FROSTBURG, Md. - Frostburg State Athletics will be taking a preview of each team competing in the spring season, covering nine total sports.  Over the next couple weeks, each team will be broken down into their matchups, key players, and overall outlook for their season and program.  Next up is Men's Lacrosse.
 
Overall
Frostburg State Men's Lacrosse gears up for their 15^th season, playing their sixth season in the East Coast Conference.  LSM Seamus Kearney was named ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year to start out the season for Frostburg, along with being named a USILA Preseason All-American, as the team was placed 17^th in the USILA Preseason Poll.  Head Coach Steve Gartelman prepares for his seventh season leading the program, while he welcomes back all of Carl Haas, Victor Licata, and Kevin Murphy to his staff.   
 
Last Season
FSU is coming off another successful season, finishing with a 13-4 record overall and a strong 5-1 mark in the ECC.  The Bobcats picked up their first-ever win over Seton Hill (Pa.) a year ago, taking down the ranked Griffins 17-9.  Frostburg pushed their way back to their third consecutive conference championship against Mercy, with the Bobcats still fighting for that first-ever win over the Mavericks.  In 2024, Bubba Love took ECC Offensive Player of the Year, with Chase Buckwalter, Luke McCullough, and Kearny joining him on the All-ECC First Team.  Rounding out the ECC accolades were Austin Sipes, Owen McCallum, and Alex Walstrum, who were all named Second Team All-ECC.  Love, Buckwalter, McCullough, Kearney, and Walstrum all earned spots on the USILA All-Region Teams, with Buckwalter, Kearney, Love, and McCullough receiving All-American honors.  In the classroom, Gartelman had 19 players named to the ECC Commissioner's Honor Roll, while McCullough and Nate Jones were named USILA Scholar All-Americans. 
 
The Returners
Despite losing a historic senior class led by Love, McCullough, Sipes, Buckwalter, and McCallum, along with seven other key contributors, Gartelman welcomes back 39 total players from last year's roster. 
 
The sophomore duo of Henry Sykes and Luke Roach look to lead the pressure attack for FSU, coming back as the top-two returners in scoring.  Roach put up 11 goals and four assists in his freshman season, with Sykes going for four goals and seven assists in 2024.  Both Gregg Dort Jr. and Walstrum return for their senior seasons, looking to take control of the face-off circle for Frostburg, combining for 11 goals and three assists on the offensive side, and both seeing over a .600 face-off percentage in the X. 
 
Sitting in the main midfield role are seniors Drew Mullineaux and Blaine Karotko, who both played a significant amount of time last season, as well as junior Hayden McCullough.  Senior Tristan Anderson and junior Hayden Tyler both look to become more of a midfield weapon this season, having both appeared in over 10 games last year.
 
Kearney looks to hold his ground on the defensive end, coming back for his senior season, as he will partner with fellow senior Landon Bruce and graduate Nick Agresta, with the trio going 1-2-3 in caused turnovers during 2024.  Juniors Will Stephanos, Will McNeely, and Christian Killoran look to step into an upperclassmen defensive role, also seeing a significant amount of time on the field a season ago.  All will work to defend Jones in goal, who will have competition from senior Logan Covey, who makes his way to the active roster this year, as well as sophomores Lukasz Barmosz and Xavier Wilson, both who saw little time as freshmen. 
 
The Newcomers
Gartelman adds a solid mix of 13 freshmen to his squad, welcoming in players at the midfield, defense, and face-off position.  He also brings in a solid number of transfers, welcoming seven new players that have seen collegiate experience at the attack, midfield, defense, and goalkeeper positions. 
 
Kick Off to Season
The Bobcats being their season today, February 22, as the team is in North Canton, Ohio for a 12 PM contest with Walsh.  FSU comes home for their next game, welcoming in Saint Anselm for the team's home opener in Bobcat Stadium on Sunday, March 2 at 12 PM.  Frostburg begins ECC play on Saturday, March 15 with a 1 PM home match against D'Youville. 
 
For more information and upcoming previews, please visit frostburgsports.com.