Senior attackman Nate Hill and the Statesmen will begin the season ranked 20th. (Photo by Art Foxall)

January 6, 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart lacrosse team will begin the 2005 season ranked 20th in the Face-Off Yearbook preseason coaches poll. The Statesmen return 31 lettermen, including eight starters from the 2004 squad that made its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament since 1998.

Led by fourth year Head Coach Matt Kerwick ’90, Hobart will mark its first season in the ECAC Lacrosse League in 2005. He led the Statesmen to a 9-7 record last year—the most wins by Hobart since moving to Division I in 1995—and a second place finish in the Patriot League.

Senior attackman Nate Hill (Hamburg/Hamburg, N.Y.) is the team’s top returning scorer. A year ago, he was third on the team in scoring with 22 goals and paced the Statesmen with 26 assists, the most by a Hobart player since the program moved to Division I.

Defensively, the Statesmen return all four starters, including 2004 USILA honorable mention All-American, senior Greg McCarthy (Pinkerton Academy/Derry, N.H.). Last season’s Hobart D sported an 8.83 goals against average, the lowest by a Hobart team since 1990 (7.54).

Conference foes Georgetown (6th), Rutgers (12th), UMass (15th), Loyola (17th), and Penn State (21st) also are ranked in the top-25. Additionally, the Statesmen will square off with No. 2 Syracuse, No. 9 Cornell, and No. 14 Ohio State. Johns Hopkins University is the coaches’ preseason choice for the top spot.

Hobart has earned 25 NCAA Tournament appearances (15 Division III, 6 Division II, and 4 Division I). The Statesmen have won 16 national championships (13 DIII, 2 DII, and the 1972 USILA College Division crown).

Hobart begins its 103rd season at 1 p.m., on Feb. 26. The Statesmen will face the Butler Bulldogs at St. Paul’s School in Brooklandville, Md.