Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Men's Lacrosse 2024 Season Outlook
February 15, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse
The opening face-off for the Princeton men’s lacrosse season, as it always does, comes in mid-February this year. The Tigers enter 2024 looking to have the closing face-off mirror the last two years, when Princeton played into the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four two years ago.
While graduation took 16 seniors from the program, Princeton enters 2024 with a roster that is stacked with returning starters, key reserves and players who are ready to make a jump. Added to that is the No. 1-ranked incoming class in Division I.
What Princeton does not have is a lot of home games. In fact, of the 13 regular season games, eight are on the road, including a four-game stretch at Maryland, North Carolina, Duke and Rutgers. The Ivy League schedule is different this year as well, as the Tigers will open at home against Cornell (March 17), while the other league home games are against Dartmouth and Penn.
Here is a look at the 2024 Princeton men’s lacrosse team, position by position:
Attack
Starter returning: Coulter Mackesy, Jack Ringhofer
Other returning letterwinners: Hunter Engel, Jackson Kane, Bear Lockshin
Newcomers Colin Burns, Nate Kabiri, Jacob Todd
The Princeton offense has so many interchangeable pieces that it can be hard to tell who is a returning attackman or midfielder or who will play where this season — a concept that is known by the coaching staff as “position-less lacrosse.” One constant? That would be Coulter Mackesy, who had a monstrous sophomore year that saw his break the school record for goals in a season with 55 and put himself in position to challenge the all-time career goals record of 163, which has stood for 28 years. Mackesy, a second-team All-American, also tied the Princeton record for goals in an NCAA tournament game with six against Penn State; he will be locked in as one starter. The other starters look like they will be teammates again on attack, though on the collegiate level for the first time. Colin Burns and Nate Kabiri, high school All-Americans at Georgetown Prep, are the frontrunners to start alongside Mackesy. Beyond those three, Jack Ringhofer started five games last year, including the NCAA tournament game, and had seven goals and an assist. Bear Lockshin, a senior captain, is also in the mix, as is sophomore Jackson Kane, who mostly played extra-man last year.
Offensive midfield
Starters returning: Sean Cameron, Braedon Saris, Lukas Stanat (on attack a year ago)
Other returning letterwinners: Billy Barnds, Tommy Barnds, John Dunphey, Quinn Krammer, Ian Mize, Jamison Moore, Chad Palumbo, David Smythe
Newcomers: Carson Krammer, Mark Marino, Brody Upton, Tucker Wade
Princeton’s top four midfielders to start last year were all seniors — Sam English, Christian Ronda, Jake Stevens and Alexander Vardaro. In their absence, Princeton will be relying on a combination — or several combinations — of returnees, converted attackmen and newcomers. In the end, Princeton’s offensive success will be in large part determined by how quickly these combinations come together. Injuries and various midfield pairings meant that Princeton had to rely on more than just the first four a year ago, and as such, there is considerable depth and experience here. Sean Cameron went from five goals as a freshman in 2022 to 16 goals and five assists last year, when he started the final five games and was selected to the Ivy League’s All-Tournament team. Cameron, whose 16 goals are the most by a returning player besides Mackesy’s 55, is an explosive 5-10 sparkplug. Princeton also has size in the midfield, where 6-4 senior Lukas Stanat (10G, 10A) and 6-3 junior Braedon Saris (6G, 11A in only five games in an injury-plagued 2023) are likely to find themselves this season after playing mostly, but not exclusively, attack last year. Senior Tommy Barnds is a veteran who has also started on attack and in the midfield, and he had eight goals and seven assists a year ago. Sophomore John Dunphey (5G, 3A last year) is more like Cameron — solid size at 6-0 but a very quick dodger. Others who may be parts of the midfield units include Chad Palumbo (another converted attackman) and Ringhofer (if he’s not playing attack), as well as junior Billy Barnds, the Krammer brothers (sophomore Quinn and freshman Carson), sophomores Ian Mize and Jamison Moore and freshman Tucker Wade.
Shortstick defensive midfield
Starters returning: Marquez White
Other returning letterwinners: Liam Fairback, Teddy Gutman, Joe Juengerkes, Michael Kelly, Paul Weathington Jr.
Newcomers: Owen Fischer, Jackson Green, Tyler Harris, Cooper Mueller
Princeton returns six of its top seven SSDM’s from 2023. While the loss is a big one with the graduation of Beau Pederson, Princeton has depth, experience, quality and some very promising newcomers in an area that is one of the team’s biggest strengths. Marquez White, a senior, had eight ground balls and 13 caused turnovers and has played alongside Pederson on the top unit for two full seasons. He is part of a seemingly interchangeable group that has size, quickness and tenacity as its common denominators. Senior Paul Weathington Jr. has battled injuries his entire career but has been a force when healthy, which he is as he enters the 2024 season. Joe Juengerkes is another senior who has played a great deal, and he had five ground balls and five caused turnovers last year. Teddy Gutman, another senior, has also been a reliable member of the rotation. Junior Liam Fairback plays with great passion on every shift, and he figures to make another jump after a three-caused turnover, eight-ground ball season in his first major playing time. Junior Michael Kelly has also worked through injuries, but he has good size and speed and is dangerous in transition. Joining these returnees is a group of four freshmen highlighted by high school All-Americans Cooper Mueller and Owen Fischer and football wide receiver Jackson Green.
Longstick midfield
Starters returning: Michael Bath, Cooper Kistler
Other returning letterwinners: Nick Crowley
Newcomers: none
There are interchangeable pieces on this side of the field as well. For the longstick midfield spot, Princeton has three options, all of whom are outstanding — unless they find themselves on close defense. Cooper Kistler could possibly start this year as he ended last year, as the No. 1 LSM — or he could be a starter at close defense. Kistler, a 6-2, 190-pound sophomore, played in 12 games last year with four caused turnovers and nine ground balls, but by season’s end he was most certainly playing way beyond his experience. Junior Michael Bath, who also could find himself on close defense, is another elite pole; he had 14 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls, along with a goal. Both Kistler and Bath are big and fast, can play on the face-off wings and are dangerous in tradition. One reason that those two could play close defense is the emergence of Nick Crowley, a sophomore, who has made a big jump from last year.
Defense
Starters returning: Pace Billings, Colin Mulshine
Other returning letterwinners: Colin Freer, Zach Friedman, Ian Murray, McKnight Pederson
Newcomers: Hunter Spiess, Jack Stahl
Princeton needs to replace defenseman Ben Finlay, who graduated after starting every game in his career. Pace Billings has made a huge immediate impact on Princeton’s defense from Day 1 of his sophomore year, and the senior captain has established himself as one of the best poles in the country. A second-team All-Ivy selection a year ago, Billings has played mostly close defense but has seen considerable time as an LSM as well; that could again be the case in 2024, where he could be the No. 1 pole if Kistler or Bath or both are on defense. Colin Mulshine moved into the starting lineup midway through his freshman season of 2022 and has started 24 straight games since. Between Billings and Mulshine, the two of them they combined for 21 caused turnovers and 36 ground balls while anchoring the unit. Princeton, which has used six or seven poles minimum per game the last year-plus, could also turn to senior Colin Freer, junior McKnight Pederson, sophomore Zach Friedman and freshmen Hunter Spiess and Jack Stahl.
Goalie
Starter returning: Michael Gianforcaro
Other returning letterwinner: Ryan Croddick
Newcomer: Colin Vickrey
Senior captain Michael Gianforcaro was the Most Outstanding Player at the Ivy League tournament a year ago, when he also finished second in Division I in save percentage (.577) and led the Ivy League in both save percentage and goals-against average. He is as good as any goalie in the country, and he showed that in the ILT, when he made 32 saves while allowing 17 goals, including a 17-save, eight-goal against performance in the nail-biting 9-8 win over Penn in the semifinals. He also had 10 games with double figures in saves, with a career-high of 20 in the 17-11 win over Harvard. Sophomore Ryan Croddick, who played in one game a year ago, and freshman Colin Vickrey are the backups.
Face-off
Starters returning: Andrew McMeekin, Tyler Sandoval
Other returning letterwinners: Koby Ginder, Jim Williams
Newcomers: Wilder Burgin
As Princeton chases its first season of being a better than .500 face-off team since 2012, it does so with three players who have all had big moments in their careers, as well as, for the first time, an assistant coach — Casey Dowd — whose specialty is the face-off position. Senior Tyler Sandoval is still working his way back from an ACL tear that he suffered midway through the season. In his place, Andrew McMeekin took over as the No. 1 face-off man and finished at .492 for his freshman year. A closer look, though, shows that McMeekin went 44 for 78 (56.4 percent) in three games in the postseason, earning Ivy All-Tournament honors and the winning 18 of 28 in the NCAA tournament first round. Sandoval has won 52 percent of his career face-offs, including 54 percent in the 2022 season, when the Tigers reached the Final Four. Koby Ginder has taken 170 career face-offs and had some big moments, especially in the 2022 NCAA quarterfinal against Yale, against whom he won 6 of 9.
