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ITHACA, N.Y. – While the winter season continues with NCAA postseason berths for several winter programs, this Wednesday will signal another hallmark of the spring here on South Hill, as the Ithaca College men's lacrosse team is set to make its 2017 debut at Lycoming College. If preseason expectations are any indication, it certainly looks as though it is going to be an exciting spring for the Bombers.
 
The Ithaca men enter the year with their highest preseason ranking in recent memory, checking-in at No. 4 in the latest poll released by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coaches Poll. The Bombers were also tabbed as the second-ranked team in the country by lacrosse publications U.S. Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse earlier this year.
 
Fueling the lofty praise from both local and national media outlets is a team that returns a bevy of talent from last season's team, which went 20-2 and ascended to the top of the NCAA Division III lacrosse rankings for the first time in program history. The 2016 Bombers advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, before running into a red-hot Tufts squad that ended up finishing as the National Runner-Up last season. Headlining the group of returners are four players who were recognized by Inside Lacrosse as Preseason All-America honorees in senior attackers John Januszkiewicz and Jack Shumway, as well as the junior offense-defense combo of Jake Cotton and Winston Wenham.
 
Head coach Jeff Long enters his 30^th season at the helm of the program sitting just 19 victories shy of the 300-win milestone for his career on South Hill. Long has seen it all during his illustrious career and as all great coaches can attest, the most important focus is not about where you start, but rather where you finish. Despite the litany of preseason plaudits, the legendary coach has emphasized the process of establishing new leaders and a new identity during the grind of a grueling preseason.
 
"I have told the guys this preseason that to be great two years in a row you have to work twice as hard the second year," Long said. "We have the talent to get where we want to be, but I think we are still in the process of establishing what our identity is going to be and who the leaders are going to be this year."
 
It has been a challenging preseason for the Bombers, but Long has seen the team take steps forward. However, he still wants to see the team's mental make-up when the ball gets rolling in earnest this Wednesday.
 
"It certainly a challenging preseason where we have had to face a little adversity," Long continued. "You can run all the drills and game-situation type stuff you want, but I think everyone is excited to get the season going and see how we react on game day. It's certainly been a growing process and it is going to be interesting to see the evolution of this team's personality and who steps up to fill important roles."
 
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the Bombers heading into the season.
 
Attack
When discussing the 2017 Bombers it all starts with the attack, as the team returns a loaded field of weapons in the offensive third this season. With the pedigree of the talent coming back, expect Ithaca to be filling opponents nets with regularity this season.
 
"When looking at what we have coming back, we certainly have the most depth in the offensive end," Long added. "It will be a luxury to have an experienced group that knows the systems we are trying to run. We haven't been able to get everyone on the field at the same time this preseason, but I think the group has the potential to be strong again this season."
 
Highlighting the returners are Preseason All-Americans in seniors John Januszkiewicz and Jack Shumway, as well as junior honoree Jake Cotton.
 
Januszkiewicz ranked second on the team in both goals (47) and assists (22), while he finished third on the squad with 69 total points in 2016. He finished the season with nine games with four or more points and should once again be a key cog, after earning USILA Third-Team All-American honors last season.
 
Shumway led the Bombers, as well as the Empire 8 Conference, in goals scored with 56 last season. While he finished second on the team with 73 points. He was tabbed as a USILA Honorable Mention All-American at the conclusion of the year, his second time earning All-America honors from the association.
 
Cotton did it all for the Bombers last season, setting a new program record for points (99) and assists (53) in a single season. He started all 21 games for IC, scoring four-plus points in 14 games overall.
 
Adding to the depth on the offensive end beyond this standout trio are a strong second grouping in sophomores Will Witter and Connor Hulme, and senior Sean Ferrito.
 
In particular, Witter has really stood out this preseason, which included an excellent performance in the spring scrimmage against Williams this past weekend. The West Hartford, Conn., product will likely see extended action after tallying 15 points on nine goals and six assists in seven contests a season ago.
 
Hulme will be another attacker that will figure to have a major role with his left-handed release. He tallied 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists in 16 appearances in 2016. Ferrito added nine points on four goals and five assists in 13 appearances last season.
 
Rounding out the attackers are the freshman duo of Tyler Krampf and Dan Lee who will look to make their collegiate debuts this spring.
 
Midfield
The midfield also looks to be well-stocked in terms of experience, despite the loss of graduated standout Michael Walker who earned USILA Third-Team All-American selection last season. Long highlights a strong core of seven returners who figure to play key roles this season.
 
"We have a solid group of guys that are comfortable with what we are trying to execute from a game plan perspective and I think we have the potential to be a step up from last season in the midfield," Long continued. "Morrell, Drillock, Fitzpatrick, Della Puca, Owen Smith, Brendan King, and Osadchey have had good camps and I think that will be solid group for us this season. Still waiting on a few returners to get back that I think will also see some time this year, but overall I'm feeling good about the group we have going into the year."
 
Junior Stephen Morrell topped the group in terms of offensive production last season, registering 45 points on 37 goals and eight assists. Fellow third-year Kaelan Fitzpatrick added 38 points on 22 goals and 16 helpers. Both players were tabbed Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team selections at the conclusion of the E8 season.
 
Sophomore Josh Della Puca also was a key offensive standout with 44 points on 30 goals and 14 assists. Drillock, junior David Drozjock both appeared in 16 contests for the Bombers a year ago, registering 25 and 20 points, respectively. Additionally, sophomore Conner Crosson will boost the group after hitting the 20-goal mark during his freshman campaign in 2016.
 
Smith and King saw more limited action in a season ago, but figured to have their roles expand in 2017. Smith posted 10 points on seven goals and three assists, while King chipped in nine points on four goals and five helpers.
 
Senior Grant Osadchey was the Bombers' top faceoff man a season ago, winning 185-of-298 draws for a .621 win percentage. Junior Steven Landspurg also returns and will play a role in the "X" after winning 133-of-229 (.581) draws in 2016. The possession battle will be critical for an IC squad that will look to spend the majority of the time in the offensive end this season.
 
Freshman looking to see the field this season are Kevin Enos, Doug Hill, and Matt Montgomery.
 
Long-Stick Midfielders
The Bombers should be set at the long-stick position with several capable players coming back this season. Senior Cody Swing looks to be holding down the top spot on the depth chart through the preseason. He appeared in all 21 contests, which included 20 starts in 2016.
 
"At the pole, Cody has done a great job during the preseason and we expect him to see a lot of time in that spot this season," Long examined. "Austin Smith has also been strong and will see time there this year and we brought in a new transfer in Sean Seaberg who we have been slotting there as well."
 
Swing finished the year with 23 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. Smith saw more limited time with nine appearances during his junior season, recording four points on the offensive end as well as three ground balls and five caused turnovers.
 
Defense
The defense is where things begin to get a little unsettled, as IC will need to find a way to replace last season's Empire 8 Player of the Year and the William C. Stiles Memorial Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in graduated senior Eli Gobrecht. A vocal leader and key foundation on the backend, the void left by Gobrecht's graduation is certainly a point of concern for the Bombers; however, there are several returners that should be more than capable of filling that hole.
 
"We have a solid defense foundation in Winston and Keith who have a ton of experience as starters last season," Long explained. "Beyond that we have several guys who do not necessarily have a ton of game experience, but certainly have the ability and talent to grow into strong players for us back there. The defense will be an evolving unit this year for sure."
 
Junior Winston Wenham figures to take up the mantle as the key piece on Ithaca's backend after being named a Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. He collected 45 ground balls and caused 25 turnovers in his first season on South Hill in 2016. Fellow third-year Keith Morrissey started 20 games for the Bombers, collecting 37 ground balls and causing 22 opponent turnovers.
 
Senior Quinn Sherer also figures to see a prominent role in back after appearing in 14 contests last season. He finished the year with nine ground balls and six caused turnovers. Freshman Aaron McCartney has also stood out this spring and has worked his way into the discussion for a starting job.
 
Sophomore Tommy Bray provides depth after making 12 appearances in 2016. He finished the year with 12 ground balls and five caused turnovers. Freshmen EJ Reynolds, Liam O'Connell, as well as junior walk-on Chase Harrington will also battle for reserve minutes.
 
Goalie
Perhaps the most interesting position battle coming into the year will be in Ithaca's cage, as it will need to find a replacement for now graduated goaltender Scott Sidnam. The former IC net-minder was named a USILA First-Team All-American last season in addition to taking home the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award as the nation's Most Outstanding Goalie of the Year in NCAA Division III. Whoever steps into the net this year will have large shoes to fill following in the footsteps of the four-year standout.
 
"It always going to be tough when you have to replace the best goaltender in the country over the past few seasons," Long said. "The competition has been really good this spring, but I think that first few weeks of the season are going to be a little bit of trial and error and letting the battle play out on the field when they're thrown into the frying pan of game action."
 
Senior Jack Deragon carries the most experience of the returning goaltenders, appearing in 12 games and logging just shy of 161 minutes in the cage last season. He recorded 16 saves for a .533 save percentage and 5.22 goals-against average, while posting a 1-0 record.
 
Classmate Justin Isaacs saw action in seven games last season, posting similar numbers to Deragon in 59 minutes of action. He logged a 5.07 goals-against average and .615 save percentage. Sophomore Davis Bird appeared in five contests, marking a .375 save mark and 8.99 goals-against average in limited time.
 
Also looking to push his way into the goalie battle is incoming freshman Robby Atwood.
 
While it will be difficult for any of the goalie options to replicate the fantastic season posted by Sidnam in 2016, the talent is certainly there for the Bombers to be plenty solid in the net in 2017.