2002 Season Outlook

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Junior goaltender Tripp Way

The Wittenberg men's lacrosse team has a lot of holes to fill in 2002, but second-year Head Coach Vinnie Lang feels the Tigers have a great deal of potential. Coming off a 5-7 2001 campaign in which the Tigers finished fifth in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 1-4 record, Lang says his players are now understanding his system and are beginning to respond positively.

"I've got high hopes," said Lang, who arrived at Wittenberg in 2001 after three years at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. "The guys are used to the system now, and they now know what to expect.

"We learn from each other each day. I think they're beginning to believe in themselves and what they're capable of."

The latest edition of the team is a fairly even mix of veterans and newcomers. The Tigers have a lot of offensive production that must be replaced after losing leading scorers Mario Cassani and Shawn Egan to graduation last spring. A variety of players, including incumbent starters and double-digit scorers Alex Nichols (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney), Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./Desmet Jesuit), Zach Kulow (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), a senior, two juniors and a sophomore respectively, will be called upon to lead the offense in 2002. In addition, junior Spencer Dunning (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont), junior Tom McHugh (St.Louis, Mo./Desmet Jesuit) and freshman Cory Essig (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) are all players Lang expects to contribute significantly to the offensive attack.

Junior long stick midfielders Wes Enicks (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) and Ross Mellgren (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview) are playing well, combining with a thin but solid defensive group that is led by senior Jon Simon (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller), senior Andy Oliver (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette) and sophomore Jim Kelley (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson). In the net will be either 2001 starter, junior Tripp Way (Wayne, Pa./Radnor), or sophomore Kyle Prussing (Concord, N.H./Carlisle).