2012 UT Lacrosse Preview
This is the University of Tampa's first lacrosse season, and head coach Rory Whipple is looking to have as much success as he has had in the past. Whipple is the winningest active coach in Division II with 228 wins over 28 seasons. Tampa will be his third program that he has started (Bryant and Florida Southern).
"This team has worked hard on and off the field from the beginning," says Coach Whipple. "I feel this year's team will be very competitive in Division II."
The Spartans are led by team captains Eric Dance, Adam Dickson, Joseph Fiorucci, Greg Griffo, and Greg Khanzadian.
Fiorucci, a junior transfer from Presbyterian College, is the Spartan goalie. Hailing from Shirley, N.Y., he earned Academic All-American honors his senior year at William Floyd High School. Backing up Fiorucci is freshman Brian Gehres who attended West Islip High School on Long Island.
The defense is headlined by two junior transfers from NCAA Division III powerhouse Salisbury University, Eric Dance and Adam Dickson. Dance attended Tampa's Freedom High School, where he earned US Lacrosse All-American honors. He also played in 15 games at Salisbury registering 4 groundballs and four caused turnovers. Dickson played in 18 games at SU recording 9 groundballs and a one caused turnover. Both were members of the Seagulls 2011 national championship team. Starting alongside Dance and Dickson will be Wayne Magee, a two-time NJCAA All-American at Nassau Community College.
Other defenders who will see significant playing time this seeing for the Spartans are Douglas Weisbecker and Bobby Silvestri. Weisbecker is a freshman who played at West Islip High School where he won the 2010 New York State Division I championship. Silvestri is a junior transfer from New York Institute of Technology where he saw action in six games.
The Spartan defensive midfielders contain two freshmen and two transfers. Michael Asher from West Babylon, N.Y., where he scored 29 goals and has 16 assists during high school. Adam Dyson attended Georgetown Prep School in North Bethesda, Md., where he was a member of the 2011 AIC championship team. As for the transfers, Nate Tembi is a sophomore who comes to Tampa from Western New England University. In high school Tembi received all-state honors twice for Ellington High School in Connecticut. Mike Tyrrell transferred from New York Institute of Technology where he recorded two goals in five games in 2010.
The long stick midfielders for Tampa are Jasper Gantick, Jon McGowan and Macklin Carballal. Gantick is from Steamboat Springs, Colo., and attended Monroe Community College. McGowan (brother of Joel McGowan) attended Bishop Eustace Prep (N.J.) where he picked up 500 groundballs and scored 10 goals.
Top faceoff specialist, Gregory Khanzadian is a senior transfer from Roanoke College. During his two seasons with the Maroons, Khanzadian won 61.8 percent (314/508) of his faceoffs and picked up 188 groundballs. Tampa's other FOS is Trevor Calleja, a freshman from Selden, N.Y.
The Spartan midfield will be led by Greg Griffo, a junior transfer from Suffolk County Community College. His 32 goals and 44 assists last season earned him second-team NJCAA All-American honors. Tampa native, Ryan Becker is a sophomore transfer from current top ranked Division II C.W. Post. His senior year at Saint Andrews School in Boca Raton, Fla., he recorded 19 goals, 20 assists and 41 groundballs in 21 games for the Scots. Andrew Hoffmann is a freshman from Kent, Conn., where he attended Housatonic Valley High School. As a senior Hoffmann registered 25 goals, 12 assists and 41 groundballs.
Other midfielders who will contribute for Tampa are M.J. Lorenzo, Kevin Castle and James McAuliffe. Lorenzo is a freshman from Tampa who also attended Saint Andrews School. His senior season he collected 20 goals, 13 assists and 34 groundballs. Castle is a junior transfer from Monroe Community College in Rochester, (N.Y.). During his two seasons at MCC, he recorded 40 goals and 19 assists in forty games. McAuliffe hails from Binghamton, N.Y., and attended St. John Fisher College before coming to Tampa.
UT's attackmen consist of A.J. DeSimone, Joel McGowan, Jonathan Franzese, Kyle Hemrick and Matthew Dellaquilla. DeSimone is a junior transfer from SUNY Delhi where he recorded 101 points in his two seasons. McGowan attended Bishop Eustace Prep (N.J.) where he tallied 115 goals and 98 assists during his four years as a Crusader. Franzese played at Kellenberg Memorial High School where he scored 13 games and had three assists in two seasons. Hemrick played at Division I University of Albany for his freshman and sophomore season. His senior year at Seaford High School he led the Vikings in scoring with 52 goals in 18 games. And Dellaquilla is a junior transfer from Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., where he scored five goals over two seasons for the Warriors.
The Spartans open its season on Friday against Florida Southern and then are on the road for five games before coming back to Pepin Stadium on March 9.