Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University men's lacrosse team was brimming with youth and inexperience in 2004, but that didn't keep the Tigers from competing well and putting the building blocks in place for a winning program in the future. The Tigers finished 4-12 overall and 2-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, but they suffered just one loss by a margin greater than six goals and they only finished behind only tri-champions Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan and Denison in the NCAC standings.
The season started with four straight losses, none by more than five goals, and ended with four straight losses, including a pair of one-goal defeats. In between, the Tigers went 4-4, including an exciting 12-11 NCAC victory over rival Kenyon on the road on April 7.
Despite the fact that the Tigers lost 12 of their 16 games in 2004, Wittenberg was outscored by just 16 goals for the season. Their average margin of defeat was just 3.6 goals per game, a deficit of 44 goals in 12 losses. The Tigers absorbed three one-goal defeats, including an 11-10 overtime heartbreaker against perennial powerhouse and preseason conference favorite Ohio Wesleyan at home on April 21, and two other two-goal losses.
Postseason Honors:
Sophomore midfielder Cory Windle (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) earned the team's lone first-team All-NCAC honor after leading the offensive attack with 30 goals, 18 assists and 48 total points. Senior attackman Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) claimed second-team honors after finishing second on the team with 45 total points and tying for the team lead in goals with 30.
Sammy Hong (Dublin, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, finished the season with 39 points and led a large Tiger contingent on the Honorable Mention list. Freshman attacker Adam Morrison (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), sophomore defender Jonathan Smiley (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), senior goalkeeper Kyle Prussing (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) and junior defender Bill Fortune (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South) also garnered honorable mention status.
Super Seniors:
The senior class numbered just five in 2004, but they were all important players who will leave significant holes to fill next year.
Rydquist moved back and forth between midfield and attacker during his four years in the Red & White and excelled throughout. He had his best season in 2004 with 30 goals and 15 assists to finish his career with 64 goals, 35 assists and 99 total points. He is one of four starters who depart via the graduation route.
The others are defenseman Jim Kelley (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), a physical force protecting the Tiger goal for four straight years who was a first-team All-NCAC honoree in 2002, midfielder Andy Buck (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who had two goals and four assists while appearing in all 16 games in 2004, and Prussing, who was a three-year starter, four-year letterwinner and two-time all-conference selection in goal for the Tigers. In addition, long stick middie Andy Labarre (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) used up his eligibility, despite suffering a knee injury that ended his 2004 season after just three games.
Jim Kelley
Youth Movement:
Of 34 players on the 2004 Tiger men's lacrosse roster, just seven were upperclassmen, including the five aforementioned seniors. Twenty-one freshman and six sophomores made up the majority of the players on the roster, leading to much optimism for the future. The Tigers had six players reach double figures in scoring - four freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. Twenty-two players appeared in at least 11 of the 16 games in 2004 - 13 of whom were freshmen.
That class of first-year students was led by the outstanding offensive quartet of Hong, Morrison, Jay Shimko (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) and Cory Griffiths (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson). Hong finished with 28 goals, 11 assists and 39 total points, Morrison added 22 goals, a team-leading 21 assists and 43 total points, Shimko chipped in with 11 goals, four assists and 15 total points and Griffiths wound up with 12 goals, three assists and 15 total points. Defensively, Brandon Schwind (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who appeared in all 16 games and contributed 56 ground balls, and Kevin Owens (Glenview, Ill/Glenbrook South), who started five times in 14 appearances, were among the top freshmen.
The sophomore class is relatively small, but there are several key contributors, led by Windle, who topped the team in goals and total points as he garnered his first All-NCAC honor. Defensively, the top contributor is Smiley, who has two All-NCAC honors under his belt. He led the Tigers in 2004 with 61 ground balls.
Just two juniors are on the roster, but both are key performers and all-conference honorees in the past. Fortune is a three-year starter on defense for the Tigers, and he ranked among the team leaders in ground balls with 49 in 2004. Attacker Trevor Carlson (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) struggled with injuries in 2004 and finished with seven goals, two assists and nine total points in 13 games. In 2003, he ranked second on the team with 26 total points, including a team-best 21 goals, in 13 games, 12 of which he started.
The Coach:
Vinnie Lang (Purdue '93) has compiled an 18-39 record through four seasons at the helm of the Wittenberg men's lacrosse program. He arrived in Springfield after three seasons at Mercyhurst College, including a 2000 campaign in which the Lakers went 8-3 and finished the season ranked 10th in the nation.
Lang played at Oswego State Univesity for four seasons (1984-88), and played for the club lacrosse program at Purdue University for four years. He earned Big 10 midfielder of the year honors from 1992-94. His accomplishments also include second team All-Empire Lacrosse League and team MVP honors at Oswego in 1988.