In 100 seasons, the Hobart College lacrosse program has become synonymous with excellence. The Statesmen won 673 games, and earned 24 NCAA Championship Tournament berths, 15 NCAA Championships (13 Division III, 2 Division II), and a USILA College Division Championship.

Two hundred and forty-five Statesmen were named All-Americans during Hobart’s first century.

The task that lies before second-year Head Coach Matt Kerwick ’90 is to continue to build on that legacy of success. The 2002 Patriot League Coach of the Year led the Statesmen to a share of the league championship and the program’s third appearance in the Division I postseason. A solid first step that Kerwick looks to build on as Hobart embarks on its second century.

“With the level of excellence that we surround our students with at the Colleges, I fully expect this program to take the next step, and take it soon,” Kerwick said. “We have some of the best and brightest faculty, a beautiful campus, and some of the premier athletics facilities in the country. There has never been a better time to be a Statesman.”

A bold statement for someone who won four national championships as a student at Hobart between 1987 and 1990, but one he truly believes.

“We took great strides in 2002,” Kerwick said. “This team has all of the elements—talent, leadership, experience, and heart—to take the next step and topple those ranked teams and win in the NCAA Tournament.”

Thanks to graduation, the 2003 Statesmen will have a couple of gaps to fill, but they return depth and experience at every position.

Most notable of those losses is attackman Scott Harvey. Last season’s No. 3 scorer, he earned the 2002 Lt. Vandeverg ’50 Memorial Award as the team’s most improved player. Harvey scored 19 goals and assisted on six others last season.

In the midfield, Hobart will miss the blistering shot of David Spratlen and the experienced transition play of defensive middie Nick Musso. Spratlen, the 2002 Van Arsdale Award winner, struck for 12 goals last season, including a team-high six extra-man tallies, while Musso, a team captain and Marbury ’62 Memorial Award winner, was a key component of Hobart’s clearing success (.740, 259-of-350).

Defensively, Preston Teague started seven games and provided a very inexperienced close defense with leadership.

The good news is that while Hobart’s graduates will be missed, the Statesmen return All-Patriot League selections at every position. Here’s a look at Hobart position-by-position:

ATTACKMEN
MIDFIELDERS
D-MIDDIES
DEFENSEMEN
GOALIES

ATTACKMEN
First-team All-Patriot League selection John Bogosian will be the focal point of Hobart’s attack again this season. The team’s leading scorer over the past two seasons, the native of Massena, N.Y., enters the year just 11 points shy of becoming just the second Statesman to play four seasons at Division I and score 100 career points (assistant coach Jamie Breslin ’01 was the first). Bogosian is a dual threat, capable of creating his own scoring opportunities or setting up his teammates.

Bogosian totaled 24 goals and 24 assists as a sophomore, and struck for 29 goals and eight assists a year ago. That shift away from playmaking was due in large part to the rapid development of sophomore Nate Hill. The second-team All-Patriot League selection started 12 games during his rookie campaign, logging 13 goals and 23 assists. Just a single point behind Bogosian, Hill nearly became the first first-year to lead Hobart in scoring since 1971 (Rick Gilbert ’74, 38-53-91).

Junior transfer Mark Williamson is expected to grab the final starting spot up top. Last season, he led Drexel with 27 goals and 21 assists. A deft passer with an accurate shot, he will provide the Statesmen with a third scoring threat, lessening the pressure on Bogosian and Hill.

Hobart’s roster will feature a wealth of options should any one of these three falter. Juniors Geoff Zbikowski and Dan Cesere and first-year Mike Conklin are capable of grabbing a starting role. Zbikowski showed signs of promise as the 2002 season came to a close. He scored eight points during the final four games, including a four-assist performance at Holy Cross. Cesere recorded six points—including an assist against Duke in the NCAA playoffs—in limited minutes last year. Conklin led West Genesee to the New York State Championship last season with 34 goals and 12 assists. He’s had a great fall and the coaching staff expects him to contribute right away.

The Statesmen will enjoy added depth from the Class of 2006, Jake Bebee, brother of Jared ’00, Steve Brennan, and Ryan Maciaszek.

MIDFIELDERS
The forecast in the midfield has never been brighter. The Statesmen return three experienced starters to its top line: senior Kris Shore, junior Brian Joy, and sophomore Nate Molinari. Shore finished fourth on the team in scoring last season, despite injuries that held him out of three games. At his best against big time opponents, he recorded hat tricks against No. 19 Army and No. 4 Georgetown. Joy returns to the lineup following a year off. A physical player, he started 12 games and scored 12 points as a first-year. Molinari made steady progress during his first season as a Statesman, earning two starts.

Hobart’s second midfield line will feature one of the top faceoff men in the country, senior Tim Booth. A winner of 58.8 percent of his restarts last season, he ranked 11th in the nation in faceoff percentage and ninth in ground balls per game. The All-American candidate led the Patriot League in both categories and earned first-team All-PL honors. His leadership will be important as he’s joined by sophomore Chris Scanlon and first-year Patrick Meade. Scanlon played in nine games last year, starting five, before an injury cut short his season. He’s a strong defender and a steady possession player on offense. Meade, who couples size (6-1, 195 lbs.) and athleticism, was a high school All-American last year at Schenectady High School.

Senior Sean Kent, sophomore Sean Reed, and first-year Mark Conklin are expected to fill out the third line. Kent is a spark plug at both ends of the field, who’s worked tirelessly to steadily increase his playing time each season. Reed saw limited time during his first season, but netted goals against Holy Cross and Duke. Conklin, like his twin brother Mike, led West Genesee to the 2002 New York State Championship, contributing eight goals and six assists.

Junior Cam Thompson and first-year Otto Foerster will spell Booth at the faceoff X. Thompson boasted a winning record on restarts last year and was third in winning percentage against conference opponents (behind Booth and Bucknell’s Michael Petrash). A native of Miami, Foerster may not be from a traditional lacrosse hot bed, but at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he’ll be a bull on faceoffs.

Several members of the Class of 2006 are expected to vie for runs in the midfield, including Andrew Bailey, Jason Cleary, Craig Hammond, and Ian Nesbitt.

D-MIDDIES
Senior Shawn Powers and junior Jamie Giles will handle the short stick defensive midfield duties, while senior Bryan Bome and first-year Andrew Narog will handle the long stick shifts.

Powers is one of the fastest players on the field. A dogged defender, he corralled a season-high five ground balls against Bucknell last season. A native of Salisbury, Ontario, Giles is a tough checker and a smart passer in transition.

A two-sport athlete, Bome was a key member of the Hobart soccer team’s defense. On the lacrosse field, Bome combines smart positioning with strong take-away skills. Narog is an exceptionally strong and talented player with the potential to be a fixture in the Hobart lineup for the next four seasons.

DEFENSEMEN
Hobart’s close defense, which performed above expectations last season, should be much improved in 2003. The Statesmen opened the 2002 campaign at Maryland with three defensemen without a start among them. This season, first-team All-Patriot League honoree Brad Neuberth will lead a much more experienced group. A converted midfielder, he made an exceptionally fast transition to the defensive game. Neuberth’s defining moment came against Georgetown when he limited Tewaaraton Trophy nominee Steve Dusseau to just two points. Greg McCarthy also returns for his second season as a starter. A punishing checker, he proved to be a quick study of Hobart’s defensive scheme. The final starting spot will be up for grabs. Sophomore Chet Braun and first-year Matt Murphy are the early favorites to earn that role. Braun collected 13 ground balls last season in 14 games, including five starts, while Murphy, who tried out for the under-19 national team, possesses outstanding athleticism and skills.

Junior Matt Kanellis, sophomore Kevin Cox, and first-year Will Bodine, who will join the team following the hockey season, could also figure into the rotation.

GOALIE
Second-team All-Patriot League selection Mike Borsz is the incumbent in goal for the Statesmen. Last season, he made 15 or more saves four times, including career-highs against Army (22) and Penn State (25). He was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week after both performances. Against Patriot League opponents, Borsz sported a .591 save percentage and an 8.91 goals against average.

Sophomore Dan Valente and first-year Mike DeSantis will serve as Borsz’s understudies. Valente earned time in eight games in 2002, stopping 62.8 percent of the shots he faced with a 9.06 goals against average, while DeSantis earned All-American honors at Mountain Lakes High School.

SCHEDULE
Hobart prides itself on playing a demanding schedule year in and year out. The 2003 slate is no exception, sporting three teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament field and seven opponents ranked in the Inside Lacrosse preseason top-25.

Butler replaces Maryland as the season opener. In just the fourth meeting of the two schools, the Statesmen and Bulldogs will tangle on Feb. 23, at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field.

Hobart’s home opener on March 1, will also be its Patriot League opener, when the Crusaders of Holy Cross visit Geneva. The Statesmen will have a bull’s eye painted on their jerseys as the league’s coaches voted them preseason co-favorites with Bucknell.

In an effort to grow the game, the Statesmen and sixth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will faceoff on March 11, at the Texas Military Institute in San Antonio. While the Hoyas enjoy a decisive edge (7-1), four meetings have been decided by three goals or less, including last year’s 8-7 thriller in Geneva.

Hobart will continue its spring break road trip in Easton, Pa., at Lafayette on March 15. The Statesmen are 6-0 all-time against the Leopards.

Lehigh will visit Geneva on March 22, followed by the defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Syracuse Orangemen on March 25.

Hobart will embark on its most challenging stretch on March 29. The Statesmen will kick off a four game road trip at Bucknell. Hobart is 13-2 against the Bison, but none of the Statesmen’s last three wins have been by more than four goals.

On April 2, Hobart will visit Colgate for another Patriot League showdown. The Statesmen have won 21 in a row from the Raiders dating back to 1965.

Three days later, Hobart will journey to Happy Valley for the 53rd meeting with the 16th-ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State. The Statesmen have not won at PSU since 1995.

The four-game swing will come to a close with a 1,500-mile trek to play the University of Denver on April 12. Hobart and the Pioneers have never met.

The Statesmen return home on April 19, to close out their Patriot League schedule with the Black Knights of Army. Since Hobart elevated the program to Division I in 1995, the series is dead even, 4-4.

The final home game of 2003 will be a very special occasion. No. 12 Loyola will visit Geneva on April 26, on Senior Day when the eight members of the Class of 2003 will be honored for their accomplishments during a pregame ceremony. At halftime, the 15th class of inductees to the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame will be recognized. In celebration of Hobart lacrosse’s centennial, the class will be comprised entirely of lacrosse players.

The Statesmen will close out the regular season at 11th-ranked Cornell. One of the oldest rivalries in collegiate athletics, Hobart will face its neighbor to the south for the 120th time.