Princeton University Athletics
Bill Tierney Announces Early Admission Commitments In Men's Lacrosse Class Of 2008
December 23, 2003 | Men's Lacrosse
Dec. 23, 2003
Princeton University men's lacrosse coach Bill Tierney has announced the eight members of the class of 2008 who were admitted early decision and have committed to joining the Tigers.
Dan Cocoziello, Trip Cowin, Zac Goldberg, Alex Haynie, Alex Hewit, Bob Schneider, Peter Striebel and Peter Trentman will all continue their academic and athletic careers next fall as part of the Princeton University Class of 2008.
The group features three attackmen, two midfielders, two defensemen and one goalie. These eight will join the 14 players who are currently freshmen at Princeton as Tierney continues to rebuild after this past graduation claimed 11 four-year contributors.
"We are extremely pleased and feel very fortunate to welcome this amazing group of young men," says Tierney, who has coached Princeton to six NCAA championships, eight NCAA championship games, nine NCAA Final Fours and 11 Ivy League championships. "They follow one of our best classes ever at Princeton and will aid us greatly in our effort to stay at the upper echelon of Division I lacrosse. We feel like we have players with All-America potential at each position but more importantly have another group of fine young people who will continue to achieve in the classroom and community, meeting the standard set by previous Princeton lacrosse players." Dan Cocoziello (6-1, 220 lbs.) is an All-America and all-county defenseman from the Delbarton School. He has already helped lead his high school team to New Jersey state championships in his sophomore and junior years, and he is also a two-time Parochial all-state football player, who spearheaded his team's defense from the middle linebacker position. "Dan turned down many offers from some fantastic lacrosse and football schools," Tierney says. "We feel that he is the top player coming out of high school this year and is undoubtedly the best defenseman. He will have an immediate impact on our team next year and on our program for years to come."
Trip Cowin (5-8, 170 lbs.) is a speedy attackman who is an outstanding feeder from the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He is a two-time All-New England attackman and a Founders League All-Star. "Trip is a multi-talented player who uses his speed and quickness very effectively," Tierney says. "He has a chance to come in and earn some valuable playing time as a freshman with the graduation of Ryan Boyle after this season. Trip is a leader in the truest sense of the word, and his daily match-ups in practice with Dan Cocoziello will be fun to watch."
Zac Goldberg (5-10, 175 lbs) is a midfielder with great speed out of the Gilman School who is also a National Junior men's speed skating champion who continues to compete on the U.S. national level of that sport. "Zac will have the opportunity to come to Princeton and help solidify our defensive midfield position as a freshman," Tierney says. "As his career progresses, we feel Zac will be an instrumental two-way midfielder with the ability to use his athleticism to create offense in transition."
Alex Haynie (6-0, 160 lbs) is a versatile player from Germantown Academy who will play both attack and midfield in college. He is an All-America, all-state and All-Inter-AC player who also led his soccer team to an undefeated season this fall from the center-midfield position. "Alex is one of the smartest high school lacrosse players I have ever seen," Tierney says. "Being the son of a coach and a wonderful athlete allows Alex to come to us a step ahead in making the jump from high school to Division I lacrosse."
Alex Hewit (5-10, 180 lbs.) is an All-America goalie from Delbarton who has been the backbone of state championship teams in his sophomore and junior years. He was first-team all-state and all-county and anchored the gold medal-winning Garden State Games team last summer. "Alex Hewit will be an amazing addition to our already strong goalie position," Tierney says of Hewit, whose brother Grant is a sophomore for the Tigers. "He is a quick lefthander and a very good athlete. We feel confident that he will help us continue to compete for Ivy and national championships."
Bob Schneider (6-3, 210) is a big, strong attackman from Malvern Prep outside Philadelphia. He was first-team All-Inter-AC in his junior year and anchors his high school soccer team from the center-midfield position. "Bob is a 'Jason Doneger style' attackman who has an uncanny ability for scoring goals. His physical presence, work ethic and determination will provide us with an inside/outside force to complement our other quicker, feeding type attackmen."
Peter Striebel (6-2, 200 lbs.) is an athletic midfielder from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and the younger brother of former Princeton All-America Matt Striebel '02. Peter Striebel is an All-New England performer in lacrosse, captain and four-year varsity basketball player and all-state and All-New England in soccer at Deerfield. "Peter Striebel is going to have a stellar career at Princeton," says Tierney. "He can dodge, shoot and feed from the midfield and like his brother Matt is extremely unselfish in his play. We could not be more excited about an offensive midfield threat than we are about Peter."
Peter Trentman (6-1, 180 lbs.) is a versatile defenseman from Calverton School in Baltimore. He is captain and MVP of his high school team, as well as all-county and all-league in both lacrosse and soccer. "Peter is a student-athlete in the truest sense of the word," Tierney says. "He has achieved his many athletic accolades while remaining at the top of his class academically. He can play either long stick or close defense, and is amazing at picking up ground balls at both positions. He will help solidify our young defensive group next year."