Denver 2020

D1 Mens Lacrosse
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

https://denverpioneers.com/news/2019/7/ ... llant.aspx

Men's Lacrosse 7/31/2019 2:30:00 PM Niko Blankenship

Tierney Completes Staff with Former Mammoth Captain John Gallant
The Rock Canyon lacrosse coach will join the Pioneers staff as their defensive coordinator
Story LinksDENVER – The University of Denver men's lacrosse program has hired John Gallant as its new assistant coach and defensive coordinator, head coach Bill Tierney announced on Wednesday.

Gallant fills the void left by the departure of John Orsen, who took the top assistant position at Navy earlier this month. The newest Denver coach will join associate head coach Matt Brown and volunteer assistant Erik Adamson to complete Tierney's coaching staff in 2020.

"John checks all the boxes for what we were looking for in filling this all-important role on our staff," Tierney said. "First and foremost, he is a teacher. Coaching is teaching, and having the skill set to educate young people in the right way is now more important than ever. Secondly, we were looking for maturity and the ability to blend smoothly into our staff. John and his wonderful family, including his wife Jessie, are totally invested in our program. At every level, I've watched John get amazing results by being a hard worker and great communicator. He was a captain, has been a head coach and is a World Champion. He lives what he professes with a calm demeanor and a disciplined and caring approach, while possessing a willingness to do whatever it takes for our team to succeed."

Gallant was a science teacher and lacrosse coach at Rock Canyon High School before joining the Pioneers staff. In his three seasons in charge at Rock Canyon, the Jaguars went 12-4 in 2017, 12-4 in 2018 and 14-3 in 2019 (38-11 overall). The Jaguars reached the 5A CHSAA Quarterfinal in 2019.

"I am excited about the opportunity to work with this great coaching staff that I know very well, and contribute to the championship culture and traditions at the University of Denver," Gallant said. "This is an incredible opportunity for me and my family, and I can't wait to dive in. I would like to thank Andy Abner, Tom Brieske and the families at Rock Canyon for three wonderful years as a Jaguar."

The 2001 Lake Superior State graduate directed the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League player combine each of the last two years and served as a guest coach for multiple franchises. Prior to his time at Rock Canyon, Gallant was an assistant at Valor Christian, under former teammate and current Air Force assistant John Grant Jr. Gallant has also served as a Jr. Mammoth instructor.

Gallant was a two-time captain for the Colorado Mammoth, and wore the 'A' on his chest in two other campaigns during his 14-year National Lacrosse League career. A member of the Mammoth's All-Decade Team in 2012, Gallant moved with the franchise from Washington to Colorado in 2002, completing his career with a single franchise. In his career, the Mammoth defenseman played in 209 games, scored 14 goals and added 86 assists for 100 points. Gallant also picked up 953 loose balls and caused 54 turnovers.
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

Nice recognition for Jack Hannah and incoming freshman, TK Hammond.

https://denverpioneers.com/news/2019/8/ ... ?path=mlax

Men's Lacrosse 8/5/2019 10:54:00 AM Niko Blankenship

Hannah Leads Rivermen to Inaugural NCBS Title
The Pioneer junior led the National Collegiate Box Series with 59 goals and 25 assists in 12 games

IRVINE, Calif –University of Denver men's lacrosse junior midfielder Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio) led the Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League's Rivermen to the 2019 NCBS Championship on Saturday night at the Rinks at Irvine.

In the best-of-three series between the Colorado and Ohio champions, the Milford, Ohio, native had six goals and a helper in the game-one loss before drawing more defensive attention in the game-two victory. Hannah had a goal and three assists in game-two and scored two of the six goals in the 15-minute mini game for game three immediately following the game two win Saturday.

Hannah was named the Ohio Cup MVP the week prior, leading the NCBS in regular season goals and posting 19 points in the two playoff games in July in Ohio.

Incoming freshman TK Hammond played for the Colorado representative, the Fighting Bison, coached by former Pioneers Terry Ellis and Jeremy Noble. Hammond had a goal and an assist in the game-one win, a goal and three assists in game two and two goals in game three.

Hammond was second in the NCBS to only Hannah's output in 2019, putting up 67 points on 42 goals and 25 assists in 15 games.
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

2020 Roster is posted with Freshman.

https://denverpioneers.com/roster.aspx?path=mlax

Fr. 15
R-Fr. 4
So. 11
R-So. 3
Jr. 6
R-Jr. 4
Sr. 8
R-Sr. 1
Grand Total 52

2020 Men's Lacrosse Roster
# FULL NAME POS. ACADEMIC YEAR HT. WT. HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL
1 Jake Edinger Midfield Fr. 5-11 160 Tully, N.Y. / Tully H.S.
2 Shane Osborne Attack Fr. 5-9 170 Lower Gwynedd, Pa. / La Salle College H.S.
4 Reed Babcock Attack Fr. 6-0 175 Denver, Colo. / Regis Jesuit
10 TK Hammond Midfield Fr. 6-3 180 Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Highlands Ranch H.S.
16 AJ Mercurio Defense Fr. 6-3 220 Reno, Nev. / Damonte Ranch H.S.
17 Anders Croone Defense Fr. 5-11 180 Memphis, Tenn. / Memphis University
20 Jack Thompson Goalkeeper Fr. 5-10 155 Castle Rock, Colo. / Rock Canyon H.S.
27 Andrew DiFrancesco Attack Fr. 6-0 180 Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka H.S.
31 Jack DiBenedetto Defense Fr. 6-0 200 Buffalo, N.Y. / Nichols H.S.
36 Aidan Abram Defense Fr. 6-1 175 Longmont, Colo. / Silver Creek H.S.
37 Alec Stathakis Faceoff Fr. 5-11 225 Northville, Mich. / Culver Military Academy
41 Adam Hangland Defense Fr. 6-2 180 Centennial, Colo. / Arapahoe H.S.
44 Quinn Marquez Attack Fr. 6-1 175 Danville, Calif. / San Ramon Valley H.S.
50 JJ Sillstrop Attack Fr. 5-9 180 Encinitas, Calif. / La Costa Canyon H.S.
52 Malik Sparrow LSM Fr. 6-2 195 Aurora, Colo. / Cherokee Trail H.S.
23 Josh Dawick Attack R-Fr. 5-9 160 Oakville, Ontario / Appleby College
25 Ty Badciong Midfield R-Fr. 5-10 170 Austin, Texas / Lake Travis H.S.
45 Carter Brand Midfield R-Fr. 5-10 160 Ottawa, Ontario / The Hill Academy
51 Kaleb Stroman Goalie R-Fr. 6-0 205 Parker, Colo. / Legend H.S.
8 Drew Erickson Attack So. 6-0 170 Danville, Calif. / San Ramon Valley H.S.
9 Alex Simmons Midfield So. 5-11 180 Smithville, Ontario / Culver Military Academy
12 Sam Dwinell Midfield So. 6-1 195 Dedham, Mass. / Middlesex School
13 Brett Boos Faceoff So. 5-11 180 Parker, Colo. / Chaparral H.S.
14 Cole French Goalie So. 5-11 180 Danville, Calif. / San Ramon Valley H.S.
18 Ellis Geis Attack So. 6-4 215 Tustin, Calif. / Foothill H.S.
22 Johnny Marrocco Attack So. 6-2 205 Cincinnati, Ohio / St. Xavier H.S.
24 Dante Bravo Defense So. 6-1 185 San Jose, Calif. / Bellarmine College Prep
29 Jackson Harvey Faceoff So. 5-9 200 Greenwood Village, Colo. / Arapahoe H.S.
46 Colby Moore Defense So. 5-9 180 Aurora, Colo. / Grandview H.S.
48 Matthew Marino Midfield So. 5-11 190 Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue H.S.
30 Oliver Dina LSM R-So. 5-9 170 Austin, Texas / Westlake H.S.
38 Mac Tezak Defense R-So. 6-1 205 Denver, Colo. / Regis Jesuit H.S.
43 Woody Kelly Midfield R-So. 5-11 175 Baltimore, Md. / Gilman School
3 Jack Hannah Midfield Jr. 6-1 205 Milford, Ohio / Milford H.S.
11 Riley Curtis Midfield Jr. 6-1 170 Brampton, Ontario / The Hill Academy
15 Aaron Boyd Midfield Jr. 5-7 175 Denver, Colo. / Mullen H.S.
33 Ted Sullivan Midfield Jr. 6-1 200 Tucson, Ariz. / Deerfield Academy
42 Charlie Winsor Defense Jr. 5-9 175 Boulder, Colo. / Avon Old Farms
54 Tristan Wright Goalie Jr. 6-0 185 Reno, Nev. / Galena H.S.
6 Mikey Pryor Midfield R-Jr. 5-9 200 Denver, Colo. / Mullen H.S.
7 Nate Williams Defense R-Jr. 5-10 160 Potomac, Md. / IMG Academy
32 Samuel Harnisch Attack R-Jr. 5-9 175 Huntington Beach, Calif. / St. Margaret's Episcopal
35 Zach Hutchko Attack R-Jr. 5-10 175 Charlotte, N.C. / The McCallie School
5 Alec Barnes Midfield Sr. 5-11 190 Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Regis Jesuit H.S.
19 Danny Logan Midfield Sr. 5-11 195 Upper Arlington, Ohio / Upper Arlington H.S.
21 Kyle Smith Midfield Sr. 6-2 225 New Canaan, Conn. / New Canaan H.S.
39 Colin Squires Defense Sr. 6-2 185 West Linn, Ore. / West Linn H.S.
53 Chris Sullivan Defense Sr. 6-1 210 Tucson, Ariz. / Deerfield Academy
55 Josh Matte Goalie Sr. 6-0 190 Issaquah, Wash. / Eastside Catholic
57 Ethan Walker Attack Sr. 5-9 175 Peterborough, Ontario / Culver Military Academy
59 Schuyler Blair Attack Sr. 5-8 160 Huntington Beach, Calif. / Ridgefield H.S.
26 Charlie DeMuth Midfield R-Sr. 5-10 180 Baltimore, Md. / Gilman School
cherrylax
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by cherrylax »

No more Will Clayton, another coquitlam junior A alum no longer on the team.
Dunker
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Dunker »

Thanks for posting roster. #26 at the bottom is Charlie Demuth. D-Middie grad transfer from Dickinson College. Hurt most of last year but prior years stats look excellent. Logan, Demuth, and Kyle Smith at D-Middie. Squires. D-middies win you National Championships.
10stone5
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by 10stone5 »

cherrylax wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:54 pm No more Will Clayton, another coquitlam junior A alum no longer on the team.
Tough holding onto those guys.
I’ve got a running list of guys who were on D1 rosters or recruited, that could compete for a national title.
Dunker
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Dunker »

Share with us your running list please.
OCanada
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by OCanada »

Anecdote: I have a good friend who retired but was an accomplished Canadian player.

A couple of things he once said: When the dollar is as strong as it is now tuition becomes much more expensive.

He phrased it this way “ they can vanish overnight and you may never know why. Sone are crazy”. He didn’t mean it clinically
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

I think is tough for all the kids, especially Canadian ones, when college is so expensive in the US compared to staying in Canada.

William Clayton only got in 3 games last year (St. John's, Providence, Marquette) and recorded one shot. School and life balance is hard for lots of kids that have demands. Every kid has a different journey and different needs. I wish him great success.
10stone5
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by 10stone5 »

Dunker wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:09 pm Share with us your running list please.
Hah !

Dennon Armstrong, Christian Del Bianco, Haiden Dickson, Zach Manns, Ryan Martel, Will Malcom, Tom Semple, Will Clayton, David Byrne, Max Semple, Ryan Sheridan.

That’s just BC Jr A ball.
Other guys who are in the senior leagues or even Jr B leagues, and also there’s the Ontario leagues.

Will Malcom is the one guy that I would say I’m really stumped on, he’s a monster.
But somebody posted on another thread that he may have briefly tried college lacrosse south of the border.

Zach Manns was on Drexel’s roster parts of the past two years but sat or sat out a lot. He must have gotten tired of that and also I guess the costs. Manns is having a 130+ point season for Victoria :(
Dunker
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Dunker »

Thomas Semple was on the roster last year at Harris Young (maybe it's Young Harris) college in Georgia last year. No, I didn't make up the name.
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

cherrylax wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:54 pm No more Will Clayton, another coquitlam junior A alum no longer on the team.
I noticed that Ben Williams is no longer on the roster either.

Last year there were 15 seniors compared to 9 this year.
Puck Swami
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Puck Swami »

Sorry for this nerdy digression, but I wonder if Charlie Demuth is related to the famous American painter, Charles Demuth, who was born in Lancaster, Pa. back in 1883?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Demuth
10stone5
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by 10stone5 »

Looks like Nate Marano has turned to coaching.

https://medium.com/@nate.marano/introdu ... c42815929f
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

Tierney Announces 2020 Captains
Walker, Logan and Squires tabbed captains for upcoming campaign

DENVER – The University of Denver men's lacrosse program, Presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores has named senior attack Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario), senior short-stick defensive midfielder Danny Logan (Upper Arlington, Ohio) and senior defenseman Colin Squires (West Linn, Ore.) captains for the Pioneers' 2020 roster, head coach Bill Tierney announced on Thursday.

"One of the most difficult aspects of college athletics is how quickly the four-year careers of some of your athletes seem to go," Tierney said. "From the beginning, Ethan Walker, Danny Logan and Colin Squires have bought into and helped create the great culture we have here in our Denver Lacrosse program. Since day one of their freshman year, they have been leaders both on and off the field. We are beyond thrilled that their teammates have elected them as our 2020 Captains and know that they will give everything they have to help us be successful and achieve great things in our upcoming season. In so many ways, these are three of the finest young men I have ever been around. Our staff can't wait to get started in September with an amazingly talented team and with Ethan, Danny and Colin leading the way."

A USILA Third Team All-America selection and Tewaaraton Award Nominee, Walker has 194 career points on 127 goals and 67 assists in just 49 career games. Walker is on pace to become the fourth Pioneer in Denver's Division I history to reach 200 career points, and is 62 points away from passing 2015 NCAA Tournament MOP and fellow Canadian Wes Berg for DU's DI record. The lefty attackman is fourth in career goals and eighth in career assists. Walker has 10 man-up tallies and five-game-winning goals in his career.

Logan was a 2019 USILA Honorable Mention All-America selection after being named to the All-BIG EAST First Team for the first time in his career. Now a two-time captain for the Pioneers, Logan has picked up 125 ground balls in his first three seasons and forced 27 caused turnovers. Logan also has posted 24 points on 15 goals and nine assists in 49 appearances.

Squires was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection in 2019, helping lead a Denver defense that has finished in the top five in the country in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons. The West Linn, Ore., native has picked up 51 ground balls and forced 17 turnovers in 44 games in Crimson and Gold.
Dunker
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Dunker »

Puck Swami wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 12:30 am Sorry for this nerdy digression, but I wonder if Charlie Demuth is related to the famous American painter, Charles Demuth, who was born in Lancaster, Pa. back in 1883?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Demuth
Good one Puck. I have 2 art expert and sport expert friends on Facebook. I'll ask them and let you know.
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

Summary of last season with some analysis of 2020 by Chris Jastrzembski

https://www.collegecrosse.com/2019/8/15 ... walker-lax

2019 Men’s College Lacrosse Year In Review: Denver Pioneers
Denver missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.

By Chris Jastrzembski@CFJastrzembski Aug 15, 2019, 3:07pm EDT

Conference: Big East
2019 Record: 10-5 (4-1 in Big East)
Postseason: Defeated Villanova in Big East semifinals, lost to Georgetown in Big East Championship
Head coach: Bill Tierney (10th Season)

Statistical Leaders
Goals: Ethan Walker (39)
Assists: Jack Hannah (18)
Points: Ethan Walker (52)
Faceoffs: Brett Boos (217-of-366; 59.3%)
Ground balls: Brett Boos (87)
Caused turnovers: Matt Neufeldt (33)
Goals against average: Alex Ready (9.21 GAA)
Save percentage: Alex Ready (47.1%)

Personnel Losses
Key seniors departing: A Austin French (17 Gs, 14 As, 19 GBs, 1 CT), D Dylan Gaines (23 CTs, 22 GBs), M Colton Jackson (19 Gs, 7 As, 11 GBs, 1 CT), G Alex Ready (9.21 GAA, 47.1% SV %, 22 GBs, 3 CTs), LSM Matt Neufeldt (33 CTs, 66 GBs, 2 Gs, 3 As), D Dylan Johnson (10 CTs, 9 GBs, 1 G), D Jon Ober (8 CTs, 13 GB, 1 G), M Quinn McKone (12 Gs, 2 As, 6 GBs, 1 CT), A Colin Rutan (6 Gs, 4 As, 13 GBs, 1 CT), LSM Brett Greenlee (9 CTs, 14 GBs)
Senior scoring departing: 88 of 284 points (31%)
Senior starts lost: 83 of 150 (55.3%)

Season Summary
Denver had a problem coming in to 2019: Trevor Baptiste graduated. He played a really large role in the team’s success, winning draws and giving the Pioneers more possessions on offense.


Enter freshman Brett Boos out of the gate. They were big shoes to fill, but Boos did a tremendous job doing so, finishing with a 59.3% faceoff percentage and being one of the best freshman FOGOs in the country.

After defeating Air Force in their season opener, Denver traveled south to take on Duke in an early season marquee matchup. Similar to last season, Denver took a lead into the fourth quarter but saw the Blue Devils come back and go up two with 2:51 left in the game. Freshmen Ellis Geis and Alex Simmons scored two goals to tie the game up at nine with 19 seconds remaining with overtime looking like a possibility. But Duke had other plans as Joey Manown found the back of the net with seven seconds left to give the Blue Devils the win.

Following wins over Utah and Cleveland State, the Pioneers spoiled North Carolina’s grand opening of their new lacrosse stadium in another hard-fought contest. For most of the second half, neither team could take a lead larger than two goals until Denver broke a nine all tie in the final quarter with a three-goal run to help them get the win. The team then went out to California to take on Notre Dame in the Pacific Coast Shootout that didn’t [go] Denver’s way. The Pios went down 8-3 in the first half to the Fighting Irish but could not flip momentum with a four-goal run.

Their nonconference play was scheduled to wrap up with road contests against Ohio State, Towson, and Princeton, where Bill Tierney used to coach. However, the Ohio State game was cancelled due to the bomb cyclone out in Colorado. Instead, Denver played in two thrilling one-goal games, splitting both of them. They earned a win against Towson thanks to three goals in the final quarter, including Ted Sullivan’s winner with 1:13 left. But in Tierney’s return to Princeton, the Tigers barely hung on in the last few seconds of the game for the one-goal upset of Denver. That was going to hurt the team’s at-large resume come May.

Throughout their run in the Big East, Denver had never lost a regular season conference change. After beating Georgetown, the Pios suffered their first ever Big East regular season loss at the hands of Villanova as Will Vitton made two saves against Denver in the final few minutes of the game. Denver also found themselves in a fight against St. John’s the following week. Following a Providence victory, Denver’s regular season finale against Marquette started out bad with the Golden Eagles taking a 5-1 lead after the first. But the Pios came back and scored eight of the game’s final 11 goals and held Marquette scoreless for the final 17:55 of the game.

Coming into the Big East Tournament as the No. 1 seed and the predetermined host, Denver needed to win the conference tournament in order to reach the NCAA Tournament which they haven’t done since 2015 despite being the best team in each season since. The team took care of Villanova in the semis and faced off against the Hoyas for the second straight year. In 2018, Georgetown took the Big East title but Denver still reached the NCAA Tournament as an unseeded at-large. This time, the Hoyas got out to an early start and Tierney pulled freshman Cole French in goal and replaced him with Alex Ready, who started the majority of the games in net. Down 7-3 at the half, the Pios scored three straight to trim the Hoya lead to one before Georgetown went on a 3-0 run of their own to eventually win by three and end Denver’s season.

Ethan Walker and Austin French were Denver’s top two attackmen. Walker registered 52 points and was the only Pioneer with over 35 on the entire season. French, who missed the first four games of the season, finished with 31 points. Geis started 10 games at attack before going down with a season-ending injury. Junior Schuyler Blair started the final four games of the season and had seven points. The Pios were certainly pleased with the big developments from sophomore midfielder Jack Hannah, who finished with 34 points after playing scrap minutes as a freshman. Colton Jackson, Ted Sullivan, Colin Rutan, Alex Simmons, and Quinn McKone were the other top midfielders on offense.

The close defense was a very veteran unit with senior Dylan Gaines and junior Colin Squires as the two main starters. Fellow senior Dylan Johnson started the first five games of the season and looked great, but a season-ending injury before the Notre Dame game hurt the unit as a whole. In his place were seniors Matt Neufeldt, who started in four games at close defense, followed by classmate Jon Ober. Neufeldt and Brett Greenlee were the two main LSMs on the season, while Danny Logan and Kyle Smith were the main SSDMs with Aaron Boyd chipping in. Ready started the first 11 games of the season but was pulled in the St. John’s game in favor of freshman Cole French. He would start the final four games but was pulled in the Big East title game. Overall, Denver finished fifth in scoring defense even though they were 72nd in saves per game.

Looking Ahead
Denver will have some big holes to fill on defense, especially regarding long sticks. The only notable contributor at close or LSM returning is Colin Squires. In terms of players returning, Oliver Dina, Chris Sullivan, Mac Tezak, and Charlie Winsor are notable guys that could see their roles heavily increase in the fall and spring. Cole French appears to be the favorite to start in net, but the team also has Josh Matte and Tristan Wright returning. Matte started in nine games and played in 10 of them in 2018. The defense will get a new coordinator in John Gallant, who replaces John Orsen. Tierney loves the way Gallant teaches the sport of lacrosse.

On the offensive side, the losses of Austin French, Jackson, Rutan, and McKone are big, but the Pios have plenty of young talent ready to step in. Blair, Johnny Marrocco, Riley Curtis, Drew Erickson, and Sam Dwinnell all join Geis, Hannah, and Simmons as players looking to take on larger roles on offense with veterans Walker and Sullivan. During the summer, Hannah lead the National Collegiate Box Series with 59 goals and 84 points in just 12 games.

2019 was the first time Tierney has missed the NCAA Tournament as the head coach at Denver. He’ll look to help take the Pios back to playing playoff lacrosse in May as the new decade begins
Puck Swami
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by Puck Swami »

Hammond, Sillstrop and Stathakis appear, at least on paper/hype, to be freshmen who may be the guys who push for first-year playing time, but there may be others, too.

I hope this year's schedule is better than the brutal stinker of last year. February games hurt lacrosse, IMHO, and having nearly third of the season scheduled then makes the early season unpleasant for spectators, and then was made worse with five straight away games (four of which were actually played) in the mid-season that really hurt the momentum with the team and fan base, too. I know that to play good teams, DU must travel more than most and I accept that, but if there are only six home games, I also hope that half of those home games aren't in February, like last year.
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

Puck - Great points.

The article by Chris Jastrzembski does not include any analysis of incoming players. Considering he is writing an article for every D1 team, I won't be too critical. But clearly, he is missing a big part of the analysis. DU has a very strong incoming class with strength at attack, midi, defense, and goalie positions. Denver needs to rebuild the close defense around Colin Squires. Some of the freshman will probably play important roles on defense this season. There are 6 incoming freshman that play defense/LSM.

Not sure what the schedule will be. But, if you look at 2018 assuming many teams alternate between home and away, Denver will have a little better balance. I think the ND game is in South Bend as the Denver home game was played in California last year. I am hoping that UNC comes to Denver. I think they come here every 3-4 years.

Below is a rough approximation of the 2018 schedule with Utah on it instead. I am sure there are other changes this year as well.

Feb AF Away
Feb Duke Away
Feb CSU Home
Feb Utah Home
Mar UNC Home?
Mar ND Away
Mar OSU Home
Mar Towson Home
Mar Georgetown Away
Apr Villanova Away
Apr St. Johns Home
Apr Providence Away
Apr Marquette Home
DU-fan
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Re: Denver 2020

Post by DU-fan »

Interesting article on Peter Barton expansion ideas from LetsGoDU.

https://letsgodu.com/2019/08/28/five-fu ... expansion/

FIVE FUTURE PLANS FOR PETER BARTON STADIUM EXPANSION
AUGUST 28, 2019 LETSGODU

DU’s Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium sparkled like a diamond when it was formally dedicated on April 30, 2005. The stadium had begun as a old vision from DU to be the first collegiate lacrosse-only stadium, and it began to take shape with a large donation from the family of a local cable industry tycoon as a memorial to the family patriarch, Peter Barton, who had died tragically at age 51 from stomach cancer in 2002. The stadium was constructed before the 2009 arrival of legendary head coach Bill Tierney and the national rise of lacrosse as the fastest growing team sport in America.

But that was all more than a decade ago, and DU’s advantages of Peter Barton are shrinking fast as other universities continue to pour millions into their facilities since then. For example, the University of North Carolina just completed a $35.5 million renovation of its soccer/lacrosse complex and Ohio State announced the construction of a new $20 million lacrosse-only stadium this week. Also, since that completion of Barton Stadium, both Notre Dame and Michigan have built newer lacrosse-only stadiums and other colleges and universities are joining the capital expenditure fray to build the best facilities.

No doubt, Peter Barton Stadium is still a great facility, seating 2,000 people, and providing a very solid game-day experience. DU sells out Barton for nearly every game the men’s lacrosse program plays, and overflow crowds are the norm, forcing late-coming fans to sit on the grassy hill of the Ritchie Center. The locker rooms have been upgraded for the men’s and women’s teams in recent years and the artificial turf playing surface was replaced following a massive rain storm several years ago. But, the 2,000 general admission seats are fewer than many other comparable programs today and offer no growth capabilities. Concessions are not the best for food preparation/delivery and the fan experience is somewhat muted by only north-facing stands. DU’s band has been relegated to play on the distant steps of the Ritchie Center and the game-day experience could be improved vastly with some thoughtful investment.

Of course, the arguments against adding more seating would be that DU only hosts 12-20 (exhibitions, pre-season, regular BIG East season and playoffs) men’s and women’s lacrosse games per year, with little chance to recoup those costs through ticket sales as only 5-8 of those games each year are likely to “sell out.” This is likely why the school has yet to expand Barton, even with more ticket demand.

And then there is the issue of money and the potential conflict of capital priorities with the Denver Advantage which is currently underway making major capital improvements on campus to non-athletics facilities a potential issue.

Additionally, DU does not have an indoor practice facility, and with Colorado’s variable late winter/early spring weather, DU is starting to gradually fall behind its competitors. So, the improving the condition and functionality of Peter Barton Stadium for both practice and games is imperative. Add the fact that the charismatic Godfather of college lacrosse, Bill Tierney, will not be guiding DU forever – and the next several years are the time to develop a solid vision and plan for DU’s lacrosse future.

If we follow the current 2,500 – 3,000 seat model employed by most new lacrosse stadiums, we have identified four possible basic options to upgrade lacrosse facilities, plus a more radical fifth idea:

Option 1: Build More ‘End-Zone’ Seats to Barton Stadium: Probably the easiest and cheapest solution is to build a 1,000 seat student seating section on the Ritchie Center hillside with a party deck on top to complement the main grandstand (less than $10 million?). This could maintain the permanent look of the stadium by matching campus architecture standards. This also would enhance the game day atmosphere for students by giving them their own party area, give the DU pep band a more logical home and open up general admission seating in the main grandstand for more non-student fans. And, it would greatly improve the game day experience for everyone. Another variation on this idea would be building new seating where the Centennial Halls cafeteria sits today. As Centennial Halls (and Towers) are both more than 55 years old now, there will soon come a day when these dorms need replacement, or if the dorm is to stay, building a new dining hall on top of a lacrosse seating section could double as an indoor club space on game days.

Option 2: Add a North Grandstand to Barton Stadium: In a prior article entitled It’s Time to Expand Peter Barton Stadium, we proposed adding additional seating, concessions and restrooms on the north side of the stadium, directly across from the current grandstands. In order to match the current construction aesthetic and construct 1,000 – 2,000 new seats above the current drainage area, estimates indicate that such a project could cost as much as $12-15 million, due in part to the complexity of the current drainage issues there. This idea would enhance the stadium atmosphere by having fans seated directly across from each other, turning Barton’s grandstand into a true stadium experience. This would also enable more locker rooms and concessions to be built, and the larger capacity would not only extend fan comfort but be able to host larger events.

Option 3: Upgraded Multi-Purpose Stadium – Another option (and our least favorite) would be a total makeover of the DU Soccer Stadium into a combined, multi-purpose soccer/lacrosse stadium to improve the game-day experience for both lacrosse and soccer. This is the approach employed by North Carolina, and a combined facility offers the concept of building a second grandstand on the current adjacent Diane Wendt field to expand seating capacity. This of course, likely becomes more expensive ($15 million+), and DU would impact the popular Wendt Field to accommodate the new stadium. This option would also clear Barton Stadium for other uses, such as an indoor or outdoor practice facility or general student use.

Option 4: Double-Decking Barton or the Soccer Stadium: Adding a second level of seating to Barton Stadium or the DU Soccer Stadium (2,000 more seats?) is another option, but perhaps the least likely due to cost and complexity of construction, but if feasible, it could solve the problem of today’s small capacity without significantly expanding the tight footprint of the athletic campus. Doing so would also substantially enhance the look of the facility from a single grandstand to a true stadium, but we imagine these kinds of options would cost north of $15 million.

Option 5: Add Indoor Capabilities: Complicating any Barton upgrade situation that DU may consider is the glaring lack of an indoor practice facility. These facilities are becoming the norm at many schools and can also host inclement weather games. DU has had to play home games at local rival Air Force’s indoor facility and DU’s Big East rival, Marquette, has just built an indoor lacrosse facility. Also, could a more enclosed stadium offer up the opportunity to host more events and on-campus activities for students and the community? Certainly, but would DU want an indoor stadium for lacrosse? Only Syracuse plays all home games in such an indoor facility, and losing the warm-Spring-day-at-the-lacrosse-game would probably hurt.

5A Low Cost – With DU’s recently completed Tennis Park by South High School, the on-campus Stapleton Tennis Pavilion could be converted with a bubble to accommodate lacrosse, soccer and intramural sports during the cold winter months.

5B Higher Cost – Perhaps another more extreme option is turning Peter Barton stadium into an all- weather indoor stadium or at least an indoor practice facility if option #3 (multi-purpose outdoor stadium) were chosen. A cheaper way to accomplish this, again, would be to add a winter air bubble to the field for indoor practice, but, again, that solution is aesthetically unpleasing and unlikely to work at a school such as DU where good quality, permanent architecture is so valued. That option would destroy DU’s unique ‘lacrosse only’ stadium – and come at a huge cost. But, theoretically, it could be an upgrade for both sports while providing indoor facilities as well.

Marquette’s ‘seasonal dome’ cost 3.8 million dollars and is cited as a “recruiting advantage” by the athletic director Bill Scholl. Photo: Courtesy of On Milwaukee

With all the current capital projects taking place at DU, any of these options would have to be privately funded by either a coordinated capital campaign or a private donor. But, it DU wants lacrosse to continue to be a flagship sport for men’s and women’s lacrosse, it will take a plan and serious money.

Assuming private funds could be raised, what option do you favor?
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