Boasting what is believed to be its largest roster in program history, the Drew University men's lacrosse team enters the 2024 season with a strong mix of returning and new players.
 
Under third-year Head Coach Dan Leidl, 42 Rangers hailing from 12 different states and provinces currently dot the roster. The squad brings back 28 players from last year's team, including numerous top offensive performers, its primary faceoff specialist, an experienced goalie, and several veteran defensemen.
 
Offensively, junior attackman Mike DeMayo returns after posting some impressive numbers once again last season, when he led the team with 68 points on 40 goals and 28 assists. Sophomore Ian Curley is also back after netting 26 goals a year ago while classmate Colin Diodato posted four goals and two assists in 2023.
 
Others who will look to make an impact on the attack include seniors Connor Fair and Michael Thomas; juniors Joey Larmore and Parker Wills; sophomore transfer Riley Zeer; and freshman Peyton Makowiecki.
 
The Rangers also bring back plenty of experience in the midfield. Senior Brett Spafford returns after a 26-goal season, as does junior Luke Bruther, who posted 13 goals and eight assists last year. Senior Matt Giordano is also back after recording eight goals and eight assists in his debut with the Rangers last season while sophomore Jake Cornelius returns after netting seven goals and three assists.
 
Junior Charlie Collins supplies Drew with additional depth after posting six goals and three assists over just three games in 2023, a year after a 20-goal, nine-assist campaign. Senior Alex Higgins also returns after netting six goals and two assists last season.
 
Also looking to make their mark in the midfield are graduate student Kyle Weeks; seniors Nico Castellano, Kellum Foster-Palmer, Tommy Larmore, and Alan Norcott; sophomores Josh Burke and Bryan Cohen; and freshmen Conor Kagel and Eli Sanford.
 
At the defensive end, the Rangers bring back an experienced unit that includes senior Tyler McCarthy, who led squad with a school-record 34 caused turnovers while picking up 41 ground balls a year ago. Senior long-stick midfielder David Burke, a First-Team All-Landmark Conference performer in 2022, also returns after posting 27 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers last season.
 
Senior Jordan Wilson (31 GB, 11 CT) and junior Ben Johnson (8 GB, 4 CT) also return as two of the team's more experienced defensive performers. Sophomores Salvatore Desiderio and Cole Kirker are also back while freshmen Corey Garvin, Dalton Gogola, Gabriel Gutierrez, Gabriel Hernandez, Finn Krause, and Louis Tiboldo will help supply the Rangers with additional depth.
 
In goal, sophomore Sawyer Kennedy returns after playing in 12 games and totaling 302 minutes last season, posting a 13.87 goals-against average and a .412 save percentage. Freshmen Joe Barnish and Will Shandlay will also vie for playing time between the pipes this year.
 
Senior GJ Nazziola is back to provide the Rangers with a highly-experienced faceoff specialist. Last season, he won 56.9% (232-408) of his attempts while leading the squad with 129 ground balls. Sophomore Theo Krueger is also back after finishing 25-for-54 last season freshman Jake Rainero will also look to make his mark at the X.
 
The Rangers open their season on Saturday, when they visit Neumann University in a non-conference matchup starting at 1 p.m. Drew's home opener is set for Saturday, Feb. 17 versus Albright College, and will play its Landmark Conference opener on Saturday, March 23 versus Susquehanna University.