Lacrosse Guide 2025

LACROSSE GUIDE 2025

NOW OR NEVER PAGE 3

PAGE 6

PAGE 7

John Mullen’s mysterious and unorthodox lifestyle has perfectly prepared him to continue Syracuse’s faceoff success as a sophomore.

Emma Muchnick rediscovered herself as a player while winning a gold medal with the U.S. Women’s U20 National Team over the summer.

Sam English’s authentic, juvenile self is the perfect archetype to calmly captain Syracuse to win a National Championship.

MYSTERIOUS MULLEN

‘EMMA’S BACK’

VETERAN PRESENCE

2 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

about

Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Culture@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com Photo@dailyorange.com BUSINESS 315-443-2315

The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students.

The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and financially independentfromSU,andthepaperreceivesnofundingfromthe university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations.

This fall, the paper will be published Thursday when SU classes are in session. The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break.

To show your support to The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Donations are tax deductible.

Stephanie Wright

Cooper Andrews

Aiden Stepansky

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Sports Editor Presentation Director Digital Design Director Photo Editor Illustration Editor Video Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Digital Editor Asst. Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor

Art direction by LUCÍA SANTORO-VÉLEZ

Justin Girshon Lucía Santoro-Vélez Cole Ross Solange Jain Flynn Ledoux Joe Zhao Noah Nussbaum Nicholas Alumkal Mauricio Palmar Harris Pemberton Quinn Postman Jordan Kimball

Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Senior Staff Photographer Design Editor I.T. Manager Business Manager Advertising Business Asst.

Circulation Manager Student Delivery Agent

Additional photos courtesy of SU ATHLETICS, USA LACROSSE, RIT ATHLETICS, CANDACE BOSSELL

Jacob Halsema Calysta Lee Arnav Pokhrel Aiden Groeling Maxine Brackbill Joe Zhao Davis Hood Kevin Ross Stephen Santilli Tim Bennett Steve Schultz Robert Gabrik

Graphics by LUCÍA SANTORO-VÉLEZ

The D.O. is published weekly during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 230 Euclid Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210. All contents Copyright 2024 by The Daily Orange Corp. and may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of the editor-in-chief. The Daily Orange is in no way a subsidy or associated with Syracuse University. All contents © 2024 The Daily Orange Corporation

Dear readers, Syracuse men’s lacrosse is ranked No. 2 in Inside Lacrosse’s Preseason Poll, its highest ranking since Gary Gait took over the program in 2022. Bolstered by key players, including John Mullen and Sam English and newcomers like RIT transfer Michael Grace, the time is now for the Orange to end their 15-year championship drought.

On the women’s side, Kayla Treanor has excelled since taking over for Gait, leading SU to two straight Final Fours. Though SU’s roster has drastically changed over the last few years, Emma Muchnick, Alexa Vogelman and Daniella Guyette bring a fresh wave of talent trying to finally get it over the hump.

The Daily Orange’s 2025 Lacrosse Guide has everything you need to know ahead of Syracuse men’s and women’s lacrosse’s ‘Now or Never’ seasons.

Thanks for reading,

JUSTIN GIRSHON SPORTS EDITOR

january 30, 2025 3

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

MYSTERY MAN

John Mullen’s unorthodox routine prepared him to be SU’s star faceoff man

J

By Zak Wolf senior staff writer

ohn Mullen doesn’t like to bring attention to himself. It’s why his favorite color is black. His wardrobe consists of black hoodies, shirts and sweatpants. Sprinkle in some orange — due to his allegiance to Syracuse — or gray, because it’s the closest color to black, and you can account for most of Mullen’s closet.

Mullen feels the color represents his mentality. It gives him a sense of stealth.

“I like to do things when nobody knows that I’m doing things,” Mullen said. “I like to remain a mystery.”

Mullen’s habits say otherwise. They’re anything but a mystery to those around him. His parents, Colleen and Matt Mullen, know too well. On multiple occasions, they’ve picked him up from late night runs because he was cramping so bad he couldn’t walk after a heavy leg day at the gym. To Mullen’s gym friends, he’s known as someone who does reps beyond failure. They also know him for his weird quirks like owning a wooden toothbrush.

When I saw him, I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, this kid’s kind of intimidating.’

Mason Kohn former su player

If Mullen wants to remain in the shadows, he doesn’t do a good job of it. It’s also something he can’t do this season as Syracuse’s starting faceoff man. The sophomore got a taste as a freshman, splitting reps with Mason Kohn. Mullen held his own, going 107-for-185 at the faceoff X, adding three goals in 18 games. With Kohn gone, the position is now his, leaving him responsible for continuing SU’s faceoff success and trying to spark the program’s return to the best team in the country.

Though unorthodox, Mullen knows how to push the right buttons for himself. His late-night runs are a perfect example. They’re often spurof-the-moment, whether at 9 p.m., midnight or 2 a.m. He doesn’t have a schedule, nor does he like running for exercise.

“I hate doing it so much, but I know that most likely no one else is doing that,” Mullen said.

“That’s why I do it and because I don’t want to do it, I feel like that helps me grow. And all I want to do is grow.”

Colleen will sometimes be in the living room watching television when she sees Mullen, decked out in all black, putting on his shoes.

She asks where he’s going but already knows the answer. Colleen often advises against his runs, but knows her son likely won’t listen. Usu-

ally, they last around an hour. That’s if Mullen can finish. Mullen sometimes experiences severe cramps, forcing him to call his parents and alert them where he is.

It’s not a recurring event but happens enough for Mullen’s parents to be ready for it.

“I love the ‘I told you so’ moments,” Colleen said.

Mullen doesn’t like to waste a single second of his day. In his free time, he’ll look through social media as a vessel to motivate himself. He watches videos of old-school bodybuilders like Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler. He’ll also slip in a David Goggins video — who’s known for pushing himself to the extremes — occasionally.

The mentality can be traced back to Mullen’s junior year at Norwell High School. A few years prior, Matt introduced him to weightlifting by starting with free weights in their basement.

Mullen continued to dabble, though didn’t truly commit until later in high school.

He spent five to six nights a week at the Norwell Athletic Center, a local gym, beginning as a junior. Colleen would drop him off before 6 p.m. and pick him up around 8. It helped Mullen go from a scrawny 165-pound freshman to a broadshouldered 205-pound senior that could bench 315 pounds.

Gus Weber, who went to high school with Mullen and attended the gym with him, observed his habits. It was an all-business-like approach. He often walked in with a black hoodie covering his head without saying anything. He’d give a small head nod to acknowledge Weber before getting to work.

Mullen would break his silence when he needed someone to spot him while he bench-pressed.

He often did as many reps as physically possible.

It wasn’t uncommon to see Mullen back on the bench with barely any rest for a few more reps.

Nobody batted an eye because they know how Mullen operates.

I like to do things when nobody knows that I’m doing things. I like to remain a mystery.

John Mullen

“He’s got the same knucklehead approach,” Weber said. “It definitely has evolved, but it has the same, ‘I’m gonna go as hard as I can’ (mentality).

Mullen had less of a “knucklehead approach” when refining his faceoff skills. He started obsessing over the position in fifth grade playing for Kings Lacrosse, a local club in southern Mas-

sachusetts. It led to Matt buying him a 10x10 foot piece of turf to practice faceoffs in his basement.

Matt found Mullen practicing faceoff timing almost every night, with YouTube videos simulating a referee’s whistle. Matt eventually took over and blew his own whistle, before joining in to simulate live reps. A hockey player by trade, Matt always lost to Mullen due to the difference in skill.

“His intensity with everything he does, he figures it out. He learns it, and he perfects it,” Matt said.

Mullen became elite due to his work with Joe Nardella, the founder of high-level faceoff training program Faceoff Factory. Nardella’s professional experience helped Mullen polish his technique while providing a necessary challenge against stiff competition. In middle school, Mullen faced off against high schoolers, and by the time he was in ninth grade, Mullen was competing and winning against Division I players.

“His hand speed was elite, from the time he was younger all the way through high school,” Nardella said. “That’s what really separated him from a talent perspective at an early age.”

At Norwell High School, Mullen dominated at the faceoff X. He also contributed as a midfielder on both sides of the ball. Mullen turned down offers to play for various prep schools, preferring to be the underdog. It suited his mindset of not wanting to be in the spotlight.

During Mullen’s three varsity seasons, he recorded 64 goals and 73 assists, helping Norwell — a program that never made a state championship — to three straight title game appearances and victories in his junior and senior years.

It was hard for Mullen to remain discreet. He was ranked as Inside Lacrosse’s No. 68 overall recruit in the 2023 class and received interest from blue-chip programs like Syracuse, Maryland and Penn State. Mullen’s connection with SU was fostered early. Nardella had reached out to then-defensive coordinator Dave Pietramala when Mullen was in ninth grade.

Nardella told him Mullen was “his type of guy.” Someone that didn’t say much, will do everything you ask and probably more. A relationship was fostered from there, and once Mullen was allowed to visit schools after Sept. 1 of his junior year, Syracuse was one of his first stops.

According to Matt, it took a quick conversation with Pietramala, offensive coordinator Pat March and later Gary Gait for Mullen to be sold. They barely walked around campus, but the staff told Mullen they thought he was the most underrated faceoff man in the country. Mullen committed nine days after the visit on Sept 20.

Two years later, back on Syracuse’s campus, Mullen texted Kohn — a then-incoming Tufts transfer — the day he moved in to work out. Kohn had an injured wrist and could only faceoff onehanded, but obliged.

“When I saw him, I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, this kid’s kind of intimidating,’” Kohn said.

Kohn described that session as “unremarkable” due to his injury, but once he was cleared to return in December, it was game on. During their first live session together, they took about 50 faceoffs. Mullen smoked him, winning about 40 of them, Kohn said.

The sessions became a recurring theme throughout the season. Sometimes, they faced off to the point of exhaustion. Eventually, Kohn started getting the better of Mullen.

“Every time I was going out, no matter who I was playing all year, I was like, ‘At least I’m not facing off against John,’” Kohn said. “He has the capability to pull your pants down and just take the ball from you every single time. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

It wasn’t just Mullen’s on-the-field skill that stood out. Oftentimes, 45 minutes after team lifts, Kohn would see Mullen in a full sweatsuit completely drenched. He’d have four or five plates on a squat rack or bench press, pushing himself so hard that he’d be screaming.

Kohn said he’s never seen anyone work even close to as hard. It’s that combination of drive

and skill that makes him think Mullen can be a Tewaaraton Award finalist one day.

At that point, it would be nearly impossible for Mullen to remain unnoticed, even if he did wear all black to the ceremony. zakwolf784254@gmail.com @ZakWolf22

68 John Mullen was ranked Inside Lacrosse’s No. 68 in the 2023 class

34 Syracuse scored 34 goals off Mullen faceoff wins in 2024

%

57.8 Mullen’s faceoff win percentage in 2024

18 Mullen won a career-high 18 faceoffs in SU’s win over Towson

4 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

MEN’S PREDICTIONS Syracuse men’s lacrosse entered the 2024 season with raised expectations. Head coach Gary Gait knew it. Star attack Joey Spallina knew it. Everyone knew it. It was time to bring SU back to the “Orange Standard” from Gait’s heyday as a player in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

While they had their best campaign of Gait’s three-year head coaching tenure — winning an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2017 — the Orange bowed out prematurely, falling to Denver in the national quarterfinal.

With missed opportunities comes an even higher standard for Syracuse. The Orange enter 2025 in their best spot on paper since Gait took over, ranking No. 2 in the nation behind Notre Dame. Though, the question remains if SU can put its playoff demons behind it and return to the sport’s pinnacle for the first time in 16 years.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse men’s lacrosse will fare in its highly-anticipated 2025 campaign:

2021

2022

2023

2024

?

20 Gait hired

Miss NCAA Tournament

Miss NCAA Tournament

Loss in Quarterfinal

COOPER ANDREWS CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR 11-3 (3-1 ACC) MVP: JOEY SPALLINA | X-FACTOR: JIMMY MCCOOL Gait’s program is poised to take a massive leap in 2025. The Orange will cement themselves as national title contenders after earning substantial regular-season road victories over Duke and Virginia.

They’ll make their first Final Four since 2013. I even think Spallina will be Syracuse’s first Tewaaraton Award winner since Mike Leveille in 2008.

But one thing has defined Gait’s head coaching career: he hasn’t won it all. From 2007-21 as SU’s women’s head coach, he made three NCAA Championship games and won none. And even in, arguably, his best chance to end that drought, Gait’s national title record will drop to 0-4 come May. I envision Notre Dame being too much for Syracuse to handle in the postseason. The Fighting Irish are an impenetrable steamroller. While the Orange are uber-talented, their hype still rests on hypotheticals: if Jimmy McCool can play better in net than Will Mark, if Spallina can control every game, and so on.

This season will be an improvement from the last, no question about it. Owen Hiltz’s return makes SU’s attack the best in the country, and RIT transfer Michael Grace solidifies a lethal long-pole tandem with Billy Dwan. But I think the Orange will fall inches short of a magical title run.

ZAK WOLF PUT UP OR SHUT UP 11-3 (3-1 ACC) MVP: OWEN HILTZ | X-FACTOR: JOHN MULLEN This time last year, I was writing about how Syracuse needed to make the NCA A Tournament to show progress under Gary Gait. It did that by making the quarterfinals. The natural progression is to now make the Final Four. It’s a high bar to set, but for this group, it’s not too lofty. The coveted 2022 recruiting class — led by Spallina — are now seasoned veterans, ready to compete for a national championship.

Spallina is obviously what makes this team go, but the team’s strength is its attacking depth. I expect a mammoth season from Hiltz, while guys like Finn Thomson and Trey Deere can also provide adequate options.

This offense is going to be hard to contain, which is why their success could be dictated by how John Mullen performs at the faceoff X. As a freshman, he went 57.8% while playing second fiddle to Mason Kohn. I don’t expect any drop-off, and dare I say, Mullen will be better than Kohn.

This team is good enough to go all the way. Will they do that? For now, the most likely scenario is they’ll make the Final Four but fall just short. But again, it’ll be another step in the right direction.

NICHOLAS ALUMKAL RETURN TO THE PROMISED LAND 13-1 (3-1 ACC)

3 Syracuse’s highest ranking in 2024 was No. 3

88 Joey Spallina scored 88 points last year, the most among returning players

% 51.1

Gary Gait’s winning percentage since taking over as head coach

18

MVP: JOEY SPALLINA | X-FACTOR: MICHAEL LEO Yes, you read that right. Syracuse will be the National Champion in 2024. In Gary Gait’s fourth year at the helm, SU is primed for its first title since 2009 after reaching its deepest NCAA Tournament run since 2017 last season.

Besides Notre Dame, the Orange have the fewest questions of any contender entering the season. Most of the roster returns, with Spallina, Thomson, Michael Leo and Dwan ready to elevate their play. Veterans like Sam English, Hiltz and Carter Rice bring the leadership needed to win at the highest level. SU also added Grace, a key defensive piece to address a unit that struggled to cause turnovers last year.

Still, two key questions remain. First, who replaces Mark in net? McCool is the likely starter, and any improvement on Mark’s 52.4% save percentage could solidify SU’s dominance.

Second, who takes over faceoff duties from Kohn? Mullen’s strong performance last season suggests he’s ready for the larger role.

Syracuse has a complete team. It will play on Memorial Day Weekend for the first time since 2013. And I expect it to edge the Fighting Irish in an instant classic title game, returning the Orange to their proper place on the throne of college lacrosse.

Payton Anderson was the No. 18 class of 2024 player, Syracuse’s highest incoming recruit

TIT BOU

?

january 30, 2025 5

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

2024

2023

2022

2021

Loss in Final Four

Loss in Final Four

Loss in Quarterfinal

Treanor hired

025

TLE UND?

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS In 2024, Syracuse cruised to the Final Four for the second consecutive season. And for the second year in a row, the Orange fell short of a national championship appearance, losing to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Boston College.

Still, SU made great strides. It clinched its first ACC outright regular-season title with an 8-1 conference record. The Orange enter 2025 in their fourth year under head coach Kayla Treanor.

Despite a 49-15 record under Treanor, Syracuse is yet to win an ACC Tournament or appear in the national championship. SU looks to flip the script despite the departures of star players Emma Tyrrell, Kate Mashewske, Delaney Sweitzer and Katie Goodale, among other key contributors.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse women’s lacrosse will fare in 2025:

AIDEN STEPANSKY

2 Syracuse’s highest ranking in 2024 was No. 2

83

“STILL THE SAME” 12-4 (7-2 ACC) MVP: OLIVIA ADAMSON | X-FACTOR: ALEXA VOGELMAN Bob Seger’s 1978 hit “Still the Same” details falling for the same trick over and over again. Or, at least that’s how I interpret it. That’s how Syracuse has fared lately. And despite a few marked changes to the Orange’s personnel, they’ll end with the same result.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. A team consistently making the Final Four is no easy feat. But if I learned anything from last season, there’s a different echelon of women’s lacrosse that only two teams fit into currently. And I don’t see any teams breaking through BC or Northwestern. The Orange will return to Championship Weekend once again, and again fall in the Final Four.

My main concern with this team is the defensive unit.

Sweitzer’s exit for Northwestern along with the exit of Goodale, Hallie Simkins and Bianca Chevarie practically revamps the entire front outside of Kaci Benoit and Coco Vandiver.

Despite departures from leading scorer Tyrrell, Mashewske on the faceoff and Natalie Smith in the midfield, I think Syracuse has answers to fill all offensive voids.

Alexa Vogelman will be key to success, showcasing why she was the No. 5 player in the 2023 class. Olivia Adamson can fill Tyrrell’s role while continuing to build chemistry with Emma Ward. It will be another exciting season filled with huge wins and domination, but come crunch time, SU will fall short.

NOAH NUSSBAUM Olivia Adamson scored 83 points last year, the most among returning players

NEW EMMA, SAME STORY 11-5 (6-3 ACC) MVP: EMMA WARD | X-FACTOR: EMMA MUCHNICK

%

76.6 Kayla Treanor’s winning percentage since taking over as head coach

11 Molly Guzik was the No. 11 class of 2024 player, Syracuse’s highest incoming recruit

Last season for Syracuse, it was the Emmas show. Tyrrell and Ward combined for 114 goals and 59 assists, leading the Orange to one of their best campaigns in recent memory. Their first outright regular-season ACC title. A Final Four appearance. But still, they couldn’t get over the hump and win a national championship.

And after losing numerous key contributors, including Tyrrell and Smith on offense and virtually its entire defense, as my fellow scribe Aiden mentioned, I don’t see SU reaching those same heights in 2025.

With that being said, I do think the Orange will have another strong regular season. They retain second and third-leading scorers Adamson and Ward, who I see having no trouble replicating last year’s success. Syracuse also has a new Emma who should see an expanded role in the midfield in Emma Muchnick, who contributed 14 goals and 13 assists last season off the bench.

Still, I don’t see this being enough to contend with the country’s top teams. Syracuse has shown in recent years it can’t get past BC, including going 0-3 against them in 2024. If SU wants a chance at a national title, it will need to clip the Eagles’ wings. But ultimately, that won’t happen, dashing the Orange’s hopes again.

MATTHEW GRAY “THE STANDARD... IS THE STANDARD” 11-5 (5-4 ACC) MVP: OLIVIA ADAMSON | X-FACTOR: COCO VANDIVER When I think about Syracuse, it reminds me of my hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Since winning their sixth Super Bowl in 2009, they have consistently fallen short in the postseason year after year.

Following Syracuse’s last ACC Championship in 2015, the Orange have found themselves amid a similar plight, bowing out of their last eight conference playoff appearances.

Like the Steelers, wilting when it matters most has become Syracuse’s standard in recent seasons and I have no reason to believe 2025 will be different.

While SU’s attack is weaker, Ward and Adamson should build off their 80-plus point campaigns to guide its attack. Still, after losing draw control specialists in Mashewske, it’s hard to imagine goals will come as easily for SU this season.

Where I believe SU will be held back most will be in the defensive end. Goodale and Chevarie, who accounted for 25% of Syracuse’s ground balls last season, will be missed as SU’s defensive core will have to rebuild around returners. Sweitzer’s transfer has left a noticeable hole in the net, and it may take too long for SU to find a goalie who can fill it.

Despite its slightly new look, I believe 2025 will extend SU’s habit of making noise in the postseason, but never enough to finish the job.

6 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

GOLDEN SUMMER

Emma Muchnick refound her game while winning gold with Team USA

A

s Emma Muchnick and the United States Under-20 squad routed Germany on Aug. 16, Muchnick’s parents, Jennifer and Jack, realized, “The real Emma’s back.” Growing up watching their daughter play, the Muchnicks received the same compliment from other parents: the way she plays, you’d expect her to be a b*tch, but her personality was far from it.

An Under-Armour All-American, Muchnick often overcame any challenge. Then, college came, and something seemed off. Her parents didn’t see the same relaxation. The same comfort.

Transferring to Syracuse for 2024 after spending her freshman year at Maryland partially helped Muchnick, but she still wasn’t back.

With Team USA in Hong Kong, Jennifer saw a “warrior spirit” reappear, and Muchnick was set free.

(Muchnick) in many ways was a heartbeat of the team. Just that person that was going to go out there and compete.

Ann Elliott Whidden team usa assistant coach

“She knew she made it to (Hong Kong), so she belonged, she deserved it,” Jack said. “Once you get to that mental state, you can just relax.”

Following her sophomore year with the Orange, Muchnick played with the top college players in the country on the 2024 U.S. Women’s U20 National Team. As the U.S. played seven games from Aug. 16-24 in Hong Kong, going undefeated and totaling a plus-191 scoring margin en route to a gold medal, Muchnick rediscovered herself as a player. Now, she’s set to star in SU’s midfield as the program chases its first NCAA Championship.

“Playing for the U.S. is truly unmatched,” Muchnick said. “It’s super emotional, because I’m playing for the entire country.”

Initially, Muchnick was forced to decline a chance at her dream of playing for the U.S. As her freshman year at Maryland ended in 2023, an opportunity to try out for the 2024 United States U20 squad opened.

Representing her country on the grandest stage was a bucket-list item for Muchnick. The timing, however, was off. Muchnick entered the transfer portal just before receiving the invitation and knew she couldn’t give her all to both simultaneously.

Devastated, she declined the invite. Muchnick was frustrated in the following weeks, often imagining if things would be different if she wasn’t in the portal. A year later, Muchnick found her footing at SU and began getting back to her old self. Four days before the Orange’s NCAA Tournament game against Stony Brook, Muchnick received a text from Syracuse legend and U.S. assistant coach Michelle Tumolo inviting her to try out again.

It was a second chance at her dream, and she didn’t squander it.

“I knew deep down, this is fate,” Muchnick said.

By Aiden Stepansky digital managing editor Muchnick’s marquee moment came on Aug. 21 in the U.S.’s first playoff game. Playing in the 6-on-6 format, she scored twice, assisted two goals, caused two turnovers and collected four draw controls.

After collecting the Player of the Match honor, Muchnick’s next stop was the stands.

She embraced Jack, Jennifer and her three younger siblings.

Jack admittedly was a “bucket of tears” at the moment. He was proud to see his daughter thriving on a national stage, but he also knew how close she was to not having the opportunity.

Muchnick participated in the National Team Development program throughout her career at Suffern High School (New York) before receiving an invitation again to play for the U.S. following her year at UMD. With the Terrapins, Muchnick scored seven goals in 13 games but entered the transfer portal. She was “torn” on not accepting the invitation.

“It was chaotic. It was sad just to see her internal struggle,” Jack said.

She initially declined, and a year with the Orange was almost complete. Then came Tumolo’s text. Tumolo, along with Northwestern and Team USA head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, said after a few injuries, the coaching staff was looking for midfielders. At Syracuse, Muchnick totaled 27 points.

The invitation afforded her a chance to try out for the team but didn’t fully guarantee a spot.

Everything then began to fall into place. The application process for the team began in March 2023. The camps started with about 100 players and were cut down at each stage.

Muchnick first arrived in June 2024 at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a three-day training camp that cut the roster down to 22. A week later, Muchnick was told she made the cut.

Despite joining the team late in the process, Muchnick’s play style and personality made her a quick fit. Tumolo’s first observation of Muchnick was her speed. Assistant coach and Colorado head coach Ann Elliott Whidden praised her hustle. Together, the coaching staff quickly realized Muchnick was a perfect match.

“As far as coming late, you would have never known. She came right in, and you would have thought that she was there from day one,” Tim McCormack, Johns Hopkins’ head coach and U.S. assistant, said.

Hiller used her in multiple ways on both sides of the field. One of the most used? On the circle.

JMU star Maddie Epke was one of the team’s top draw specialists and instantly built a connection with Muchnick. Both were the only players from their respective schools on the team and grew closer because of it. As Epke secured the draw, Muchnick was there to scoop up the ground balls, dominating possession for the team.

A few weeks after Muchnick made the team, they practiced at Northwestern for the first camp with the final rosters. Chemistry continued to grow within the group as they headed to Stanford before traveling to Hong Kong.

McCormack said the team continued to take shape through their time in Northwestern, using paddle boarding on Lake Michigan to build bonds. On Stanford’s campus, the staff started to see cohesion on the field.

The team’s 15-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong departed at 1 a.m. After reaching

the hotel, they napped for a few hours and began to explore.

Muchnick and Stanford’s Aliya Polisky walked the streets for about an hour, absorbing the new country’s sights and sounds. They reflected on what lacrosse afforded them and assessed the challenge ahead.

13 Emma Muchnick was the No. 13 player in the 2022 recruiting class

The incoming test was a grind. Seven games in nine days. Due to its sub-tropical climate, Hong Kong’s humidity also played a factor. To combat the humidity, players were weighed multiple times a day to ensure their water intake was sufficient.

The U.S. began its quest toward gold by dominating Germany. That’s when Jennifer turned to Jack and said, “The real Emma’s back.”

The beatdowns continued after Germany.

First, a 28-4 win over Puerto Rico. Blowouts versus China and Israel ensued.

When the playoff rounds began, the U.S. continued rolling. Before each game, the team did visualization sessions to stay grounded.

This helped Muchnick be awarded Player of the Match in a stellar game against Puerto Rico, which lifted Team USA to the semifinals.

A 33-1 win over Australia pushed it into the gold medal game, and a 23-6 win over Canada sealed the deal.

The squad was full of talent. Twenty-two players from 14 top Division I programs filled the roster. Yet, Muchnick stood out.

“(Muchnick) in many ways was a heartbeat of the team,” Elliott Whidden said.

“Just that person that was going to go out there and compete.”

Fast forward to Jan. 10, over 18 months after Muchnick thought she wouldn’t play for Team USA, she found herself in Baltimore again. This time, she was receiving her championship ring.

As players received their rings, a video montage played. In the montage was the clip of Muchnick hugging her parents. Jack, once again, cried.

It was a culminating moment.

A misstep at Maryland set her back. Now, she was at the right school and winning gold medals. When deciding to join the Terrapins out of high school, she chose them over Boston College.

At the time, current SU head coach Kayla Treanor was Muchnick’s lead recruiter with the Eagles. Like many young lacrosse players, Muchnick grew up idolizing Treanor. At a Team USA U15 Development Camp, Muchnick and Jennifer were in a hotel elevator when Treanor walked in. Muchnick had just done a camp at Boston College, and Treanor remembered her. After a brief exchange, Treanor exited the elevator, and Muchnick immediately yelled in excitement.

When Muchnick entered the transfer portal, Treanor called her and said, “I can’t believe I have another shot at possibly getting you.”

On her official visit to Syracuse, Muchnick told Treanor the elevator story. At that moment, she realized SU was her place.

“I want to help you win,” Jennifer remembers Muchnick saying to Treanor. “I want to help us win the first national championship here at Syracuse.”

Muchnick’s reason for declining the initial invite for Team USA was to focus on finding her next destination. She found it at Syracuse and achieved her dream of playing for the U.S., too.

With refound confidence, the midfielder’s already received one ring in 2025. The next, Muchnick hopes, will finally get the Orange over the hump. amstepan@syr.edu @AidenStepansky

january 30, 2025 7

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

AUTHENTICALLY SAM As a 5th-year, Sam English’s youthfulness has won over SU’s locker room

By Cooper Andrews managing editor ated and joined the Premier Lacrosse League, though, he knew English was ready to take over because he helps build culture through his personability.

“Sam is unapologetically himself,” Stevens said. “I love that guy. He just wants to sit down and watch a good movie.”

Movie nights quickly bonded English’s current household, which he shares with teammates Spallina, Finn Thomson, Michael Leo, Jimmy McCool and Michael Grace. It’s their go-to activity. The six unwind from the daily grind to bask in Christopher Nolan movies like “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer,” or watch entire movie series like Toy Story and KungFu Panda.

34 Sam English notched 34 points in his first year at SU

F

ew Lego sets are boxed with a significant age restriction. The meticulous construction of colorful plastic bricks can spark child-like wonder in anyone, anywhere, anytime. Just ask Sam English — Syracuse’s 24-year-old captain of the midfield.

His excitement was piqued this past Christmas when Joey Spallina, one of English’s five roommates, gifted him a Star Wars TIE Fighter Lego model for a Secret Santa exchange. Upon unwrapping it, English was pumped. Spallina knew that’d be his reaction. After all, he once saw English bring a Lego Star Wars advent calendar into their house, which Spallina called an “unreal” sight.

Sam was unapologetically himself. I love that guy. He just wants to sit down and watch a good movie.

Jake Stevens former syracuse midfielder

Why does English, a grown man, still play with Legos? It gives him something to keep his mind sharp while ensuring his innocence stays intact away from lacrosse’s violence.

“Damn,” English said, after gleefully describing the “floppy” wings of his prized Lego sculpture of an Ornithopter aircraft from “Dune,” his favorite masterpiece. “I really forgot how much I love Legos.”

English’s youthful antics stand out among his teammates. Now in his fifth and final collegiate season, English is known as the old guy. His relatability allows him to operate as Syracuse’s top veteran presence. He’s an approachable, fun-loving kid trapped in an adult’s body. He’s been through it all on the lacrosse field, but you’d never know it, because he’s too busy thinking about watching scifi flicks or what Lego he’ll build next.

For an SU squad with infinite pressure to win a national championship, English’s authentic, juvenile self is the perfect archetype to calmly captain the Orange’s locker room in 2025.

“We don’t know it right now, but the thing we’ll really miss about Sam is that he’s played in so many games and he really knows how to win,” Spallina said. “He brings so much experience and knowledge, and he’s just an all-around great guy.”

English’s reputation stems from his rise as a prospect at Culver Academies in Indiana before starring with Princeton for three years from 2020-23. Bad luck interfered early, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the Ivy League to cancel all athletics in 2021. But by 2023, he was finally reaching his potential.

A member of the Tewaaraton Award watchlist, English was among the country’s best midfielders. Until he ruptured his spleen in a game against Syracuse on April 8, 2023.

He then, coincidentally, transferred to SU before the 2024 season. The move was propelled by prior connections with former Syracuse midfielder Jake Stevens and current offensive coordinator Pat March, who helped recruit English to Princeton. English became a staple of Syracuse’s midfield, flashing his offensive prowess with 23 goals and 11 assists.

Although English got picked No. 2 overall by the Toronto Rock in the 2024 National Lacrosse League Draft, there was hardly a thought behind his next move. He still lacked a national title and had weathered too much adversity to move on prematurely. English’s parents, Kim and Andrew English, said even the Rock’s front office knew he wanted to run it back at SU. “(Sam) did not think once about going to the NLL,” Kim said. “It’s such a special privilege to play college ball, and there’s no need to wish it away.”

Kim said her son yearned to increase his vocal role in the locker room and wanted to be the man his younger teammates looked up to. So, it was no surprise English was named a Syracuse captain heading into 2025.

Stevens, English’s roommate last year and teammate for nearly a decade, held that distinction in 2024. After Stevens gradu-

“Whether it’s Finn or Joe or Jim or Leo or Gracie, I can sit down and hang out with them at any given time,” English said. “It’s been really helpful for my mental state.”

Their most memorable couch marathon came early this fall. One night, English and his roommates discussed their picks for the best films of all time. “Return of the Jedi” was brought up, and Thomson admitted he hadn’t seen any Star Wars movies before.

While that revelation might’ve offended English’s inner child, he was enthralled at the chance to show Thomson what he’d missed out on.

The roommates burned through the first six Star Wars movies in one sitting; they didn’t watch the last three, since English and Spallina don’t think they’re any good.

English then hatched a plan for the six to dress up as Star Wars characters for Halloween — a night they still laugh about, English said. Grace went as Darth Vader, Spallina was Obi-Wan Kenobi, McCool was Chewbecca, Leo was Yoda and Thomson was Anakin Skywalker.

As for English’s costume, Thomson — a newfound Star Wars fan — knew exactly who his captain resembled best.

“Sam was Han Solo,” Thomson said.

“Because he’s the man.”

Thomson is part of a junior class at Syracuse that’s formed a strong bond with English. Stevens said English emphasized taking

pressure off players in that class — made up of Thomson, Spallina, Leo and Luke Rhoa, among others — which often shouldered the bulk of SU’s responsibilities.

English maintained personal relationships with them throughout the season, Stevens said, and he became their outlet.

Meanwhile, Thomson said English has grown more vocal this year. It’s easy to listen to English, Thomson said, because he’s been in their shoes before.

Spallina said English has filled Stevens’s role as the “old guy,” and he’s increasingly leaned on him heading into this year. SU’s No. 22 believes English understands the pressures of meeting the program’s standard. English tells Spallina to embrace it.

For someone who has played major roles on multiple NCAA Tournament teams, weathered the Canadian lacrosse scene and starred at the United States’ top private school, English is a resource Spallina aims to emulate.

“Sam’s obviously been in every scenario,” Spallina said. “There’s going to be pressure (on me) whether we win or not, and Sam definitely helps me be me.”

Spallina added English’s experience dishing the rock to lethal attackmen at Princeton gives him confidence in continuing to enhance their chemistry. March said English’s distribution is something he wants to increase this season, calling it his strongest trait.

Syracuse’s offensive coordinator has full confidence in English’s ability to be a difference-maker in the midfield and elevate the program to national title status. March is impressed by how English commands every room he walks into and has become the Orange’s calming presence whenever things get chaotic.

“I think he’s ready to try to prove himself,” March said of English’s mentality in 2025.

“He’s very well established, but I also think that, obviously, he wants to be holding that trophy up at the end of the year.”

How English plans to get his mind right throughout Syracuse’s national title quest should be no surprise. In the same way movies influence his life and relationships off the field, they do on the field, too. English straps his headphones on and listens to film scores before every contest, namely compositions from John Williams and Hans Zimmer.

“That’s my go-to for whatever I’m doing,” English said. “It’s been so big for me and my game.”

He said it’s a routine he began at Princeton. At times, he was anxious, or struggling to end a slump. But the high-tempo soundtracks calmed him and allowed him to lock in on the opposition.

Even before his biggest moments on the field, English remains a kid at heart. So, as English blares Williams’ “Duel of the Fates” pregame like he’s about to engage in a lightsaber battle, he’ll feel right at home, as unbothered as his favorite science-fiction heroes. ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews

8 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

january 30, 2025 9

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

FULL CIRCLE

Daniella Guyette grew up watching SU goalies.

Now, her dreams are coming true.

By Matthew Gray senior staff writer

A

s the only goaltender for the Newbury Park High School (California) girls varsity lacrosse team, Daniella Guyette rarely had a day off. The only type of reprieve she and her teammates got was during film sessions when they’d watch Division I lacrosse tape.

To emulate the aggression and play style of top D-I teams, the group often analyzed matchups between Syracuse and Boston College.

Guyette dedicated hours each week to studying highlights of SU’s recent standout goalies, from Asa Goldstock to Delaney Sweitzer, aiming to incorporate elements of their game into her own.

She hoped to eventually find herself in their shoes.

We always talked about how she was gonna be on that team one day.

Charly Taylor newbury park defender

“We watched a lot of Syracuse’s games during high school, and I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that we knew Daniella was going there,” former Newbury Park defender Charly Taylor said. “We always talked about how she was gonna be on that team one day.”

Fast forward to today, the moment has come full circle for Guyette. As she competed with her high school and club teams growing up, Guyette forged her own path to D-I lacrosse in Newbury Park.

Through training individually with past college greats and attending national showcases that put her on Syracuse’s radar, Guyette earned her spot on the Orange. Now, following Sweitzer’s transfer to Northwestern this past offseason, Guyette is poised to become SU’s starting goalie in 2025.

Lacrosse wasn’t the first sport Guyette tried as a kid, largely due to its lack of popularity in her hometown of Newbury Park. As a first grader, she played baseball and football with the boys her age despite her dad’s warning that “girls don’t play those sports.” Undeterred, Guyette continued to play both sports from first to fifth grade.

By playing as a tight end on the gridiron and as a catcher on the diamond, Guyette learned the importance of taking a hit to make a play.

“In football you always take the hits, no worries. In baseball, putting on all the gear, I was like, ‘This is home.’ I think (I gained) that mentality of being able to bear the brunt of any hit just to make sure we win,” Guyette said.

Going into sixth grade, Guyette fully committed to lacrosse and joined her local middle school team, the Newbury Park Prowlers, but was unsure where she wanted to play.

Early in Guyette’s first season with the team, its goalie announced she was moving to the East Coast. The goaltending spot was vacant with the season-opener just days away. Guyette volunteered to take on the role.

Guided by her experience playing football and baseball, Guyette showed potential in her first year between the pipes. Michelle Yarger, head coach of the local LA Aces club team at the time, quickly took notice of Guyette’s poise in the box.

The Aces were also in need of a reliable goaltender, and just over halfway through the Prowlers’ season, she offered Guyette the starting job.

Over the next three years, Yarger helped Guyette and her teammates gain numerous opportunities to develop. Guyette quickly became the sole goalie for three different club teams. “(Yarger) kind of took Daniella and I under her wing and showed us the world of lacrosse in Los Angeles, just because it was much bigger down there (than in Newbury Park),” former Newbury Park attacker Sophia Laubner said.

For most students beginning their high school careers, Guyette’s vigorous athletic and academic schedule would’ve been too much to handle. But for her, it was simply what she felt was necessary to keep improving as a goalie. By the time she finished middle school, Guyette had already competed against top talent from lacrosse hotbeds in California, including San Diego, Orange County and LA. “Daniella would be in sixth, seventh and eighth grade playing on three different club teams, doing eight games a Saturday and eight games a Sunday, because that’s just how it was for her. She thrived off of the pressure,” Yarger said.

When Guyette joined Newbury High School in 2018, Yarger followed her to the Panthers.

Due to the lack of talent around her during her freshman season with the Panthers, Guyette struggled and finished with a lowly 17.9% save percentage. She used it as motivation to find new ways to build her game.

She started by connecting with former D-I goalies to request one-on-one training sessions, such as Stanford’s Lyndsey Munoz and Johns Hopkins’ KC Emerson. Occurring almost three days per week, Guyette often traveled to high school fields or worked on small grass pads at public parks across the LA area.

Occasionally, Guyette would even drive almost two hours from home to learn from Megan Ward, a two-time national champion and the 2016 NCAA Goalie of the Year with North Carolina.

“It was mostly just little tweaks, but mainly their biggest help was just building the foundation of my game,” Guyette said.

When Guyette’s sophomore season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of her teammates saw their sophomore season as a chance to relax and enjoy time with family. However, since lacrosse had been Guyette’s outlet since sixth grade, she didn’t take a break.

Instead, she attended college showcase camps across the country, including ones hosted by D-I powerhouses like Northwestern, UNC and Syracuse. Before she returned to club and high school play as a junior, she’d received offers from those programs and more. Without much hesitation, she committed to the Orange on Sept. 20, 2020.

Before joining SU, Guyette made a lasting impact at Newbury Park during her junior

and senior seasons. Named both team captain and team MVP each season, Guyette led the Panthers to the 2021 CIF Southern Section Championship game and back-to-back conference championships.

“I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have such a great goalie my whole childhood and high school career until I got to college,” former Newbury Park defender Sophia Fadler said. “When I got there I was like, ‘Wow, I thought I was gonna play up and now I’m playing down, because I don’t have Daniella.’”

But just months after Guyette started with SU, she suffered a torn ACL in a preseason workout, forcing her to watch from the sidelines for the entire 2023 campaign. Still, she made the most of the year. During games and practices, she carefully watched and asked Sweitzer — SU’s No. 1 goalie at the time — questions between plays.

As a sophomore, Guyette was finally given a small taste of D-I action and made seven appearances in the box. She even briefly took over in net against Virginia and Clemson amid SU’s run to the ACC Championship game.

While all signs point toward the junior taking over as Syracuse’s top goalie in 2025, Guyette refuses to let complacency get the best of her. She knows from her time in California that nothing is guaranteed, and every time she takes the field, she has to earn it.

“It is very, very hard to get recruited D-I coming from Newbury Park and how she did it is incredible,” Yarger said. “Daniella had to put in so much hard work, and she did a lot of it on her own. She single-handedly got herself to Syracuse.” mgray06@syr.edu @ma77hew_gray

Guyette’s lacrosse journey 2015

Begins playing lacrosse for the Newburry Park Prowlers

2018

2019

2020

Becomes Commits to Enrolls at Syracuse Newbury Park NPH’s starting goalie High School

2021

Leads NPHS to CIF Southern Section Championship game

2022

Leads NPHS to conference championship

2023 2024

Misses season Backup with torn ACL for Delaney Sweitzer

10 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

‘UNDERDOG STORY’

By Nicholas Alumkal asst. sports editor

Michael Grace went from digging holes in Canada to becoming a D-3 National Champion

M

ichael Grace spent the summer leading into his sophomore year at the Rochester Institute of Technology digging holes for his cousin’s company, Bednarz Post Hole Digging, to develop strength. At the end of his freshman season, Grace became a defender and longstick midfielder, desperately needing to bulk up to compete.

By digging fence post holes, putting the posts in the ground and filling the hole with concrete in the hot Ontario summer, Grace said he got in the necessary shape to hit the ground running in his sophomore year. RIT head coach Jake Coon noticed Grace “came back as a different player.”

Over the next three seasons, Grace was instrumental in helping RIT win the 2022 Division III National Championship before becoming a Third-Team All-American (2022) and earning First-Team All-American honors (2023, 2024). Following a senior campaign in which he was awarded the USILA William C. Stiles Memorial Outstanding Defenseman Award, honoring the best D-III defender, Grace transferred to Syracuse for his final year of eligibility. Grace will have a crucial role on SU’s defense following LSM Saam Olexo’s graduation.

In early November 2023, before his senior season at RIT, which ended with an 18-14 National Championship loss to Tufts, Grace sat down with his parents and the Tigers’ coaching staff to discuss his future. They agreed he should go somewhere new for his fifth year, receiving extra eligibility due to COVID-19. Grace officially entered his name into the transfer portal after the season.

Grace said as soon as he entered the portal he “subconsciously” wanted to go to Syracuse. He already knew SU midfielder Sam English from playing box lacrosse with him for the Burlington Chiefs in Canada. He also recognized the program’s pedigree. But he still visited five teams.

Jamie Hunt, Grace’s roommate and fellow defender at RIT, asked Grace about each visit.

Grace recalls talking endlessly to Hunt about Syracuse before visiting it. And when Grace returned, Hunt said Grace couldn’t stop talking about the Orange.

“It wasn’t like I was trying to get information out of him or pick his brain,” Hunt said. “He just kept talking about it. He loved the school, he loved the coaches.”

In April, Grace confirmed his intent to play a grad year at Syracuse to Inside Lacrosse.

At SU, Grace will look to bolster a defensive group that averaged 8.17 caused turnovers per game in 2024, ranking 36th in the nation, and maintain its prowess at picking up ground balls, where it ranked fifth in D-I last year.

Most importantly, Grace joined Syracuse to reach the mountaintop. “(Syracuse) was the best chance to win a national championship this year,” Grace said.

“The coaching staff here is great. We got some great players, and I know I already knew some of the players here, so I felt that this was the best fit.”

2x Michael Grace was a two-time FirstTeam All-American and National Champion at RIT

Grace entered college with experience in box lacrosse, including dropping a series 4-1 to Hunt’s Orangeville Northmen in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League Finals in 2019. But at RIT, Grace had to adjust to field lacrosse.

Grace’s biggest challenge, however, was his position. He was a defender in box lacrosse but was recruited without a set position, eventually starting as an attack.

After playing attack didn’t pan out, he tried midfield. That didn’t work either. At the end of 2020, Grace chatted with the coaches about trying defense. To start the spring season, Grace was put under “trial by fire,” according to Coon, against RIT’s eventual national championship players.

Grace smoothly transitioned, noting it felt natural. Meanwhile, Coon thought the longer

pole complimented Grace’s “rangy” 6-foot-5 frame. Coon said Grace was the first player to switch from attack to defense during his 15-year tenure at RIT. And Grace flourished, capping his RIT career with 217 career ground balls and 77 caused turnovers.

Both Coon and Hunt stress Grace made the most improvement on his own. Part of that entailed digging holes for his cousin’s company.

But Grace also said he became “a whole new athlete” in summer 2021, grinding in the weight room, running and developing his stick skills after three RIT defenders graduated.

“Once I recognized a spot was open, I put my head down and put all that work in,” Grace said.

Hunt and Coon said since Grace had limited field lacrosse experience, he was malleable to a position switch. Grace had developed strong footwork playing defense in box lacrosse and basketball. He swiftly applied it to field lacrosse.

Hunt observed Grace’s endless drive to improve. He frequently trained with Grace, who’d push him to do more speed work and conditioning, and said it’s a testament to Grace’s determination to hone his game outside of the spotlight.

“It seemed like he had a never-ending motor,” Hunt said.

Coon sees Grace’s hands as one of his greatest strengths, along with using his high IQ to create beneficial angles to defend effectively. But he still was “shocked” how seamlessly Grace adapted as a defender. Hunt said it became easy to play with Grace on defense.

“If something breaks down, then you can count on him to make a big play in the key moment,” Hunt said.

Grace also played other roles for the Tigers.

Coon said he’d do whatever the team needed, whether it was on the wings, as a LSM or close defender. Coon would also design plays for Grace on offense, leading to his 20 career goals.

Coon recalls one play where RIT’s defensive midfielders would venture into the offensive zone, clearing space in the middle. The Tigers would then simultaneously substitute two players, with one heading into the offensive zone. The second was Grace, who positioned himself on the backside. The opposition would be forced to sub, too, and RIT ended up with

a six-on-five with Grace open, where he could cash in on the opportunity.

Grace’s sophomore year ended with RIT’s second straight national championship, the first of which he didn’t play in after only playing in three games throughout the campaign. This time, he played a major role for the Tigers, snagging 59 ground balls and forcing 20 turnovers.

Grace calls the 12-10 national title-clinching victory over Union the “best moment of his life.” He relished the month of postseason play after classes finished, saying it felt like a professional environment with the team solely focused on lacrosse.

Grace was hungry to taste a national championship again. After falling to Tufts 15-11 in the 2023 semifinals, the Elephants downed the Tigers 18-14 in the Championship last year.

Grace said he thinks about the 2024 Tufts loss every day. He thinks about what he could’ve done differently. He thinks about the ground balls he could’ve picked up. He thinks if he could’ve played harder.

With that desire driving him, Grace chose Syracuse. He said he clicked with the coaches, especially defensive coordinator John Odierna, and was excited to play under head coach Gary Gait — a fellow Canadian who Grace called the “GOAT of lacrosse.” Gait shares a similar feeling about Grace.

“I love Michael Grace,” Gait said. “He gives us some more size on defense, but I think he’s got a great lacrosse IQ and I think he’s going to fit in very well with our defense.”

However, Grace’s story will live on at RIT. Coon said he tells Grace’s journey — going from an attack with limited field lacrosse experience to becoming the best defenseman in D-III — to prospective recruits and younger players. Hunt calls it an “underdog story” and says it’s hard to comprehend Grace’s achievements.

Grace also can’t believe how far he’s come.

But he’s in the present, looking to rediscover that national championship feeling at Syracuse, which is trying to snap its 15-year drought without a title.

“I couldn’t imagine being here five years ago, but I made it here now. So let’s do it,” Grace said. njalumka@syr.edu @nalumkal

january 30, 2025 11

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

BACK AND BETTER

By Noah Nussbaum asst. sports editor

Top recruit Alexa Vogelman is ready for stardom after freshman-year ACL tear

W

ithin hours of a flight to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was trying to stamp her spot on Team USA’s Under-20 team, pain engulfed Alexa Vogelman. In the final 10 minutes of SU’s practice on Oct. 13, 2023, Vogelman competed in a two-player drill. She took a wrong step while dodging a teammate and landed awkwardly on her right leg.

The five-star freshman midfielder knew her chances of competing with Team USA and at Syracuse in the spring were gone. Soon after, it was revealed she tore her ACL. After a year-long rehab, Vogelman is set to play a major role for Syracuse as it tries to win its first National Championship. Vogelman brings replenished talent to the Orange, as she was rated Inside Lacrosse’s No. 5 player in the 2023 class. Following the departures of top scorers Emma Tyrrell and Natalie Smith, she’ll be thrust into a pivotal role in SU’s midfield alongside Emma Muchnick.

“It’s been a long three years since I’ve been committed to finally being able to practice and to be in these moments,” Vogelman said. “So there’s definitely a ton of eagerness, a lot of excitement, as the season’s about to start.”

Vogelman excelled on both sides of the ball for her club team, NXT Black, and Owen J. Roberts High School (Pennsylvania). The Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, native totaled 268 goals, 140 assists and 275 ground balls in three seasons with OJR, becoming a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American.

Vogelman felt defeated after her injury. Sensing the emotions, her best friend and current Florida midfielder Gabbi Koury flew to Pennsylvania to surprise her after her surgery.

Koury coordinated with Vogelman’s father, Steve, to let her in their house. With Koury in the kitchen, Vogelman walked in and was confused.

She questioned how Koury got there, but the surprise lifted her spirits.

“As soon as I heard about the injury, I flew home because I knew she was struggling a little bit,” Koury said. “ She seemed really happy, and I was just glad I could be there for her during that hard time.”

By mid-December, Vogelman began walking without a brace. In March, she was cleared to jog and make small lateral movements. Still, Vogelman was hampered by patellar tendinitis in her knee, preventing her from running or jumping until the summer. Consequently, her rehab was extended by three months.

Once Vogelman cleared that hurdle, she worked on changing directions with a physical in Maryland. It was initially a mental challenge since her injury occurred while dodging, though she persevered and was cleared in October.

After her rehab, Vogelman looked at her injury differently. She felt grateful she could walk and learned to enjoy every moment.

“As crazy as it sounds, I think tearing my ACL was one of the greatest things that could have happened to me,” Vogelman said. “It was a very humbling moment, and it taught me a lot of life lessons.”

Since beginning to play lacrosse in second grade, Vogelman rarely endured hardships. In fifth grade, Vogelman and her friends joined NXT Black. She paired with Koury and last year’s ACC Freshman of the Year, Virginia’s Kate Galica, to form one of the best midfield lines in the country.

“I can probably count on one hand how many games we lost,” OJR and NXT teammate Avery Wentzel said.

On the verge of making USA U-20 Team On the verge of making Enrolls at USA U-20 Syracuse Team

August

2023

when she was double-teamed, someone was usually unguarded in front of the goal.

Despite Vogelman’s individual accomplishments, the Wildcats struggled to win when it mattered. As a sophomore, after an undefeated regular season, they were demolished 13-4 by Radnor High School in the District I Quarterfinal. The next year, OJR lost the district and state quarterfinals, capped by a triple-overtime defeat to Garnet Valley High School.

“It’s a pretty brutal blow. You work so hard in the season to get that state championship,” Vogelman said. “I think losing in those moments is honestly more motivating than anything.”

In Vogelman’s senior year, with nine D-I commits, the stars aligned. The midfielder had her best year, ranking 11th nationally with 181 points and 20th with 117 goals. OJR finished 27-1 and made the PIAA state championship.

On June 17, 2023, the Wildcats traveled to Penn State’s Panzer Stadium to face Penncrest High School, looking to avenge their previous losses. Though the Wildcats led at halftime, Vogelman delivered a powerful halftime speech after Penncrest dominated at the end of the first half. She told the team to focus on the little things and keep winning small battles, echoing Schlesinger’s sentiments.

As crazy as it sounds, I think tearing my ACL was one of the greatest things that could have happened to me.

Alexa Vogelman

This helped Vogelman develop her skills as a distributor. She embraced a supporting role alongside 14 future D-I athletes, often working behind the goal to distribute the ball and set up teammates for scoring opportunities.

“She always had the ability to be a humongous scorer, but she’s so unselfish that she would do whatever the team needed,” NXT Executive Vice President Candace Bossell said.

Vogelman followed eight of her NXT teammates and head coach David Schlesinger to OJR for high school. After her freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vogelman’s confidence ballooned as a sophomore. She started taking more shots and “set the world on fire,” Bossell said.

She also improved her shot placement.

Schlesinger said many young players attempt “SportsCenter shots.” Schlesinger stressed to Vogelman that shooting in the

njnussba@syr.edu @Noahnuss99

Road to recovery Cleared to return Starts walking without a brace

Tears ACL during final minutes of a Syracuse practice

right place was more important than how the shot looked.

“Once Alexa realized that it was just as much fun to make a goalie look silly through multiple fakes and getting her completely out of position (as) powering a shot to a high corner, that was a huge development in her game,” Schlesinger said.

Vogelman recorded 72 goals and 28 assists in the campaign. When her recruiting window opened on Sept. 1, 2021, she was overwhelmed with calls.

The midfielder narrowed her choices to SU, Maryland, Florida, Virginia and Michigan.

Though, after visiting Syracuse in mid-September, she realized its coaches shared her winning mindset. She committed to the Orange a few days later.

In her junior year, Vogelman faced more pressure. But it rarely worked. Vogelman’s speed helped her blow by defenders, Koury said. Or,

And it worked. Vogelman dominated the draw controls in the second half while totaling nine points. OJR pulled away to win 17-9, giving Vogelman a sense of relief.

“Getting close was becoming frustrating to the team, especially to the leaders like Alexa,” Schlesinger said. “So I think when we won, it was just certainly joy and some fashion of relief that we got over the hump.”

With her high school career over, Vogelman began preparing for Syracuse. She attended the first stage of the U20 tryouts and was a “slam dunk” for the 40-player training team, per Schlesinger, who was an evaluator.

Then, on July 29, 2023, she competed in the New Balance All-America game at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field. Despite playing just two halves due to cramps, Vogelman scored four goals, capturing the MVP and leading her squad to a 14-10 victory. Though, afterward, when Bossell and Vogelman met up, the honor wasn’t at the top of her mind.

Instead, her first words to her coach were, “Now I want to win a championship.”

After missing that chance last year with Syracuse, a national title is well within reach for Vogelman in 2025.

“I’m just very grateful to be healthy and to be able to play with my teammates and to finally get that opportunity to learn from my coaches,” Vogelman said.

Cleared to jog

Hampered by patellar tendinitis in knee

Rehab extended by three months

October

2024

12 january 30, 2025

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com