The 15^th-ranked St. Lawrence University men's lacrosse team is set to open the 2024 season with a trip outside of state lines, as they travel to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee for a matchup against the Lynx on Saturday, February 17 for their earliest season opener ever.

The Saints, who advanced to the Liberty League semifinals last season, finished 2023 at 12-6 overall and 3-4 in Liberty League action. They defeated Clarkson in overtime to advance to the semifinals against RIT.

Under the leadership of head coach Mike Mahoney '93, P'22, '24, '27, who enters his 27th season with the Scarlet and Brown this year, the Saints were selected to finish fourth in the highly competitive Liberty League and were ranked 15th in the USILA Coaches Poll and 16th in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll.
 
After graduating three graduate students and 12 seniors last season, the Saints will look to a talented group of upperclassmen, including senior captains Tripp Clark, Ben Hutchinson, Judge Murphy and Brian Souza.

Hutchinson led the Saints in goals this season with 49 and added 12 assists for 61 points. He ranked third in the Liberty League in scoring with 2.72 goals per game and ranked seventh in points with 3.39 per game. He tallied five game-winning goals including the first-round overtime goal over Clarkson and seven man-up goals, one man-down goal and added 31 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.

Murphy led the Saints in points last season with 38 goals and 28 assists for 66 points. He ranked fifth in the conference with 3.67 points per game, sixth with 1.56 assists per game and ninth with 2.11 goals per game. He added two game-winning goals, seven man-up goals, 29 ground balls and two caused turnovers. Murphy tallied his 100th career point when the Saints defeated Lynchburg in March.

Hutchinson, Murphy and returning junior faceoff specialist Paddy Condon all earned USILA All-America, IMLCA All-Region honors and All-Liberty League honors.

Condon posted an impressive record from the faceoff circle, going 243-for-366 and posting a .664 faceoff percentage, which ranked second in the league standings. He also ranked second with 9.39 ground balls per game and has picked up 169 ground balls. He finished the season ranked 18th in the country in faceoff percentage and 22nd in ground balls per game. 

Other key attackman for the Saints this season will be senior captain Souza and sophomore Cam Croasdaile. First-years on attack this season include – Ethan Friedberg, Will Harris, and Daniel Mahoney.

At the midfield, the Saints will look to seniors Ben Kniskern, Connor Woolley, John Mahoney, and Carter Flanagan, as well as juniors Bobby Wells, Zack Corsi, and Nate Stevens and sophomore offensive middies David Herlihy, Ted Wilson and Sean Wiseman.

First-years jumping into the midfield mix will be Yanni Thompson, Asa Beach and Charlie Cunningham.

"We have been pleased with our first couple of weeks of practice on the offensive end," said Mahoney. "It is a nice mix of experience as well as some players who have earned the opportunity to play a more pivotal role in the offensive scheme. I look forward to seeing it all in motion this weekend."

At the short stick defensive position – juniors Caleb Torres and Bobby Bartlett and senior Owen O'Brien, who earned All-Liberty League honors in 2023.  Joining the short stick defensive middies, will be newcomers Silas Jackson and William Villa.

Leading the Saints with the long pole this season with significant knowledge and minutes under their belts are juniors Sam Smith and Griffin Marx. Sophomore Sam Wade and first-years Rogan Cardinal, Brayden Haggerty and Rhett Palmer will also be in the LSM mix.

Along with Condon, face offs this season will be taken by Brendan Brigham, and Lucas Podvey. Brigham went 48-for-94 last season, picking up 12 ground balls and causing two turnovers, while Podvey went 9-for-11 and picked up 10 ground balls.

Defensively, St. Lawrence will be led by seniors John Dundon, Clark, Alex Bechard and Will Phinney, juniors Charlie Miele and Henry Hoyt, sophomores Charlie Higgins and Quin Fedor, and first-years Will Gagnon and Michael Miele. Clark finished last season with 37 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.

Returning in goal for the Scarlet and Brown is junior Michael Marinello and senior Andrew Vona. Marinello played nearly 1,000 minutes in goal and made 190 saves last season. Newcomers vying for time in net this season will be Heath Mann and Ryan Powers.

"We are fortunate to have a number of players who have played a lot of minutes for us on the defensive end," Mahoney added. "It has helped to build some early chemistry and I expect it will be a reliable unit over the course of the season."

After opening the season next weekend, the Saints will host SUNY Potsdam in their home opener on Friday, February 23, and face a quick turnaround as they host Western New England that Sunday the 25th. The team will then take a trip to St. John Fisher, then host SUNY Geneseo, before traveling to Nazareth.
 
Over spring break the Saints will make their second consecutive trip to Maryland for the Mustang Classic at Stevenson, facing York College and Christopher Newport, before opening league play at Skidmore. St. Lawrence will return to the North Country to host Union and Vassar before three straight games on the road. Nearing the end of the regular season, SLU will host RIT on senior day, April 20 and then close the regular season on the road at RPI.

With 33 returners and 15 newcomers in Canton, the Saints are looking to make their way back to the postseason in 2024.

"We are really excited to get things underway this weekend! This will be a special opportunity for the group to continue to learn and grow together in a new environment against a very good opponent. All eyes are focused on this weekend and then we can make necessary adjustments for future challenges when we get back North."

Follow the links to check out the Saints' latest news, roster, and schedule for the upcoming season.

2024 Liberty League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
1. RIT, 49 (7)
2. RPI, 42 (1)
3. Union, 37
4. St. Lawrence, 32
5. Clarkson, 22
6. Skidmore, 20
7. Ithaca, 15
8. Vassar, 7
(First-place votes are in parentheses)