Hobart and William Smith Colleges

9 January 2013 Hobart Lacrosse Welcomes 14 Newcomers

With a new year comes a new crop of Hobart College Lacrosse Statesmen. When the team begins preseason practices on Sunday, Jan. 13, Head Coach T.W. Johnson will welcome 14 newcomers. The class was recently ranked 20th by Inside Lacrosse in its annual recruiting rankings with two players ranked in the Top 100 overall and both ranked in the Top 25 for their respective positions.

The Class of 2016 brings size, athleticism, and skill to our program, Johnson said. Our staff and returning players have enjoyed working with them this fall and I know the relationships and chemistry will only improve as we prepare for the 2013 season. This is a first-class group of people and we are excited to have them at Hobart.

Matt Opsahl (5-11, 185, A, Potomac, Md./Bullis)
No. 36 ranked first-year attackman by Inside Lacrosse Four-year varsity letterman in lacrosse 2012 second team All-Met 2012 All-IAC Two-time All-Gazette Won three IAC championships Amassed 136 career points Two time All-State in hockey.

Johnson on Opsahl: Matt is an extremely well rounded attackman and is capable of producing for us in many ways.

Bud Graham (6-1, 215, A, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada/Culver Military)
Ranked No. 81 overall by Inside Lacrosse No. 25 ranked first-year attackman Broke Culver Military Academys career point record (222) Two-time All-State selection Two-time state championship Two-year captain Led Culver to the North American Elite League Championship.

Johnson on Graham: Bud is excellent inside. He is a big, strong target and finishes very well in tight.

Frank Brown (6-3, 190, A/M, Salamanca, N.Y./Silver Creek)
Member of the U-19 Iroquois National Team (bronze medal) Three-time first team all-leagueTwo-time All-Western New York Amassed 317 career points Two-time all-league in football.

Johnson on Brown: Frank can play both attack and midfield for us. He runs very well and has excellent hands.

Gavin Llewellyn (5-9, 165, M, Towson, Md./St. Pauls)
Team captain in 2012 Member of the Baltimore Under Armour and Maryland Free-state teams Captain of the soccer team in 2012 Four-year letterman in soccer Two-time MIAA champion in soccer Also played basketball for St. Pauls.

Johnson on Llewellyn: Gavin is really explosive and quick. He will be able to break down a defender and create offense for us.

Sam Washburne (5-10, 175, M, Medfield, Mass./St. Sebastians)
Four-year letterman at St. Sebastians Team captain as a senior Two-time All-ISL selection in lacrosse Three-year starter on the football team.

Johnson on Washburne: Sam is very steady. He plays both ends of the field well and is developing into a shooting threat.

Cooper Stefaniak (5-11, 200, M, Lancaster, N.Y./St. Francis)
Two-time all-league selction Two-time All-METRO team selection Three-time team MVP Produced 219 career points Three-time captain Also played hockey for St. Francis.

Johnson on Stefaniak: Cooper plays really strong. He has a solid frame and gets to the net. He will be someone we can look to create opportunities for us.

Jon Antonio (6-3, 190, M, Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster)
Three-year letterman in lacrosse First team All-ECIC selection Also played basketball at Lancaster.

Johnson on Antonio: Jon has a great frame and is a good athlete. He is developing into someone who can finish from the outside and can use his body to create offense.

Charles Sipe 5-10 185 M Charlottesville, VA/St. Annes Belfield
Four-year varsity letterman First team All-Prep and All-State Set school record for career ground balls Invitee to 2012 U.S. Mens National Under-19 Team try-outs Virginia State Champion in 2009 Also lettered four years in football First team all-conference and second team All-State in football.

Johnson on Sipe: Charles has an opportunity to be a very good face-off man for us. He continues to improve and we expect him to help us continue our success at the X.

Teddy Sisco (5-10, 170, M, Franklin Lakes, N.J./Don Bosco)
Two-year letter winner in lacrosse Second team All-State selection Second team all-county selection Also played soccer for Don Bosco Earned All-State honors in soccer and was a two time all-county selection.

Johnson on Sisco: Teddy is an extremely fast midfielder. He plays tough defense and has the ability to create transition from our D-end. He is excellent off the ground and will help our face-off unit as well.

Luke Miller (6-1, 200, D, Vienna, Va./Gonzaga)
Ranked No. 78 overall by Inside Lacrosse No. 23 ranked first-year defenseman Two-time first team all-league selection First team All-Met Also played football at Gonzaga.

Johnson on Miller: Luke is an aggressive defender. He brings good size and strength to our defensive unit and instantly makes our group more physical.

Tyler Conroy (6-2, 185, D, Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon)
First team All-Catholic League All-Western New York Team captain Defensive Player of the Year Member of the Upstate Under Armour team.

Johnson on Conroy: Tyler has good size and athleticism. His footwork allows him to throw checks on the ball carrier. He also adds a physical presence to our defense.

Lars Zandbergs (6-4, 200, D, Winchester, Mass./Winchester)
Middlesex League first team All-Star Captained both the lacrosse and football teams Named an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star Two-time Middlesex League All-Star.

Johnson on Zandbergs: Lars adds size and athleticism to our defense. He has exceptional feet for his size and plays very physical.

Dmitriy Bakrukov (5-8, 160, D, Dewitt, N.Y./Onondaga Community College)
Won the 2010 New York State Championship at Jamesville-Dewitt Defensive MVP of the championship game Also was first team All-Central New York his senior year Transfer from OCC.

Johnson on Bakrukov: Dima is not your prototypical defenseman. We like that because of the strengths he brings to the unit. He has excellent feet, has a knack for picking off passes and does a great job doubling the ball carrier.

Dom Facciponte (5-8, 160, G, Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy)
Captain Two-year letterman All-Central New York honorable mention in 2011 and 2012 Section III All-CNY Senior All-Star.

Johnson on Facciponte: Dom made the team as a walk-on. He provides us depth at the goalie position and allows us to get somebody in the cage for our shooters. Although his role isnt the most glamorous, it is extremely important and it shows his toughness and team-first attitude.

Hobarts 111th varsity season opens on Feb. 16, when the Statesmen visit Siena.