2024 Men's Lacrosse Season Preview
2023 Record: 13-6 (5-0 Heart)
Starters returning/lost: 7/3
Letterwinners returning/lost: 24/15
Top Returners
Breck Putzier, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.
(First-Team All-America, 68 goals, 60 assists)
Wyatt Christensen, So., Madison, Wis.
(First-team all-Heart, 52 goals, 31 assists)
Boston Romero, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.
(Second-Team All-America, 41 goals, 14 assists)
Collin Baliva, Sr., St. Louis, Mo.
(First-team all-Heart, 6 goals, 6 assists)
Key Players Lost
Brady Treloar
(All-Heart)
Chace Witherow
(All-Heart)
Top Newcomers
Max Standage, So., Gilbert, Ariz.
Noah Braegger, Fr., West Point, Utah
Having a cabinet stocked with returning talent, the Statesmen men's lacrosse team is primed for a huge season as it enters the 2024 campaign.
Head Coach Luke Christiansen, in his fifth year heading the navy and gold, has a plethora of skill back on the field after guiding William Penn to a 13-6 record, including a Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season title at 5-0. The team was eliminated in the Heart Finals, one step away from nationals, leaving plenty of unfinished business from 2023.
NAIA First-Team All-American Breck Putzier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science), Second-Team All-American Boston Romero (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management), and Heart Freshman of the Year Wyatt Christensen (So., Madison, Wis., Biology) will pace a Statesmen squad that looks to make its first appearance at the national tournament.
Faceoff Specialist
Ryan Swarts (Sr., Boise, Idaho, Industrial Technology), who has already surpassed 500 faceoff wins in his career, was victorious in 63.8% (201-for-315) of his attempts in the circle in 2023. He was a second-team all-Heart pick a year ago.
Versatility will allow Nate Blasingame (Jr., Portland, Ore., Business Management) to play numerous positions for the Statesmen, including being a backup for Swarts at faceoff specialist.
Attacker
The Heart's Player and Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, Putzier broke the national record for single-season assists with 60 helpers. He also guided the NAIA in goals (68) and points (128).
He will be flanked by Christensen, who topped all NAIA freshmen in scoring with 83 points (52 goals and 31 assists).
Max Taylor (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Business Management), with 25 goals and 10 assists last year, and Jeff Kohl (So., Gilbert, Ariz., Business Management), with 15 goals and 19 assists, will both add strong depth for the navy and gold.
Midfielder
Romero, who posted 41 goals and 14 helpers last year, headlines the midfield, while fellow senior Tim Pennington (Sr., Boise, Idaho, Biology) is also back for one more season after notching 16 scores and 12 assists.
Kenny Bohney (So., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) (20 goals, 10 assists) and Blasingame (17 goals, 12 assists) are expected to provide additional offensive firepower from the midfield.
Defensive Midfielder
Collin Baliva (Sr., St. Louis, Mo., Mechanical Engineering) was a 2023 first-team all-Heart selection despite being new to the position, so Coach Christiansen projects him to have an even bigger campaign this spring. He notched six goals and six assists with 65 ground balls last year.
Riley West (Sr., Corona, Calif., Business Management) and Blake Cyboron (So., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Civil Engineering), with 31 ground balls, will back up Baliva in the defensive midfield.
Defender
Max Standage (So., Gilbert, Ariz., Public Accounting) is once again in the navy and gold after two years away. His return will certainly be felt after he produced 101 ground balls as a freshman in 2021.
Previous all-conference players Bradley Howell (So., Clearfield, Utah, Psychology) and Marcus Davis (Jr., Sacramento, Calif., New Media) will join fellow impact player Peter Hebenstreit (Sr., St. Louis, Mo., Nursing) as important cogs in WPU's defensive unit.
Noah Braegger (Fr., West Point, Utah, Public Accounting) should also be a major contributor for the Statesmen backline in his first collegiate campaign.
Goalkeeper
Eric Garigan (Grad., Tucson, Ariz., Master's of Organizational Leadership) will stand in front of the cage for one final season. He owned an 11-6 record in 2023 with 137 saves (.488 save percentage) and a 9.82 Goals Against Average.
Schedule
The Statesmen begin 2024 by 'hosting' Saint Mary (Kan.) Wednesday in West Des Moines. The team, which will play its first seven games either on the road or at neutral sites, will finally come home to Oskaloosa on March 9 against Ottawa (Kan.). It will serve as one of four home matchups for WPU.
The five-game Heart slate begins on March 28 at home against Mount Vernon Nazarene. WPU, which enters the year at #8 in the NAIA, is projected to defend its league crown, but will have stiff competition from St. Ambrose and Benedictine.
