Pugliese can be reached at feedback@laxjournal.com
