2023 Mercer Men’s Lacrosse Preview
1/26/2023 12:43:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Men's Lacrosse program will begin the 2023 spring season this weekend under the direction of first-year head Ryan Danehy. The Bears will play seven out of 15 games at home at Five Star Stadium.
Â
Spring Schedule
Mercer will open its season with two scrimmages this Saturday, January 28. The first scrimmage will be against the reigning Division II National champion, the University of Tampa at 12 p.m. at Five Star Stadium. Then, the Bears will match up against Florida Southern College at 2:30 p.m. at Five Star Stadium.Â
Â
The season starts on February 4 when Mercer travels to Pennsylvania to take on Bucknell and is followed by a trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for a match-up under the lights against North Carolina on February 10. This is followed by a three-game home stand, when the Bears take on Holy Cross (February 18), Army (February 25), and the first ASUN Conference game against The Air Force Academy on March 4.
Â
ASUN Conference play will continue March 18, as the Bears host Detroit Mercy. Other home conference opponents include Robert Morris, Cleveland State, and Queen's University of Charlotte. Mercer will face Jacksonville, Bellarmine, Utah, and will end the regular season against Lindenwood.
Â
The full schedule can be viewed here.
Â
The Roster
The 2023 Men's lacrosse roster is comprised of 50 student-athletes. 35 of which are returners from last season and 15 new newcomers.
Â
Among the returners is graduate student, Ashton Wood, who posted six starts in eight games and won 133-of-209 (.636) faceoffs during his senior campaign with the Bears. The St. Augustine native tallied at least one goal in five of the six final games. Wood finished his SoCon tenure as the conference's all-time leader in ground balls (374), faceoff wins (633), and faceoff win percentage (.645). Wood was also named a member of the 2023 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team.
Â
Another valuable returner is senior, Wesley Chairs, a defender who started in all 15 games for the Bears in the 2022 season. The Ellicott City, Maryland native forced 15 turnovers from opponents and scooped 23 ground balls. Joining Chairs on defense are two other returning defensemen, Connor Purcell and Drew Mayts. The Florida natives are a vital piece to the Bear's defense, each forcing 8 turnovers last season. Another returning defensive player is goalie, Colin Kelley. Last season, Kelley started all 15 games for the Bears and had 182 saves.Â
Â
Also returning is graduate student, Garrett LeClaire. The short-stick midfielder was a strong contributor in every aspect of the Bears last season. The Peachtree City, Georgia native appeared in all 15 games while starting in 14 of them. Defensively, he caused 20 turnovers and scooped 23 ground balls. On the offensive side of things, he scored a goal, added two assists, and even won four faceoffs.
Â
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears are ready. Seniors Carl Klepper and Parker Junod are both returning for the Bears' attack line. Junod, the Orlando native, played in 14 games last season and ended the season with eight goals and six assists, and five groundballs. Klepper, the Boca Raton native, played in 11 games last season and put up 10 goals and three assists and had a shot-on-goal percentage of .565.
Â
"As far as freshmen go, we have quite a few that we feel are going to make an impact on game day," said Danehy when commenting on the Bear newcomers. "In addition to those freshmen, we have even more players that will be contributing to their first years for various reasons. Our offense is a collection of young, athletic, and talented players. Given that they are so young, we are doing our best to minimize what's on their plate, put them on a path that best suits their strengths, and help them get through the myriad of challenges that an extremely competitive Division I schedule can bring."
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Lacrosse, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerLacrosse (Twitter) and @MercerMensLacrosse (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com
