Men's Lacrosse Announces Newcomers
Sep 14 | Men's Lacrosse
2016 Fall Roster
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers men's lacrosse announced its incoming 2016-17 class today, as 18 new student-athletes began the 2016 school year last week, with practice and workouts beginning this week.
This class includes nine midfielders, five defensemen, three attackers and one goalkeeper. The group of newcomers arrive at Rutgers from eight different states, with six coming from the Garden State. Three in the class call New York home, while North Carolina has two. Also represented are Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, and one international product from British Columbia. Seventeen players enter as freshmen, while RU welcomes one transfer from Nassau Community College.
"My staff and I are excited to welcome this talented incoming class to campus this fall as we start preparing for the 2017 season," head coach Brian Brecht said. "Academically in the classroom and athletically on the field this is a very strong and balanced class of student-athletes that addresses all of our needs to compliment a great core of returning players from last year's team that won 11 games and played in the Big Ten Championship. After a successful spring last year, it is fun and extremely enjoyable to finally start fall practices this week as we welcome this year's class to the Rutgers Lacrosse family."
2016 Scarlet Knight Freshman Class
#33 Jarett Alfero
Midfield, 6-2, 185
Fort Lauderdale, Florida/ American Heritage-Plantation
Prior to Rutgers: Four-year varsity player and three-time captain ... scored 202 goals with 135 assists ... named Offensive Player of the Year and MVP in his junior and senior seasons ... in final three seasons, named all-district and all-county ... named all-state as a senior ... named to FloridaLacrosseNews.com Senior all-star game ... led team to best record in school history as a senior, including the school's first ever playoff win ... all-time leading scorer and most goals in a season (69) in school history ... named to National Honor Society ... played three seasons of football, two-time as captain, and was undefeated as the starting quarterback ... parents are Tony and Tracey Alfero ... has two siblings, Kelsey and Tori.
#38 Josh Anderson
Defense, 6-0, 190
Mound, Minnesota / Minnetonka HS
Prior to Rutgers: Four-year varsity letterwinner ... named all-conference and all-section as a senior and as a junior ... participated in Under Armour Underclass All-American Tournament and Inside Lacrosse Committed Academy ... also played varsity football ... parents are Brett and Tracy ... has one brother, Gabe, who plays lacrosse at Mercer.
#36 Matthew Chase
Midfield, 6-2, 190
Marietta, Georgia / Centennial HS
Prior to Rutgers: Three-year varsity starter ... spent Junior and Senior seasons at Centennial after playing two years at Pope HS ... led Centennial to 17-3 record and two playoff appearances ... team captain as a senior ... two-time all-region and all-state selection ... scored 135 career points ... four-year member of academic honor roll ... had cousins play softball at Yale (Kelsey) and UMKC (Abbey) ... parents are Lisa and Lawrence ... has one brother, Cole.
#30 Liam Donnelly
Goalie, 5-9, 160
Yorktown, New York / Yorktown HS
Prior to Rutgers: U.S. Lacrosse All-American ... only player in Yorktown HS to play five varsity seasons ... team captain in 2016 ... five-time Section I champion ... led team to New York State Championship in 2014, runner-up finish in 2016, and semifinal appearance in 2012 and 2015 ... a 2015 all-league and all-section pick ... had 62.7 save percentage in 2016, totaling double-digit saves in 12 games ... as a senior named all-league and all-section ... named Journal News Hudson Valley Player of the Year ... named Hudson Valley Player of the Year and First Team All-Metro by MSG Varsity ... also played five seasons of varsity hockey, earning three-time all-league honors and setting a school record for most assists and points in a career ... parents are Mike and Therese Donnelly ... has a younger sister, Heather
Defense, 5-9, 190
Montclair, New Jersey / Bergen Catholic
Prior to Rutgers: Played three years of varsity lacrosse ... helped team advance to Tournament of Champions final in 2015 ... listed as one of the top defenders in Non-Public/Prep division by NJ.com ... also competed in football for four seasons, where he was named all-county, and two years of varsity wrestling .... parents are Jevon Dunmore, Sr. and Tyrane Brown ... has three siblings -- Monique, Michael and Janiyah
#46 Brian Eletti
Midfield, 6-0, 210
Levittown, New York / Island Trees HS / Naval Academy Prep / Nassau CC
Prior to Rutgers: Spent 2016 at Nassau Community College, where he scored 18 goals and added 10 assists and 15 ground balls in 12 starts ... spent 2015 at Naval Academy Preparatory School ... played varsity lacrosse at Island Trees from 2010 to 2014 ... in HS career, had 65 goals, 26 assists, and was 213-of-352 on faceoffs (60.2 percent) ... two-time all-conference selection ... 2013 honorable mention all-county ... 2013 Academic all-conference ... team captain and MVP in 2013 ... did not played senior season in 2014 due to injury ... also competed on varsity in football, wrestling and basketball ... parents are Brian and Susan Eletti ... has two siblings, Justin O'Donnell and Jaclyn Michelsen ... brother Justin O'Donnell played lacrosse at St. John's
#62 Brodie Gillespie
Midfield, 5-10, 175
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada / Terry Fox Secondary / Culver Military Academy
Prior to Rutgers: Played two years at Terry Fox and three years at Culver ... named team's Top Attackman in sophomore season at Terry Fox, as team went undefeated and won Provincial High School Championship ... helped Culver win MSLCA Championship all three seasons ...team captain as a senior ... was named First Team all-league, Inter-AC Champion, and John Yeager Award winner ... two-time Canadian national field lacrosse champion, where he burnwas named the top attackman at nationals ... two-time provincial box lacrosse champion, where he was named to the league all-star team and was provincial tournament MVP ... two-time national box championship silver medalist with Team BC, where he was tied for the team's scoring lead ... two-time honor roll recipient ... parents are Tim and Renee Gillespie ... has two brothers, Jake and Justin ... cousin, Travis Gillespie, played in the NLL and now coaches the Taiwan Men's Lacrosse National Team.
#16 Palmer Lloyd
Midfield/Faceoff, 6-1, 190
Vienna, Virginia. / James Madison HS
Prior to Rutgers: Four-year varsity player ... had 37 goals and 11 assists in his senior year while winning 81 percent of his faceoffs ... named both all-conference and all-district in his sophomore, junior and senior years ... all-region as a senior ... team was state semifinalist in 2016 and state runner-up in 2013 ... mother is Deborah Doyle ... has one brother, Will, and a sister, Kelly, who was a diver at the University of Virginia.
#27 Robert Marron
Midfield, 6-0, 180
Annandale, New Jersey / North Hunterdon
Prior to Rutgers: Four-year varsity starter ... team captain as a senior ... set school record with 83 consecutive varsity games started ... reached 100 points as a junior ... ranks in school's top five all-time in goals (92), assists (60) and points (152) ... Second Team All-Group 4 ... First Team All-Skyland Conference ... Second Team All-Courier News ... two-time First Team All-Hunterdon County ... First Team All-State Coaches selection to the Gil Gibbs Game ... Under Armour underclass All-American selection for Team NJ ... named North Hunterdon HS Athlete of the Year ... member of National Honor Society, graduating with a 3.85 GPA ... Wendy's High School Heisman Award state finalist ... also a three-year varsity starter in football, captaining team as a senior, and was named First Team All-Area and All-County ... ran for 1,000 yards as a senior and holds school record for longest kick return touchdown, longest punt return touchdown, longest interception return touchdown, and most return yards ... parents are Tom and Dina Marron ... has one sibling, TJ.
#17 Nick McCabe
Midfield, 5-9, 180
Boca Raton, Florida / Boca Raton HS
Prior to Rutgers: U.S. Lacrosse All-American ... scored 178 goals and added 98 assists in four-years at Boca Raton High School ... four-year varsity starter and two-time captain ... two-time All-American ... earned First Team all-district, all-county and all-state recognition ... Sun Sentinel Player of the Year and Sun Sentinel Offensive Player of the Year ... parents are Lisa and Al McCabe ... has a younger brother, Joey ... cousin, Anthony Carchietta, plays lacrosse at Quinnipiac.
#48 J.J. McKenna
Midfield, 5-11, 185
Barnegat, New Jersey / Barnegat HS
Prior to Rutgers: Four-year varsity starter ... team captain as a senior ... scored 145 career goals, becoming Barnegat's all-time leading scorer ... won 61 percent of faceoffs, with 195 ground balls in 65 games ... named Barnegat's Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and MVP in 2016 ... First Team All-Shore Conference in 2015 and 2016 ... first team all-division in 2016 ... second team all-division in 2015 ... honorable mention all-division in 2013 ... selected to Division Senior All-Star Game ... helped team reach Shore Conference championship in 2014 ... named to school's honor roll ... parents are Joe and Beth ... has three older sisters, Christine, Sherri and Heather.
#39 Owen Mead
Attack, 6-3, 190
Sparta, New Jersey / Sparta HS
Prior to Rutgers: U.S. Lacrosse All-American ... four-year varsity starter ... first team all-state, first team all-league and first team all-county selection ... named to NJ Herald First Team ... NJ Herald Player of the Year ... Mugs Media Player of the Year ...scored 169 goals and 121 assists in his career (290 points) ... team was league champions in 2013, 2015 and 2016, and made four appearances in the state semifinals ... Sparta HS Male Athlete of the Year ... three-year varsity letter winner in basketball, where he was named all-league and all-county ... named to National Honor Society ... Billy Reilly Award recipient ... parents are John and Kristin ... has one brother (Tyler) and three sisters (Emily, Kaitlyn, and Hailey).
#37 Brendan Moreau
Defense, 6-1, 185
Far Hills, New Jersey / St. Joseph's (Metuchen)
Prior to Rutgers: Three-year varsity starter and two-time team captain ... team was GMC Tournament champions in 2014 and 2015 and GMC regular season champions in 2016 ... named All-Greater Middlesex Conference Selection in 2015 and 2016 ... 2016 Home News Tribune all-area selection ... participated in Inside Lacrosse Committed Game ... graduated summa cum laude ... named to President's Honor Roll all four years of high school and on to National Honor Society ... parents are Marc and Carmel ... has a younger sister, Cara ...father Marc Moreau was a men's lacrosse captain at Rutgers, and was a two-time All-American (1988 and 1989) ... mother is also a Rutgers graduate.
Attack, 5-10, 175
Islip, New York / Islip HS / U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School
Prior to Rutgers: U.S. Lacrosse All-American as a senior and Honorable Mention All-American as a junior ... earned Lt. Ray Enners Lacrosse Award and Bob Scott Lacrosse Award ... named 2014 MSG Varsity first team all-tri state attack after scoring 35 goals and adding 33 assists ... named Suffolk County Lacrosse Rookie of the Year as a freshman ... spent 2015-16 at Army West Point Prep School, where he was a team captain ... broke the school record for assists and was second in points ... received the Lt. Richard Shea Award ... also played football and basketball ... named all-division and all-county as a quarterback in football ... was two-time academic all-county selection in basketball ... named to the Dean's List each quarter ... named to National Honor Society ... parents are Kim and Scott Mullins ... has two siblings, Shea and Reagan ... brother Shea played lacrosse at Army West Point, and was a captain as a senior in 2016.
#47 Jake Nordausen
Defense, 6-6, 220
Ellicott City, Maryland / Loyola Blakefield / U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School
Prior to Rutgers: Two-year varsity starter ... 2015 Defensive MVP ... four-year starter and two-year captain in wrestling, where he was school's all-time wins and pins record holder ... two-year starter in football at defensive end ... parents are Jim and Kathleen ... father played lacrosse at Towson ... has a sister Sydney and brother Nick.
#15 Mark Schachte
Attack, 6-2, 195
Cary, North Carolina / Cardinal Gibbons HS
Prior to Rutgers: Scored 48 goals with 40 assists as a senior ... three-year varsity starter ... team captain as a senior ... three-time state champion ... three-time Pac-6 All-Conference recipient ... second team all-metro and second team all-state as a senior ... third team all-state as a junior ... 2016 Cardinal Gibbons Male Athlete of the Yeare... two-year varsity player in basketball, captaining team as a senior ... played football as a junior, named Pac-6 All-Conference kicker ... parents are John Schachte and Lisa Vulinec ... siblings are Peter and Caroline.
#77 Jack Thompson
Defense, 6-1, 185
Madison, New Jersey / Madison HS
Prior to Rutgers: Three-year varsity starter (four-year letterwinner) ... team captain ... helped team to 2016 state sectional championship, two-time Group I finalist and 2015 division championship ... earned second team all-state and first team all-state honors in consecutive years ... two-time all-conference selection and two-time all-league honoree ... 2016 team MVP ... two-time all-academic selection ... voted for Coaches Award/Scholarship at the Gil Gibbs All-Star game at NJ Jamboree ... ranked by Inside Lacrosse as one of the top Defensemen for 2016... high honor roll student ... earned Presidential Award and U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award ... also played soccer and hockey ... parents are Elizabeth and Grant Thompson ... has three brothers, Oliver, George and Luke ... brother George played lacrosse at Sacred Heart and Lafayette ... holds dual citizenship with United Kingdom.
