DENVER – The University of Denver men's lacrosse program will return seven seniors from its 2023 team to its 2024 roster for the last cycle of COVID-19 related fifth years of eligibility, William G. Tierney Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Matt Brown announced on Monday.
Denver will return starting attackmen
JJ Sillstrop and
Richie Connell, faceoff specialist
Alec Stathakis and four from a defense that finished in the top-10 in the country in scoring defense in
Jake Edinger,
Adam Hangland,
AJ Mercurio and
Jack DiBenedetto. Edinger, Hangland, DiBenedetto and Stathakis all served as captains in the final year of
Bill Tierney's career in 2023.
With the return of Sillstrop and Connell, the Pioneers will return 100-percent of its point production from last season.
An All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, Sillstrop led Denver in both goals (36) and points (41) in the spring, scoring in each of Denver's final seven games, including a five-goal game at Towson on April 13 and four-goal performances in wins over both Providence and Villanova (BIG EAST Semifinal).
Connell co-led the Pioneers in assists with 18 and added 16 tallies of his own for a 34-point season in Denver's starting attack. The former Richmond attackman had multiple goals in three of Denver's last four contests, including tying his Denver-high with four tallies in DU's regular season finale at Marquette on April 28.
Stathakis took every faceoff for the Pioneers in the spring, helping the team rank sixth in the country in faceoff winning percentage at a mark of 60.4%. Individually, Stathakis ranked fourth in the country in ground balls per game, picking up 9.6 per contest. The Inside Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention selection went 12-2-1 in faceoff matches last season, including double-digit faceoff wins in 14 games, 15+ faceoff wins in seven contests and 20+ faceoff wins in three Pioneer victories.
As a starting short stick defensive midfielder in his first year as captain, Edinger finished with 12 ground balls and nine caused turnovers in 2023, and chipped in a goal and three assists in transition. Edinger had multiple ground balls in two of the final four games, and two caused turnovers in the BIG EAST Semifinal win over Villanova on May 4.
A two-time Denver captain, Hangland started all 15 games this spring, picking up 12 ground balls and forcing two turnovers in Denver's regular season meeting at Georgetown. Hangland picked up multiple ground balls in three games in a four-game stretch, including in wins at North Carolina and at home against Ohio State.
Mercurio was Denver's lone All-BIG EAST First Team selection in 2023, and was named to the U.S. Lacrosse Magazine Honorable Mention team in May. The Reno, Nevada, native scored transition goals against Duke, Ohio State and St. John's, while picking up 19 ground balls and forcing seven turnovers. Mercurio picked up multiple ground balls in six games, including three of the last four, and had multiple caused turnovers in a pair of Denver wins.
DU's final returning captain in DiBenedetto drew the top defensive assignment in most of Denver's match-ups in the spring, earning his second BIG EAST postseason honor of his career in May. DiBenedetto played and started all 15 games at close, picking up 16 ground balls and forcing 14 turnovers. DiBenedetto had multiple caused turnovers in five games, including four of the last seven.
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