Men’s lacrosse
Looking Back: The Tigers took a step in the right direction last season by finishing above .500 for the first time in the young program’s history.
Now, men’s lacrosse has its eyes set on the NCAC tournament.
“I think this year, we’re at a level to really compete with every team in our conference. We’re there,” said junior defender Alex Randall, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2017. “There’s a lot of good chemistry on the team. It’s a good balance between ‘everyone wants to have fun’ and ‘work really hard.’”
DePauw will return with a solid core led by juniors Donny Bleifuss and Steen Jorgensen, and seniors Jack Gomez, and Ben Sherman, the Tigers’ four team captains. The Tigers will remain strong on offense thanks to Sherman and Jorgensen who combined for 85 goals and 22 assists last season.
April will especially prove crucial for the team’s shot at the playoffs, as the Tigers are set to play six conference teams to close out the season, starting with Wabash College.
“That’s kind of a fun game because we just hate each other. It’s just a passionate lacrosse game,” said Randall. “The fans are always hilarious at that game.”
Key Losses: Joe Ross, D (17 GB, 5 CT), Sam Alkema, M (8 G, 14 A, 22 pts) Eric Speer, D (53 GB, 14 CT) Sean Coyne, D (32 GB, 18 CT), Nick Woerner, M (2 G, 2 GB) Adam Bridges, A (12 G, 4 A, 14 GB).
Home Match to Watch For: Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. Rhodes at 12 p.m. DePauw opens their season this weekend against the Lynx, a team Randall feels the Tigers should have beat last season. DePauw only trailed Rhodes by one point at halftime before the Lynx outscored the Tigers 10-2 over the last two quarters.
“They just walked away from us because we stopped playing towards the end,” said Randall. “We’re looking to get that back because they’re a really good team, and we think we can compete with them and hopefully beat them.”
Women’s lacrosse
Looking Back: The Tigers started the 2017 season strong, going 5-2 before struggling down the home stretch. The team traded out their nine seniors for nine first-years, marking the start of a new chapter for the program.
“So far our transition back has been good, although the cold weather and the flu going around campus has taken a bit of a toll,” said junior defender Sarah Biely. “Our program has always been super tight-knit and supportive of one another, so the team bond has remained the same, which is awesome.”
DePauw will be led by the team’s lone senior and captain Marisa Ellison who had her biggest season on defense last year with 15 ground balls and nine caused turnovers.
“She’s doing a great job. The other juniors and myself are behind her 100 percent,” said Biely.
The rest of the junior class consists of midfielder Erica Rapelje and attackers Maddi Stern, Olivia Miller and Rachel Allen, all whom are more than capable of breaking out on offense this season.
The Tigers host their home opener this Friday Rockhurst at 5 p.m.
Key Losses: Emily Denny, M (16 G, 11 GB, 23 DC), Nicole Gibson, A (15 G, 26 A, 19 GB), Liz Hawkins, G (123 SV, 46.6 SV%), Taylor Summers, A (24 G, 23 A, 16 GB),
Home Match to Watch For: Sat., March 17 vs. Allegheny at 11:30 a.m. The last two matchups between the NCAC rivals have not disappointed. DePauw beat the Gators at home 13-12 in overtime back in 2016, only to top that performance with a double overtime win in Meadville last April. DePauw battled back from a 6-1 deficit and got a game-winning goal came from then junior attacker Emma Flynn to seal the comeback victory.
