Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/15/14
From Press Release
Boston University men’s lacrosse team and head coach Ryan Polley (Malvern Prep) announced the Class of 2018 on Monday. Sixteen freshmen will join three transfers in comprising the program’s second-ever recruiting class.
“We’re excited to welcome in the Class of 2018,” Polley said. “We certainly think this class will add talent and depth to our program. I’m most excited about this class’ overall athleticism and its versatility. We have several players that we think can play both offensive and defensive midfield as well as some swing players that can play both attack and midfield.”
Among the 16 freshmen are two US Lacrosse All-Americans and one US Lacrosse Academic All-American. Six of the incoming recruits are from New England, with three hailing from Massachusetts; overall, the Class of 2018 represents 10 different states.
In addition, three transfers will help bring the 2014-15 roster to 50 players. Jack Beall (Dominican), Kevin Rogers (Hartford) and Allen Winkoff (Ohio State) bring a combined 19 games of experience at the Division I and Division II level to BU.
Greg Farris (Bethlehem, Pa./Southern Lehigh)
Played four seasons for Southern Lehigh High School … Was teammates with fellow incoming freshman Ryan Kearns … Was a captain for final two seasons … Named the team’s offensive MVP after leading in goals and becoming the all-time goal-scoring leader in school history as a senior … Was a Brine National All-American during his junior year in which he was the team’s top goal scorer and offensive MVP … Also led Southern Lehigh in goals as a freshman and sophomore … Played club lacrosse for Dukes Lacrosse Club and Old School Lacrosse Club.
Polley on Farris: “Greg is one of the fastest kids in our class. He has the ability to score a lot of goals and we really think he can come in and help us on the offensive midfield side. He has great speed, great skill and possesses the ability to dodge and make shots on the run.”
Raphael Furey (Villanova, Pa./Episcopal Academy)
Played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at nationally-ranked Episcopal Academy … Captained the team as a senior and received the 2014 Episcopal Academy Lacrosse Award … Was a Legacy Lacrosse All-Star and also played club for NXT Lacrosse as a junior … Helped Episcopal win 2012 Inter-Ac Invitational championship during his sophomore season.
Polley on Furey: ”Raphael was a three-year contributor on a strong program and has covered some of the best midfielders in the country over the last two seasons as a starter. We expect him to play up top. He’s a tough long-stick midfielder with great ground-ball skills and he has the ability to cover at a very high level.”
Ryan Hilburn (West Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep)
Played four seasons with Malvern Prep … Captained team to undefeated season as a senior … Helped lead squad to No. 3 ranking in the country in 2014 … Earned First-Team All Inter-Ac honors as a junior and a senior.
Polley on Hilburn: “Ryan’s a lefty attackman who can do it all. He’s a top-notch finisher, a good ball carrier and he has a great IQ. Ryan’s best attributes are that he is a winner and he’s also a tough kid. We expect him to come in and compete for our starting lefty attack position as well as become a leader and someone who helps take our program to the next level.”
Colin MacDougall (Schwenksville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.)
Played three seasons at La Salle College High School, including two with Terrier Adam Schaal … Was a First-Team All-Philadelphia Catholic League selection as a senior during La Salle’s run to a third consecutive conference championship … Helped lead La Salle to a state title as a junior while being named an Under Armour Underclass All-American and a Brine National All-American … Helped guide team to state championship game during his sophomore season.
Polley on MacDougall: “Colin had a tremendous career in the Philadelphia area. He helped his team to a state title as a junior and led a really young defense to the state quarterfinals last year. He’s a good ball stopper and we expect him to come in and compete for the starting job.”
Kevin Rogers (Thornton, Pa./Malvern Prep, Hartford transfer)
Transfer from Hartford, where he played as a freshman in 2014 … Appeared in four games for the Hawks and caused one turnover … Played high school lacrosse at Malvern Prep … Led the team to the Inter-Ac conference championship as a senior … Named to the ESPN Watchlist as a freshman and sophomore … Was an NLC All-American during his sophomore season.
Polley on Rogers: “Kevin’s a transfer from Hartford who played in a great conference in high school. He’s your typical LSM with good ball skills and is someone who is good in transition. We see him giving us depth at that position and giving us a presence at wing on faceoffs. He’s also someone who can help us in the clearing game.”
Ryan Babiak (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury)
Played four seasons of varsity lacrosse at Glastonbury … Captained the team for final three seasons … Was a US Lacrosse All-American and also earned first-team all-state and first-Team all-conference honors as a senior … Received first-team all-state and all-conference recognition as a junior …Named to all-academic team as both a freshman and a sophomore.
Polley on Babiak: “Ryan was a workhorse for his high school team and performed at such a high level that he garnered All-America accolades. He was Glastonbury’s most talented offensive player but also played wing on faceoffs, was involved heavily in the clearing game and played some defensive midfield. Ryan’s going to be a do-it-all midfielder for us as well. He’s a tremendous athlete and a gifted lacrosse player.”
Jack Beall (Camas, Wash./Dominican)
Transfer from Dominican University, where he played as a freshman in 2014 … Played in all 12 games for the Penguins, scoring nine goals and adding eight assists for 17 points … Before Dominican, was a four-year varsity starter and three-time captain at Camas High School … Played in the Champion All-America Showcase televised nationally on ESPNU… Named US Lacrosse Boys’ High School All-American, Adrenaline All-American and Champion All-American as a senior… Was a first-team all-state honoree as a senior … Also named to all-state squad in freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.
Polley on Beall: “Jack’s very versatile and is a tremendous athlete. We’re probably going to start Jack at defensive midfield and let him get acclimated to the team, but we do recognize that he has offensive skills. We really think Jack can excel in transition.”
James Burke (New Providence, N.J./New Providence)
Was a four-year varsity starter at New Providence High School … Served as captain and was named team MVP as a senior, earning First-Team All-Union County and First-Team All-Kimber honors along with honorable mention all-state accolades … Helped lead the team to the Kimber Conference championship as a junior en route to earning First-Team All-Kimber honors … Selected as team MVP during his sophomore season, receiving First-Team All-Union County and All-Kimber recognition.
Polley on Burke: “James is a very skilled offensive player. He’s a strong dodger. We see James competing for time at both attack and midfield. He’s a great athlete so we think he can be effective between the lines, dodging short sticks. He’s also skilled and athletic enough where he can be a ball handler behind the cage and on the wings.”
Tommy Connelly (Duxbury, Mass./Brooks School)
Played three seasons at Brooks School … Was the starting goalkeeper as a sophomore … Captained the team as a senior and was named a Boston Lax All-American … Earned ISL All-League honors during his junior and senior seasons … Also wrestled at Brooks, helping the team win the Prep School New England Championship as a senior.
Polley on Connelly: “Tommy is built in the same mold as Christian Carson-Banister. He’s a kid with great hands and great mobility for his size. He had a tremendous senior year in a breakout season. He was the key factor in Brooks having a great run in the ISL and upsetting the reigning ISL champion Belmont Hill late in the season. We’re excited for Tommy to come in and challenge for our starting goaltending position.”
Isaac Lipton (Cumberland, Maine/Northfield Mt. Hermon (Mass.))
Played three seasons at Northfield Mt. Hermon, missing his sophomore year due to injury … Captained team as a senior … Scored five goals and added three assists for eight points as senior long-stick midfielder … Collected 54 ground balls and caused 21 turnovers in 2014 … Finished high school career with 127 ground balls, 40 caused turnovers and 17 points (9g, 8a) … Played club lacrosse for 3d Select … Was also a four-year letter winner in hockey at Northfield Mt. Hermon, captaining the team as a senior.
Polley on Lipton: “Isaac is a long-stick midfielder who has great ball skills. He’s great off the ground and we think he can help us in transition and get ground balls on the defensive side.”
Henry Narlee (Duxbury, Mass./Avon Old Farms)
Played for Avon Old Farms as a senior after spending three seasons at Duxbury High School … Was captain of Avon Old Farms … Won the Henry Flanagan Award in his last season at Duxbury … Played for the 2014 AA Laxachusetts club team at the Brine Shootout, New England Storm Tournament and King of the Hill in the summer of 2012 … Won the team’s 11th Man Award as a sophomore.
Polley on Narlee: “Henry is a versatile midfielder, a tough kid who is great on ground balls. We see him becoming a defensive midfielder for us but he has the versatility to be a ball handler and score some big goals. He makes the big plays at the big moments.”
Austin Orlando (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset)
Was a three-year varsity starter at Manhasset High School … Captained the team as a senior, earning all-conference, all-county and academic all-county honors … Won James C. Metzger Leadership Award during the 2014 playoffs … Served as captain of the JV team as a freshman.
Polley on Orlando: “Austin is a big, physical defenseman. He’s probably our best athlete on the defensive side of the ball in this incoming class. He moves very well for his size, he’s aggressive, he has good ball skills and we expect Austin to compete for a starting position. He’s your prototypical 6-3 defenseman who can cover but also has the ball skills to transition the ball up the field.”
Matt Ragimierski (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor)
Was a three-year varsity starter at Eastport-South Manor High School … Captained the team as a senior … Named the team’s offensive player of the year despite missing the final eight games due to injury en route to being selected as a Top 100 player on Long Island … Earned all-county and all-division honors as a junior … Was named MVP of the JV team as a freshman.
Polley on Ragimierski: “Matt is going to be a swing player for us. He certainly has the offensive skills to play attack, but we see him as someone who can create out of the midfield in certain dodging situations. Matt was having a tremendous senior year but unfortunately got hurt. We’re real excited for Matt and his offensive skills are going to force us to find a spot for him. We think he can come in and provide some energy and scoring pop.”
Reid Randall (Wakefield, N.H./Brewster Academy)
Played four seasons at Brewster Academy … Earned first-team all-league and all-region honors as a junior and senior … Was a starter for Brewster as a sophomore … Played club lacrosse for 3d Select, being named to the All-Star team at the Denver Shootout in 2012 … Also played four seasons of varsity soccer at Brewster.
Polley on Randall: “Reid is a big, physical defenseman with great covering ability. He was an all-league player in a strong Northern New England league and helped lead Brewster to its most successful season in school history. He’s got a very good IQ and good ball skills. We’re really excited for him to come in and be part of our defense.”
Hayden Ruiz (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic)
Played four seasons of varsity lacrosse at Santa Margarita Catholic … Was a 2014 US Lacrosse All-American … Earned first-team all-county honors as a senior … Named attackman of the year as a sophomore and midfielder of the year as a freshman … Selected to All-Trinity First Team during his junior year.
Polley on Ruiz: “Hayden, like so many other players in this class, can play either attack or midfield. We’re going to start him at midfield. He is ambidextrous and is an excellent shooter and ball handler. We’re expecting big things from Hayden and we think he will compete for time as one of our top six midfielders.”
Joe Stucky (Potomac, Md./Bullis School)
Played four seasons of varsity lacrosse at The Bullis School … Was one of two freshmen to make the varsity team … Captained the team as a senior, earning the team’s “Hustle” Award as well as All-IAC honors … Named an Under Armour Underclassmen All-American during his junior season … Helped lead the team to the IAC regular-season title as a sophomore.
Polley on Stucky: “Joe is our faceoff recruit in this class. He’s very technical and is a hard-nosed player. Joe is not just a FOGO; he’s a tremendous athlete who could potentially see time for us as a defensive midfielder or at the wing on faceoffs. His best attributes are that he’s technical at the X and when it’s a 50-50 ball he’s a scrapper who gets a majority of those balls.”
Jack Wheeler (Westwood, Mass./Xaverian Brothers)
Played four seasons of varsity lacrosse at Xaverian Brothers High School … Captained the team as a senior … Was an EMLCA First-Team All-American and a Boston Lax All-American in both 2013 and 2014 … Named a Boston Globe and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic as both a senior and a junior after leading Xaverian to back-to-back Catholic Conference championships … Helped guide Xaverian to the 2013 Division I state title … Named the team’s most improved player as a freshman … Also a two-time league all-star in track & field.
Polley on Wheeler: “Jack’s a local kid who two years ago helped lead Xaverian to a state title and had another tremendous year last season. He’s someone who is probably one of the top athletes in this class. He possesses a tremendous combination of both speed and skill and is another guy that we expect to come in and compete for playing time right off the bat.”
Jack Wilson (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius)
Played two seasons of varsity lacrosse at Fayetteville-Manlius … Led squad to first state title game in 21 years as a senior thanks to a school-record 67 goals … Was selected to 2014 US Lacrosse Academic All-All-America squad … Named 2014 team MVP and was a first-team all-section selection after setting section record with 120 points … Earned all-league honors as a junior … Also played football.
Polley on Wilson: “Jack is an old-school attackman who is pretty balanced in his game. He enjoyed a breakout season this past year. The thing we like about Jack is that he was at his best at the biggest times. He scored six goals in the state semifinal, including the game-winner in overtime, and we think Jack can come in and give us a ball-handling presence at attack.”
Allen Winkoff (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Ohio State)
Transfer from Ohio State … Appeared in three games for the Buckeyes in 2014, collecting two ground balls … Played four seasons of varsity lacrosse at Cold Spring Harbor High School … Was an all-county selection as a senior … Helped lead team to back-to-back county championships during his sophomore and junior seasons … Was an all-conference honoree as a junior … Also played football at Cold Spring Harbor.
Polley on Winkoff: “Allen ran some second line for Ohio State last year. He was a high-impact player coming out of high school and we’re hopeful he can come in and give us some experience at midfield. and his best attribute is his IQ. We like Allen’s decision making and we think he can quarterback one of our first two midfield lines.”
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