PISCATAWAY, N.J. - As the calendar turns to February, and the snow from January starts to melt away, those are sure signs that spring sports are on the horizon. As is tradition, the first weekend of February will bring the start of the Rutgers' men's lacrosse season.

RU established themselves as a premier program with two-year run in 2021 and 2022 that saw back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Scarlet Knights made the Elite Eight in 2021, then followed that up with the program's first ever Final Four trip in 2022.

Last season, Rutgers finished ranked at No. 15 in the RPI, claimed wins over four NCAA Tournament teams and three teams in the top-15 of the RPI.

Rutgers comes into this season nationally ranked once again, as the team was pegged at No. 15 by both the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the USA Lacrosse Magazine poll. This year's squad will be an intriguing mixture of players, with some high-profile returners, a number of up-and-coming players projected to see extended playing time, and an influx of talented newcomers.

The key returners for the Scarlet Knights come in a highly decorated pair of team captains. Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch will lead the program as multi-time All-Americans on the field who have been difference makers from the moment they stepped on campus.

Scott enters his fifth year at RU. Over 52 career games in a Scarlet Knights uniform, he has scored 89 goals and added 48 assists for 137 points. He led the team in points (42) and assists (17) last season. A Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine, he was an All-American and all-conference selection in each of the last two seasons, scoring 75 goals and totaling 117 points over those two years in just 33 games played (2.27 goals per game and 3.5 points per game).

Knobloch enters his senior season at Rutgers following an outstanding first three campaigns, dating back to his Big Ten Freshman of the Year debut season. A three-time All-American, he enters this year as a Preseason First Team All-American selection by USA Lacrosse Magazine. In 46 career games, the Moorestown, N.J. native has been a dynamic presence in the team's midfield with 69 goals and 38 assists for 107 points (2.4 points per game). 

"I think a lot of guys are going to come in and contribute for us, whether it's young guys, freshman or transfers," Shane Knobloch said. "We're really athletic. We're long, we're rangy. The guys have fit in well on and off the field."

Additionally, Rutgers' welcomes back midfielder Jack Aimone as a key point in the offense. The Ringoes, N.J. native, who played his scholastic ball at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington, had a breakthrough season last year as a junior. After a hard-working offseason where he added bulk, he posted 25 goals and seven assists to be the team's third leading returning scorer.

Dante Kulas also returns following a 25-goal campaign last year, which includes three games of at least four goals for the attackman from Courtice, Ontario. Kulas, Aimone, Scott and Knobloch combined for 96 goals last season. The team then lost to graduation a combined 65 goals to graduation.

Overall, Rutgers returns 11 players to see action in double-digit games last season (Scott, Knobloch, Aimone, Kulas, Andrew Macheca, James Ringer, Nick Teresky, Tommy Mendyke, LaJhon Jones, Jon Miller and Ryan Splaine). 14 other players to see action in at least 10 games have departed.

Rutgers will be buoyed by its knowns on the offensive end, with a number of other players being counted on to step up. The team returns a number of options for the top-six offensive positions, including Shane Murphy, James Ringer, Nick Teresky, Brady Kurdyla, among others, including a talented freshman, such as Colin Kurdyla.

On the defensive end, RU is tasked with replacing three starters on close defense (Bobby Russo, Brad Apgar and Jack Stahanczyk), its starting goalkeeper (Kyle Mullin), it's top-long stick midfielder (Ethan Rall), and a short-stick midfielders (Noah Daniels, Ryan Decker), plus its top two faceoff men (Jonathan Dugenio, Joe Nueman).

The Scarlet Knights will look for higher-level contributions from a few players that have been on the roster, looking to see extended and more impactful action this season. This group (defensively) includes Andrew Machecha, Tommy Mendyke, Ben McKelvy, goalkeeper Cardin Stoller, Ryan Splaine and Jon Miller, among others. 
 

"We have a lot of new guys. It took a lot of getting to know each other, but we got organized really quick," Tommy Mendyke said. "It's a great team, and we're all flowing really well together. Everyone is playing for each other. We're very focused and playing for each other. I'm really excited for the season."

A number of transfers bring high-level collegiate experience to the team.

Colin Kelly was a two-time All-MAAC selection at Canisius, leading them in goals each of the last two seasons (41 and 29 respectively). Tanyr Krummenacher scored 85 goals and added 63 assists for 148 points in just 37 games at Amherst, where he was named an All-American. Peter Rizzotti was a two-time team captain who set Dartmouth's school record for caused turnovers in a season (27) and career (64). John Sidorski was a two-time All-Patriot League selection at Lehigh, scoring 23 goals with 48 assists for 71 points in 33 games.

Mason Edwards was a two-time All-America East selection at UMBC. Brandon Hund was a three-time captain at Towson, with 48 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers in 51 career games, and was drafted by the NLL's Philadelphia Wings. Donnie Howard played in 42 games at BU and also represented Team Australia in the 2023 World Championships and 2022 World Games. Tanner Germain played in 34 games over parts of five seasons at Bucknell and Nassau CC. Connor McDonough spent three years at Towson.

Tim Sommer was a two-time All-American with 41 goals and 55 points in 42 career games at Hamilton. Harris Hubbard started 58 games in three years at Washington & Lee, with 118 ground balls and causing 66 turnovers. Clinton Gourdeau was an All-American at Union College, with 111 ground balls and 48 caused turnovers in four years there. Seamus Fagan played 33 games at Hamilton in goal and was a First Team All-American in 2022.

Matt Soutar was a First Team All-MAAC selection last year and is a three-time all-conference pick who has gone 498-of-857 (58.1%) on faceoffs in his career at Monmouth. Cole Brams is a two-time all-conference pick, the 2023 Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP, and is 668-of-1219 (54.8%) on faceoffs in his career at Utah.

"We're getting everyone into how we play our brand of lacrosse." Cardin Stoller explained. "Everyone is bought in and on the same page."

Overall, the team will play a challenging schedule, including non-conference tests from a number of programs to make recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament and national rankings, highlighted always by rivalry games against Army and Princeton. Both of those teams are also ranked in the top-15 of the preseason polls, and both games come at SHI Stadium. Non-conference play also includes a matchup at Loyola, and a meeting with UMass at a neutral site on Long Island. The Big Ten slate is challenging as ever, with five of the six teams in the league nationally ranked, and all six at least receiving votes.

"We're trying to go 1-0 every week," Jack Aimone said. "Starting with Lehigh and progressing from there. It's been very physical in practice. We have something to prove. We're going to be ready to go at some people. We do a really good job of making sure, once you are in the locker room, you are a Scarlet Knight and you are a part of a family, whether you are a new guy or you have been here four or five years.
 
It all starts on February 3 against Lehigh.