Story By: Sam Stevenson, Men’s Lacrosse Graduate Assistant, sjstevenson@noctrl.edu
Contact: Tyler Bremner, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, trbremner@noctrl.edu
Feb. 22, 2024 – After another historic season, the 2024 North Central College men’s lacrosse team is flying high heading into a new season, ready for new opportunities and a chance to continue pushing for another title of CCIW Tournament champs under head coach Jason Farrell.
“Last season was a good reminder for us that you need more than talent to win competitive games. I thought we had a great team last year. I thought we had a ton of talent. But, we didn't get the job done in the end and so this year has been really focused on the entirety of the team, not just skill development but relationships on and off the field, communicating to each other effectively and making sure that ultimately, we are striving to become the best team we possibly can, not just the best lacrosse players. I think that's been really inspiring for our guys this year to come together as a group and know that, while we might not have particular names returning in areas, we can overcome that by being a better team,”
This year’s offense is loaded with talent, between the team’s core group of returners and the arrival of several key newcomers ready to make their mark. Senior attackmen Tom Eberhardt is coming off a career season, where he broke the all-time scoring record previously held by Jared Weaver ‘20. Opposite the senior attackmen; fellow senior Luke Illgen looks to add to his totals, as he completed a historic 2023 season himself by becoming the ninth Cardinal in history to record 100 points. Senior midfielders Rylan McQueary and Joseph D’Cunha will look to be major contributors once again, with McQueary recording a 35 point season and D’Cunha recording a 22 point season in 2023.
On defense, the team returns four starters with close defensemen Rutger Rawlings, long stick midfielder Jake Paris, short stick defensive midfielder Evan Watanabe, and USILA All-American Dylan Mlinarich. Meanwhile, the group will see junior close defensemen Tucker Hanson and junior goalkeeper Aidan Murphy sliding into starting roles after making big contributions as sophomores last season. Hanson was a key role player on the faceoff wings and Murphy helped the team win their first CCIW Tournament as a freshman.
“Yes, we graduated a lot of seniors last year, which on paper looks like we're going to have a big drop off this season. But the reality of it is, we’re only replacing 4 starters this season. The rest of the group is back, and they're back with vengeance. There are plenty of exciting opportunities for some guys who maybe didn't get on the field as much as they wanted to last year to showcase their talents this year in a new light.”
The 2024 schedule has the Cardinals facing a wide spread of talent, including some new opponents. A challenging spring break out east will see the team competing against Gordon College from Massachusetts and St. Vincent College from Pennsylvania. CCIW play for the team starts the week of April 8th, with Illinois Wesleyan coming to town on April 10th. The team concludes their regular season conference play with a trip to Elmhurst University.
“Our goal is always to win the CCIW Championship and make the NCAA Tournament. That will never change. More importantly though, our bigger goal than winning a conference championship is to get better every single day we step out on the field. I think sometimes, and in previous years, we've looked at that championship as the main goal, whereas this year our focus is stepping onto the practice field every day and walking off a better team.”
The Cardinals kick off their season by heading to their crosstown rival, Benedictine University, on Friday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 pm for the annual Battle of the Chicago/Maple Avenue Cup.
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