Under the direction of Head Coach Alec Chisholm, the Muskingum men's lacrosse team will look to push for an OAC Tournament berth in the 2023 season.
The Coach: The Muskies are led by sixth-year Head Coach Alec Chisholm. Under Chisholm's guidance, Muskingum has set numerous program records including wins in a season, most goals scored, most assists, most groundballs, most faceoffs won, and he has also coached numerous players into Muskingum's record book for individual accolades. Chisholm arrived in New Concord after previously serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant coach for the Oberlin College men's lacrosse program.
On the Attack: Muskingum's attack unit will be led by standout junior Spencer Zecchini, junior Grant Webster, and senior captain Maxwell Pezzot. During his sophomore season, Zecchini broke multiple program records en route to being named All-OAC Honorable Mention and to the Academic All-OAC list as well. Last year, Zecchini set the program record for points in a season with 61, he tied the program record for goals in a season with 37, set the program record for most assists in a season with 24, and he moved into first place for assists in a career with 33.
Webster enters the 2023 season after enjoying a breakout campaign last year. Webster netted 23 goals last year, placing him sixth in program history for goals scored in a single year. Webster also tallied career-highs in ground balls (26), points (25), and assists (3). Pezzot enters his senior season looking to build off the career year he had in 2022. Pezzot also set numerous career-highs including points (24), ground balls (22), goals (15), assists (9), and caused turnovers (5). Muskingum will also look to freshman Ashton Baker and freshman Josh Nowak to make an immediate impact on the attack this season.
The Midfield: Muskingum's midfield will be led by senior captain Michael Honeycutt, senior Griffin Holiga, junior Jack Watts, and junior Hunter McGuire. Honeycutt, whose been a mainstay in Muskingum's midfield for his entire career, will look to cap off his Muskie tenure with a solid 2023 season. Last year, Honeycutt tallied a career-highs in ground balls (13), points (11), and goals (9). Holiga will look to build on his breakout season last year which saw him set career-highs in multiple categories including points (17), goals (14), ground balls (7), and assists (3). Watts, who played last season primarily as an attackman, will look to contribute to Muskingum's midfield this year. A season ago, Watts registered career-highs in points (26), goals (21), ground balls (17), and assists (5). Along with Watts, McGuire will also look to hold down Muskingum's midfield during 2023. Last year, McGuire tallied career-highs in points (19), assists (14), ground balls (9), and he also registered five goals as well.
This season Muskingum will also look to freshman Tyler Workman to make an immediate impact on Muskingum's midfield. Also looking to contribute for the Muskies this season will be junior Harry Galloway Jr., junior Scott Van Iderstine, sophomore Drew Davis, sophomore Logan Coon, sophomore Jackson D'Amico, freshman Chipper Iacobucci, freshman Jacob McDermott, freshman Sam Bolen, and freshman Jack Peyton.
Faceoff: The faceoff position will be headlined by sophomore Drew Schneider. Last season, Schneider set the program record for face-off wins in a season with 170. Schneider also finished with a program record 61.8% face-off win percentage, and he also broke the program record for ground balls in a season with 130. Schneider ranks fourth in program history in career ground balls after just one season.
The Defense: On the defensive side of the field, Muskingum will be led by Senior Anthony Mazzagatti, senior captain Walker Litke, and senior captain Spencer Durso. Mazzagatti tallied 17 ground balls and eight caused turnovers to lead Muskingum's defensive efforts a season ago. Litke enjoyed a solid season in 2022 that saw them notch career-highs in ground balls with 28 and caused turnovers with 22. Durso, who also set career-highs in 2022, will look to build on his momentum this season. Last year, Durso tallied a career-high 22 ground balls and a career-best eight caused turnovers. Durso also tallied the first goal of his career for Muskingum last season.
Muskingum will also look to freshman Nick Cannon to make an instant impact for the defensive unit this season. Also looking to contribute on the defensive side of the field will be junior Austin Stobbs, junior Blake Turano, junior Travis Geyer, junior Evan Showler, and freshman Tegan Holcomb.
In the Net: Leading Muskingum in the next this season will be junior Trevor Connolly. Last season, Connolly enjoyed a career year that saw him make 192 saves which places him third in program history for a single season. Connolly, one of Muskingum's five captains this season, also tallied a career-high 59.8% save percentage last season, and he tallied eight wins in net for the Muskies. Also looking to contribute in net for the Muskies this season are junior Chase Kesler, freshman Zachary Wise, and freshman Jeremy Hollow.
The Schedule: This season, the Muskies will compete in 17 games followed by the OAC Tournament. Muskingum will play eight non-conference contests, as well as nine OAC matchups. Muskingum will open their season on Saturday, February 18, when they travel to take on Anderson (IN.). Muskingum's first home game will be on Saturday, March 11, when they host Oberlin. The Muskies' first OAC matchup will be on Saturday, March 25, when they travel to Berea, Ohio, to take on Baldwin Wallace.
Broadcasts: All home games will be played at the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex on Sherman Field and will feature an HD video stream accessible through the OAC TV app and on fightingmuskies.com.
