Building upon history: NGU men’s lacrosse season preview
Ian Johnson, Staff Writer
Picture Courtesy of Makaila Medina
Resilience, Accountability, Character and Commitment (R.A.C.C.). This is the motto of the North Greenville University men’s lacrosse team as they enter into the 2026 season.
The team is coming off of a historic season as they won the conference championship, finishing undefeated in the conference, and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. With many of the players returning from last year, the team’s goals for the year continue to grow.
“We want to build on what we accomplished last season,” said Ayden Sizemore, senior cybersecurity major. “We kind of want to build on that into the NCAA tournament.”
Dalton Wilkins, grad student, said, “Last year, one of our big goals was to win the conference championship, but to make it to May. Now, our goal is to win in May.”
With the several key players leaving the program, the Trailblazers brought in 21 freshmen as well as eight transfers. University of Tampa transfer, Carson Fuchs, and Limestone University transfer, Lucas Betz are key additions to the team. Both come from successful programs and hope to continue that success in Tigerville. Other key additions include freshmen Josh Beno and Brady Saba.
“We typically use the portal to fill in the gaps of the team,” said head coach Corey Struss.
Struss said when the coaches look at players in the transfer portal, they not only look for the best talent but also what kind of person the player is.
The Trailblazers will be led by their captains: Ayden Sizemore, Jared Steinman and Dalton Wilkins. The team goes into the season, ranked No. 17, according to United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. In the conference, they are projected to finish first in the conference. With all the pre-season recognition, the leaders of the team will be tasked with keeping everyone focused each and every week.
“I think just having the mentality that we’re not entitled to anything, just because we had success last season doesn’t mean were entitled to success this season,” said Jared Steinman, senior health science major.
“I think instilling – that you got to earn everything every day in practice and like it’s not a cakewalk. We’re gonna have to, we have a tough schedule this year and we would just want to build on what happened last year,” said Sizemore.
The team will rely on their strengths of depth and team chemistry to carry them throughout the season.
“Whereas in different years, we have a lot of depth on our team, like no matter who we put out there, they can go out there and produce,” said Sizemore.
“I can confidently say out of all of the D2 programs, were probably the closest team out there,” said Steinman. “I think our relationships are amazing as a group – and I think that can go a long way, especially when times get hard.”
The Trailblazers will have a first-time starter, Matthew Desmond, in goal for this season. Even with the season just starting, Desmond, redshirt junior, has earned the respect and trust from both coaches and players.
“The Matt Desmond I knew from last year to this year is completely different, night and day,” said Wilkins. “He’s taking the role as our anchor, with authority. He’s definitely the guy we needed to step up, and he’s been doing a good job.”
Coach Struss is building this team, not just to win the conference but to win in the NCAA tournament. The schedule alone shows this fact. The team faces two USILA preseason Top-10 teams in No. 8 Anderson University and No. 5 Wingate University. The team’s schedule also includes 6 teams who have all received votes in the top 20 rankings which includes in-conference rival Belmont Abbey.
“It’s a good opportunity to come watch a high-level lacrosse game, said Sizemore. “It’s a fun sport to watch.”
“This year is gonna be an exciting for us, and so we really appreciate people coming out to support us,” said Steinman.
