NESCAC

[SaltCounty]

Any word on Bowdoin @ Springfield Scrimmage?
Or if other teams in the league had scrimmages (IE. Amherst, Midd, etc.)

[shorelax12]

Gents-- time to get this forum back on track and start talking about the greatest conference in sports, the 'CAC. Below are my pre-season rankings / predictions.

Interested in what others think. Thanks.

You are out of your mind (or a Camel fan) if you think CC is better than Tufts and will beat them in their home opener at Bello. Saying that Hamilton will beat Tufts after they lost 16 seniors last year? Also, didn't Conn's best freshman transfer? I'm not a Jumbo fan and I'll give you that their goalie seems legit, but c'mon man...

Certainly an aggressive take, however, I would not factor in the transfer of a freshman, who remains an unknown quantity, until proven otherwise.

According to Instagram, this is the CC to Trinity freshman transfer. Looks like he could contribute immediately.

Agreed, he certainly has the skill set to contribute at Trinity, but I think that it is short sighted to think that the fact that he left CC will have major impact on CC. Granted, CC did lose Rainville, but the the current roster can likely make up for his production from last year. As per the NELJ season review discussed earlier, I would be more curious to see what the freshman pole can add to the team, especially considering the strength of their defense.

[Harlem-lax19]

Anyone confused about the love for Conn going on in these posts. I understand that they had a good season last year and only graduated Rainville and Venturilli, but if we don't even leave the state of CT it seems like Trinity is poised for a better year. Trinity also only graduated 2 contributors, Ike and Werner and returned the rest of their team (same as Conn), they beat Conn head to head last year, went on the road and beat both Hamilton and Wesleyan, and was 1 or 2 goals away from upsettting Williams on the road and heading to the Nescac Semi's. Also, everyone is talking about Trinity getting a lot of talented transfers coming in, so it seems like last year they were better than Conn (they beat them), they lost only 2 players just like Conn did, and they now gained a lot more talent than Conn with all the transfers they got. So why is Trinity so low on these rankings and Conn so high???

[shorelax12]

Anyone confused about the love for Conn going on in these posts. I understand that they had a good season last year and only graduated Rainville and Venturilli, but if we don't even leave the state of CT it seems like Trinity is poised for a better year. Trinity also only graduated 2 contributors, Ike and Werner and returned the rest of their team (same as Conn), they beat Conn head to head last year, went on the road and beat both Hamilton and Wesleyan, and was 1 or 2 goals away from upsettting Williams on the road and heading to the Nescac Semi's. Also, everyone is talking about Trinity getting a lot of talented transfers coming in, so it seems like last year they were better than Conn (they beat them), they lost only 2 players just like Conn did, and they now gained a lot more talent than Conn with all the transfers they got. So why is Trinity so low on these rankings and Conn so high???

I think that a lot of the discussion about Trinity has focused on having the talent, but also being able to do something significant with that talent. As for Conn, you make some valid points, but obviously everything has to be put into perspective in the NESCAC head-to-head games. Not sure if many folks had Conn beating Wes and Williams, and losing to Tufts by 1 in the last few minutes of a back-to-back game on their Bingo cards, but again, that is the NESCAC. Ironically, most probably thought that Conn would lose to Wes and Williams, and get blown out by Tufts, but perhaps beat Trinity. That being said, it does seem like Trinity has brought in some interesting talent, so as I said above, it seems to be a matter of putting those pieces into place, which I suspect is a strong possibility.

[snowbunnylover]

are we sure trinity has all these transfers? kinda seems like a lot of talk with no proof. not that I know much but I don't think those undesciplined pricks in Hartford will be any better this year than they were last. Conn has some magic with coach nagle, and a strong returning group. apparently bates recruitment techniques are starting to work aswell.

[Unknown Participant]

Gents-- time to get this forum back on track and start talking about the greatest conference in sports, the 'CAC. Below are my pre-season rankings / predictions.

Interested in what others think. Thanks.

You are out of your mind (or a Camel fan) if you think CC is better than Tufts and will beat them in their home opener at Bello. Saying that Hamilton will beat Tufts after they lost 16 seniors last year? Also, didn't Conn's best freshman transfer? I'm not a Jumbo fan and I'll give you that their goalie seems legit, but c'mon man...

Certainly an aggressive take, however, I would not factor in the transfer of a freshman, who remains an unknown quantity, until proven otherwise.

According to Instagram, this is the CC to Trinity freshman transfer. Looks like he could contribute immediately.

Cool, happy to see no Roxbury Latin defense getting burned by this kid in his highlights

[Laxguy456]

Anyone confused about the love for Conn going on in these posts. I understand that they had a good season last year and only graduated Rainville and Venturilli, but if we don't even leave the state of CT it seems like Trinity is poised for a better year. Trinity also only graduated 2 contributors, Ike and Werner and returned the rest of their team (same as Conn), they beat Conn head to head last year, went on the road and beat both Hamilton and Wesleyan, and was 1 or 2 goals away from upsettting Williams on the road and heading to the Nescac Semi's. Also, everyone is talking about Trinity getting a lot of talented transfers coming in, so it seems like last year they were better than Conn (they beat them), they lost only 2 players just like Conn did, and they now gained a lot more talent than Conn with all the transfers they got. So why is Trinity so low on these rankings and Conn so high???

I have Conn high in my pre-season ranking also, the Camels return all but two starters. They will have to figure out the third close D (played by Venturelli last year) – not sure you would want a freshman starting at close D (as mentioned in the New England Lacrosse Journal article) - maybe move Junior LSM Nick McLaughlin to D.

On the offensive side of the ball, they have all their leading point getters back from last year (less Rainville):

JJ Ford 38
Aidan McAvoy 27
Liam Horkan 26
Patrick Atkins 26
Jack Tenzer 21
Bobby Chang 19
Colter Lingelbach-Pierce 11

Will be interested to see the impact of new OC Grippe and if they can figure out how to use Jack Tenzer (D1 size Midfielder) consistently in the offence.

As for Trinity, they lose Harrison Ike and Ryan Werner (32% of goals and 40% of dimes) and even the New England Lacrosse Journal had them listed as a Dark horse and in the article, there is no mention of transfers...

As for the head-to-head, last year one of Conn's attack went 2/12 and Camels lost by 2...

[wavylax2655]

Gents, been following the NESCAC since COVID-19 and would love everyone's thoughts on pre-season All-NESCAC teams. Given the "super seniors" at some of the CACs, I will include those that I know are returning for possible fifth years.

Player of the Year:
Will Byrne, Bowdoin - feel like this is written in the stars. He has always been able to win his matchup and inflict his will on a game with his size and left hand, but I am curious if he can take the next step and win tough games for this Polar Bear squad, specifically rivalry games like Amherst and Midd (which they went 0-3 against in 2023).
Rookie of the Year:
I have no clue on this one, feel like Tufts may have a freshman come to the forefront, but without rosters being released and scrimmages just getting going, this could be anyone.
Coach of the Year:
Sean Woods, Amherst - with the amount of talent Amherst graduated on both sides of the ball and the consistent level Amherst has been at in the two short years Woods has been at the helm, Woods will figure out how to win tough games and stay at the top of the NESCAC in 2024. Surprised he hasn't won one yet, but this could be the year for him to make a statement.

1st Team:
A - Will Byrne, Bowdoin, Sr. (2023 1st Team)
A - Billy Curtis, Midd, Jr. - if Midd wants to win it all, they need Curtis to take the keys of the offense and he has more than enough firepower around him to dominate this year
A - Jake Bennett, Amherst, Sr. - expect a breakout year from Bennett with the mass exodus of offensive talent from Amherst. Thought he was the best offensive player for Amherst in several games last year, even if his stats didn't reflect that
M - DJ Dixon, Wes, Sr. (2023 1st Team) - the best middie in the conference for my money when he is on, and Wes will lean on him and Giancola to make plays the whole year
M - Charlie Tagliaferri, Tufts, Jr. (2023 1st Team) - don't know what Tufts will do with him this year, but if he runs out of the box he is a for sure first-team caliber player
M - CK Giancola, Wes, Sr. - Dixon's right-hand man and arguably the smoothest and most accurate shot in the NESCAC. Teams will have to double-pole the midfield to contain these two, and even that might not work
D - Joey Waldbaum, Tufts, Jr. (2023 1st Team) - another staple to Tufts junior class, and the entire team in general. If NESCAC had DPOY, he would be the favorite
D - Luke Simpson, Midd, Super Sr. (2023 1st Team) - Simpson does it all for Midd and they will need him to be that presence in the middle of the field, while also covering the other team's top guy
D - Lawson Laverty, Amherst, Jr. (2023 2nd Team) - the only defenseman that was able to hold Byrne to 3 points in both games last year should take a massive leap as a leader of the Amherst defense. Look for him to eliminate the other team's best player
LSM - Michael Ayers, Tufts, Jr. (2023 1st Team) - another Tufts junior who controls the middle of the field. A four-goal outing against Amherst last year put him on the map, and he is crucial to the Jumbo's success with their run-and-gun style of play
SSDM - Zack Goorno, Bowdoin, Sr. (2023 1st Team) - an old-school Swiss army knife middie who is the heart and soul of this Bowdoin team. The success of the Polar Bears goes as far as Goorno can take them
FO - Ethan Barnard, Bowdoin, Sr. (2023 2nd Team) - another key piece to Bowdoin's success and after a down year in 2023, look for Barnard to have an excellent senior campaign
G - Conner Garzone, Tufts, Sr. - has been consistent in every game for Tufts. Expect him to rise to the occasion in big games and earn some AA honors in the process

2nd Team:
A - Patrick Fitzgerald, Bowdoin, Jr. (2023 2nd Team)
A - Russell Thorndike, Midd, Jr. (2023 2nd Team)
A - Calvin Caputo, Williams, Sr.
M - Justin Pearl, Hamilton, Jr.
M - Jack Regnery, Tufts, So.
M - Patrick Jamin, Midd, Jr.
D - Jed Hoggard, Bowdoin, Jr.
D - Sam Cragin, Williams, Sr. (2023 1st Team)
D - George Panagopoulos, Tufts, Jr.
LSM - Jayme Wilde, Hamilton, Jr. (2023 2nd Team)
SSDM - Peter Cannon, Trinity, Sr.
FO - Nicholas Kopp, Amherst, Jr.
G - Will Rice, Conn, Sr. (2023 2nd Team)

[Can Opener]

Good stuff, Wavy. Thank you. I will throw out one more name:
Noah Robb, D, Bowdoin. Had an excellent sophomore year, but got banged up last season. Remarkable natural athlete and fierce competitor.

[D3LaxFan2]

I know they graduated their whole starting attack, but it seems very improbable that Tufts would have no all conference attackmen.

[snowbunnylover]

after some thought, ive made my preseason predictions

no 1 - bates
no 2 - Colby
no 3 - trinity
no 4 - tufts
no 5 - conn
no - 6 who cares at this point

maybe some hot takes here, Ive heard a lot of good things about trinity frehshmen Brock narciso and my son who attends Philip Exeter, played a stud from Andover last spring. Like I said earlier (all four of my sons to go to bates so I am a little biased) but I think that coach annino has everyone figured out this year. Colby continues to grow, and conn is gonna make thier mark this year. Let me know your thoughts.

[Unknown Participant]

after some thought, ive made my preseason predictions

no 1 - bates
no 2 - Colby
no 3 - trinity
no 4 - tufts
no 5 - conn
no - 6 who cares at this point

maybe some hot takes here, Ive heard a lot of good things about trinity frehshmen Brock narciso and my son who attends Philip Exeter, played a stud from Andover last spring. Like I said earlier (all four of my sons to go to bates so I am a little biased) but I think that coach annino has everyone figured out this year. Colby continues to grow, and conn is gonna make thier mark this year. Let me know your thoughts.

Another troll job from a new account alter ego of regulator, laxdad or choochoo I presume.

[Unknown Participant]

I know they graduated their whole starting attack, but it seems very improbable that Tufts would have no all conference attackmen.

Taglieferi will be and probably Regenery too. They both played attack v Brown last Saturday.

[pcowlax]

Great stuff Wavy, thanks for the post. Agree Taglieferi will likely be at attack enough to get an all-league. Dixon is great and will be another NESCAC star with a shot at contributing at a power league D1 team next year. Won’t be all league level but interested to see more of Delcristo from Tufts this year, he is very dangerous in transition and they transition a lot. I also admit I can’t quite get on the Camel train yet (that sounds dirty). It’s probably my bias from years of seeing them be also-rans coloring my perception but I need to see them do it before I can believe they will be a top 3 teams. Excited for Trinity, curious about Amherst and have no idea what to expect from Wes. Can’t wait to get started.

[The12lov3]

Great stuff Wavy, thanks for the post. Agree Taglieferi will likely be at attack enough to get an all-league. Dixon is great and will be another NESCAC star with a shot at contributing at a power league D1 team next year. Won’t be all league level but interested to see more of Delcristo from Tufts this year, he is very dangerous in transition and they transition a lot. I also admit I can’t quite get on the Camel train yet (that sounds dirty). It’s probably my bias from years of seeing them be also-rans coloring my perception but I need to see them do it before I can believe they will be a top 3 teams. Excited for Trinity, curious about Amherst and have no idea what to expect from Wes. Can’t wait to get started.

Spoke to someone at the Brown scrimmage and they said that the starting attack right now is Regenery, Taglieferi, and Stockdale. For context - JB had 29 points his Sophomore year, Braun had 32, and Swank had 5. Fast forward to there Junior and Senior years and these guys were dominate in division 3 (Braun was dominate until he got injured). Point is that Tufts will reload and they will be fine. Every year they lose either their entire offense or defense and people say Tufts will have a down year and that is never the case. Another example, Mac Bredahl had 12 points his freshman year. He was another dominate player in division 3. They will be fine and people will step up. So they will not blow out teams like they did last year - does not matter, a win is a win. Will they be as dominate as last year. Probably not but they will be able to play with anyone in division 3. Guess we will find out the first three weeks of the season when they play CNU and RIT. That will determine how good they are this year.

[RE6ULATOR]

after some thought, ive made my preseason predictions

no 1 - bates
no 2 - Colby
no 3 - trinity
no 4 - tufts
no 5 - conn
no - 6 who cares at this point

maybe some hot takes here, Ive heard a lot of good things about trinity frehshmen Brock narciso and my son who attends Philip Exeter, played a stud from Andover last spring. Like I said earlier (all four of my sons to go to bates so I am a little biased) but I think that coach annino has everyone figured out this year. Colby continues to grow, and conn is gonna make thier mark this year. Let me know your thoughts.

Another troll job from a new account alter ego of regulator, laxdad or choochoo I presume.

Not involved, dude. Leave me alone with your train wreck of a thread.

[Dadof3]

Really great write up Wavy. Thanks for the in depth. Interesting how those all conf break down by team:
Tufts 6 (4 1st; 2 2nd)
Bowdoin 5 (3 1st; 2 2nd)
Midd 4 (2 1st; 2 2nd)
Amherst 3 (2 1st; 1 2nd)
Wesleyan 2 (2 1st)
Williams & Hamilton 2 (both 2 2nd)
Trinity & Conn 1 (both 1 2nd)
Obviously preseason guesses and not totally representative of final team rankings but those top 4 are widely expected to be the top 4 in some order. Should be a wild year as I think anyone in the top 9 can win ‘in any given Saturday’ as we tremendous depth but perhaps with the top dog just a notch off from the last few years level.

[bonesnjnts]

How fun to find this forum. Have to believe its the most active NESCAC thing going. Anyone that could suggest another place to gather NESCAC info, please share.

Now to Trinity...as little as I have. Gotta respect what my son shares, right?

Son feels team really dialed-in in the early going. Good chemistry, pulling together. As far as I could piece together this is ginormous improvement over from season 2 years ago, and last year felt to most kids like the team was coming together. Building something that might be something.
There are 2 or 3 transfers that will help.
Scrimmages this weekend should help define depth chart.

Going to get out to Hartford for the Tufts game on March 9..looking forward to sharing the season as it progresses.

Bones

[bonesnjnts]

he's a freshman transfer that came to trinity in December..

[choochooCharlie]

…figure out how to use Jack Tenzer (D1 size Midfielder) consistently in the offence…

‘Nah mean…

he's a freshman transfer that came to trinity in December..

Ah, the kid from NJIT? Nice. Looked good in fall ball, immediate impact.