The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team's winningest three-year stretch has come in the last three seasons, and this year's seniors are looking to continue to raise the level of competitive excellence within the Fighting Scots' program. Wooster's 2026 team is very experienced top-to-bottom and has a great mix of returning and new talent, setting the stage for another big spring.

"It is year four for us," said head coach Eric Seideman, whose full-time assistant, Joseph Pille, has been with the Scots for just as long. "Our team culture, style, and processes are pretty established at this point. We are focused on going out and executing to the best of our abilities at all times against all opponents."

Wooster's had at least one All-American in each of the past three seasons, a first for the program in terms of consecutive years with a selection. With the uptick in recognition at the national, regional, and conference levels, plus NCAA records and leading the country in statistical categories, players are seeing the rewards of working hard towards lofty goals.

Junior John Allen Ginder and senior Lane Kellogg are returning All-Americans for the program. Ginder is the most recent honoree, capping his sophomore year with honorable mention status.

"John Allen does so much for us," shared Seideman. "He came in as a defensive midfielder and has been our best at that position since he started. His offensive game really flourished last year as he picked up an increased role following some opportunities after injuries. He grew into that role and is a legit two-way threat."

Seniors Austin Jourde and Luke Budd project to be four-year key contributors in the midfield. They are looking for bounce back seasons after injuries, and Seideman noted "having them back and healthy brings great experience and poise to the midfield."

Overall, midfield is a very deep area for the Scots among the returnees. Sophomore Will Crane is "developing his defense to join John Allen as a two-way midfielder," per Seideman, while junior Baird Hruska provides a big, downhill presence and projects to "fill alumnus Will Fink's role," according to Seideman, who has seen him as the "heir apparent" for a few years.

Juniors John Lloyd and Evan Laudenslager have contributed each of the past two seasons, and Seideman is "looking forward to seeing them continue to grow and earn their opportunities on the field."

Kellogg heads into his senior year already fifth in program history in points, sixth in goals, and eighth in assists, and is within legit striking distance of the program's all-time records which have all stood for over three decades.

"Lane has such gravity on the field," said Seideman. "He draws so much attention whether he is the one who is ultimately scoring or drawing the slide and moving the ball. Having had lacrosse at Wooster for almost 60 years, it is not easy to break records. We are really excited to see how he finishes his career this year."

Rising sophomore Jack Holub made an immediate impact on Wooster's offense, ranking second on the team in goals as a first-year. The Scots' leading scoring duo of Holub and Kellogg receives additional strong support from senior Rowan Piani, who was one of five players with at least 14 goals last spring.

"Jack is an unbelievable scorer and finisher," said Seideman. "We are going to look for every opportunity we can to get him the ball and let him do his thing."

"Rowan is such a key contributor in a lot of areas that maybe do not appear on the stat sheet," continued Seideman. "He is our best rider and does an amazing job of putting the opposing team under pressure all over the field."

Wooster's returnees at attack also include juniors Jesse Fisher, Sam Green, and Mo Bajinka.

"We are really excited to see Sam back on the field after working his way back from injury," said Seideman. "Jesse played a lot for us and had some big games last year, and Mo adds depth to our attack unit."

Wooster's defense "has a lot of talent and potential," per Seideman. However, compared to the offense, "our defense is younger and we are going to be developing our chemistry and trust throughout the season."

Senior Sutton Ursillo is the "glue of the defense," according to Seideman. He will be counted on to tie the team defense together and is one of the program's top cover guys. Sophomore Domenic Cuda is Wooster's latest in a line of successful players to make a big immediate impact in the caused turnovers and groundball areas joining recently alumni Casey Steffen '24 and Bill Holtzer '25 at the top of the conference statistical rankings.

"Dom is a major force for us," confirmed Seideman. "He is a chaos agent and is amazing at causing turnovers, picking up groundballs, and pushing in transition."

Other key returnees include sophomores Tim Higgin and Ben Viverito, a duo who "contributed quite a lot last year," per Seideman. He is "looking forward to seeing them grow into some increased roles."

Ginder tops Wooster's list of defensive midfielders. Wooster will receive a strong boost with the return of senior Cooper Nichols from injury. Sophomore Harry Brinkman and senior Luke Peter were both rotational defensive midfielders last year. Junior Patrick Kane adds depth to the position among the returnees, as does sophomore Tobi Aina as a long-stick midfielder.

"We are looking forward to having Cooper's physical presence and leadership back on the field," said Seideman. "Harry, Luke, Patrick, and Tobi are working for increased roles this year."

Senior Owen Bosland slides into the spotlight as the primary faceoff specialist for Wooster after being a capable backup the last few years.

"Owen has worked hard to improve his craft with our more experienced upperclassmen the past couple of years," shared Seideman. "We are really looking forward to seeing him in the lead role this year."

"No starter is finalized as of now," per Seideman when it comes to goalkeeper. Wooster does return sophomore Case Lowery, who earned the starting job last spring, as well as senior Théo Weidinger and sophomore Charlie Zabatta.

Wooster's roster is rounded out by first-years Samuel Briggs, Matt Carroll, CJ Collins, Mac Dwyer, Dylan Geary, Oscar Gerlach, Grady Harban, Ian Marsland, Jack Nolan, Max Phillips, Braden Popper, Matthew Shlofrock, Alec Siegel, Harry Sorger, Owen Thompson, and Brady Wallen.

"We feel like this is our best first-year class that we have had since we have been here," summed up Seideman. "There are a number of players at every position who are challenging for key roles right away. As they gain experience and have their opportunities, I would not be surprised to see a bunch of them being key players this year."             

Wooster's season starts at Hiram College on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The Scots are home for the first time against Adrian College on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. Wooster's team is traveling to Texas for spring break and kicks off North Coast Athletic Conference play at Wittenberg University on Saturday, March 21.

"We have a handful of new teams we have not played since I have been here on our schedule," said Seideman. "We are excited to mix it up with those new opponents and our traditional rivalries with some of the local Ohio Athletic Conference schools. We know, like most years, Ohio Wesleyan University and Denison University are the conference frontrunners. The competition to make the tournament and threaten those two is deeper than it has ever been and should make for an interesting year in the NCAC."