Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/24/17
From Press Release
Fairfield University Men’s Lacrosse welcomed 14 newcomers to campus among the more than 1,000 incoming freshmen that have joined the University community as the Class of 2021.
“Every year, our staff looks to bring in a class that will contribute on the lacrosse field, in the classroom and in the Fairfield community,” said Head Coach Andy Copelan. “I am confident that the young men that have joined our program as the Class of 2021 will succeed in all of these areas during their time at Fairfield.”
Billy Holmes was a starting defenseman on a 2017 Inter-Ac Championship finalist at the Haverford School. His team finished the spring ranked 23rd in the final Inside Lacrosse national rankings.
A US Lacrosse All-American in 2017, Frankie Labetti (Duke’s LC) was a force at the faceoff dot and on offense for Moorestown (N.J.) High School. Labetti racked up 193 points in his career, scoring 137 goals with 56 assists in four seasons. He was over 70 percent on the draw in both his junior and senior campaigns, netting 77 points in 2016 and 81 points in 2017 en route to All-State, All-South Jersey and All-Skyland Conference laurels in both seasons. Labetti was the South Jersey Player of the Year and Skyland Conference Player of the Year as a senior captain at Moorestown this past spring, guiding the club to a Group 3 State Championship, a No. 1 ranking among New Jersey public schools and the No. 3 ranking in all of New Jersey. An Honors student, Labetti will join the Dolan School of Business in the fall.
A two-time All-Nassau County midfielder at Locust Valley High School, Cole Barnard also garnered All-State, All-Long Island and All-Conference laurels in his four-year career. He served as team captain and merited team MVP honors as a senior with the Falcons in 2017. A National Honor Society and High Honor Roll student as well as a two-time Academic All-Nassau County selection, Barnard will major in Finance at the Dolan School of Business.
Brian Crawley was an All-Nassau County attackman at Paul D. Schreiber High School on Long Island, where he was an honor roll student. Crawley will join the Dolan School of Business this fall. His brother John Crawley was the 33rd pick in the 2017 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Charlotte Hounds, where he is a teammate of former Fairfield goalkeeper Charlie Cipriano ’12.
An All-State attackman at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Charlie Curran led the Bulldogs to the South Jersey Group II State Finals this past spring. He netted two goals, including the game-winner, in the sectional final win over Manasquan to earn a place in the state championship game. He scored 48 goals and 25 as a senior and totaled 126 points during his career.
A 2017 US Lacrosse All-American, George Elmquist was a standout defenseman for Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas. Elmquist also collected All-State laurels in his senior campaign following an All-District showing as a junior. A member of the National Honor Society, he will major in Biology at Fairfield.
Zane Friedt was a three-time All-State midfielder at Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho, in addition to two All-Conference nods on the football field. He is the first-ever NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse player from the state of Idaho.
A defenseman from Georgetown Prep, John Horning joins the Stags after helping to lead the Hoyas to the GEICO High School Lacrosse National Championship Game this past season. Horning will major in Communication at Fairfield. He is the younger brother of Fairfield teammate Charlie Horning, and his sister Kelly Horning is a member of the Fairfield Women’s Lacrosse Class of 2021.
Michael Latini was a member of back-to-back County Championship teams on the attack for Smithtown East High School. He was an All-County Honorable Mention in his senior season after burying 48 goals with 17 assists.
A four-year starter at St. Dominic High School, Liam McAuliffe racked up 90 goals and 69 assists in his scholastic career. He was recognized by Inside Lacrosse as one of the Top 100 Young Guns and among the Top 100 Players to Watch by Newsday entering a senior campaign in which he was the CHSAA Midfielder of the Year and earned All-CHSAA laurels for the second start campaign. St. Dominic won the Catholic League AAA State Championship in 2014 with McAuliffe patrolling the midfield.
Max McGuire comes to Fairfield from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego following a post-graduate year at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire. McGuire was an All-Avocado League selection in the cage at Torrey Pines, guiding the Falcons to a pair of appearances in the CIF Championship Game. He added All-NEPSAC laurels at New Hampton as the Huskies went 15-0 en route to a Lakes Region Championship. McGuire, who will major in marketing at the Dolan School of Business, was a member of the Union Tribune All-Academic Team.
Lucas Pedersen was tabbed as an Adrenaline Lacrosse All-American in 2017 after four years on defense at Bainbridge High School. He notched five goals with one assist and scooped up 92 ground balls as senior captain this past spring. Academically, he will join the Dolan School of Business.
Taylor Strough is a graduate of Cold Spring Harbor High School, where he helped lead the Seahawks to three consecutive Class C State Championships from 2015-17 – the first team in Long Island history to accomplish the feat. Capping off an undefeated run to the title this past spring, Strough turned in a four-goal performance en route to MVP honors in the Championship Game for the second straight season. He is a US Lacrosse All-American and holds the Nassau County goal scoring record for a midfielder. A National Honor Society member, he will join the Dolan School of Business as a finance major. Strough was teammates with Colin Burke at Cold Spring Harbor for two seasons, including the 2015 State Championship team.
An All-County Honorable Mention, Anthony Voelker spent time on close defense and at LSM for both St. Anthony’s High School and Smithtown East on Long Island. He will be studying in the Dolan School of Business in the fall.