2026 Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Preview Excitement is high as season opens in January for first time

Bucknell must replace the goal-scoring production from attackman Connor Davis, who scored 42 last season on his way to becoming the program’s all-team leading scorer, and four-year starting middie Cam Doolan, but the Bison start the year with plenty of offensive depth and should be able to generate plenty of goals. The talented offensive group will be backed by a much-improved defensive midfield unit, and Frank Fedorjaka enters his 21st season as head coach confident that his team can improve on last year’s 5-9 record, which was marked by several frustrating close losses.   In six of the team’s nine losses, the Bison were tied or had the lead in the fourth quarter, and five times they had multi-goal leads at some point in the contest. Fedorjaka is confident that his more seasoned team will win more of those fourth quarters.  

“We were much closer than our record showed last year,” said Fedorjaka. “Now we have most of the team back along with two really good transfers and some good freshmen, and everyone is a year older and a year better. We’ve been able to turn some weaknesses into strengths, and if we can stay healthy, we will have a great opportunity to contend.”

Fedorjaka also raves about his experienced coaching staff, and for the first time in his two decades as a head coach he will not be doubling as the team’s defensive coordinator. The DC duties have been given to fifth-year assistant coach Kyle Gallagher, with Matt Kerwick, a veteran of more than 30 years in collegiate coaching, serving as the offensive coordinator, and Jackson Mumford coaching the goalies and faceoff unit.  

“This is a huge dynamic change for the better, and it’s been exciting for me,” said Fedorjaka. “For the first time ever, I can go watch the faceoff guys take reps in practice, or I can go watch shooting drills. I’ve never been able to do that in my career because I’ve been so focused on running the defense and riding and clearing. Now the team knows that Coach Fed can pop in on any drill and has a much better 30,000-foot view of the whole team operation. And I can tell you personally, this is the best coaching staff I’ve ever worked with from a chemistry standpoint, to talent, to having a great role that they each play.”

  Let’s take a closer look at the 2026 Bison men’s lacrosse squad, starting with the goalies.  

GOALIE

  Fedorjaka has never been afraid to keep his goalie room busy, and he is excited to have three experienced netminders back in the fold in 2026. Seniors in Jaz Zanelli and Luke Renaud have seen extensive action and have both been starters, and sophomore Parker Day has impressed in a more limited role.   Zanelli spent most of his first two seasons as the primary starter before battling some injury issues last year, and he enters his senior year as the projected starter with 30 games and 264 saves under his belt. Zanelli comes from a family of Bison goalies, as his mother Cindy played both field hockey and lacrosse at Bucknell, and sister Abby is currently a goalie on the field hockey squad.  

“Jaz is our No. 1 goalie, and he has really settled in as the leader of the goalie group,” said Fedorjaka. “He has been a starter at some point in each of his first three seasons, and he’s coming off his best fall ever. He does a great job with clearing and just looks really comfortable right now. His great moments are truly great, and now he is ready to take that next step and be consistent throughout the season.”

  Renaud is coming off a solid debut season for the Bison after playing his first two collegiate seasons at UMass Lowell, where he was an America East All-Rookie Team selection in 2023. Last season, he appeared in 13 of the team’s 14 games with nine starts, and he recorded 98 saves and a .467 save percentage. His best game was a 17-save performance in an overtime loss to Loyola.  

“Luke battled some injuries in the fall, but he’s played great in practice and in the scrimmages this spring,” said Fedorjaka. “He was ridiculous in the Towson scrimmage, and he had moments last year, too, where he was unreal. He’s a great athlete with one of the best mile-and-a-half times on the team. So it’s great to have two seasoned veterans who are both capable of winning games.”

  Day made five relief appearances totaling about 100 minutes as a freshman last season, and his .585 save percentage, albeit in a small sample size, was the best of the goalie trio. Day made a season-high eight saves against Lafayette and totaled 24 on the season.

“Parker is the wild card of the group, because he could be the best at saving the ball,” said Fedorjaka. “As he gets more comfortable being vocal and quarterbacking the defense, he has a ton of potential.”

CLOSE DEFENSE

  Senior co-captain Will Pickering is the leader of a close defense unit that will feature some new faces this spring. Pickering has played in every game over the last three seasons and started the last 39 in a row. He has ranked in the top 10 in the Patriot League in caused turnovers in each of last two seasons, and a year ago he ranked 13th nationally with 1.79 per game.  

“Will really knows the defense and is a motivational leader,” said Fedorjaka. “He has great fundamentals and great takeaways, and he’s like the glue of the whole defense. I expect him to have a great year and be a candidate for all-conference.”

  Senior Louie Germain is also a returning starter but has battled injuries throughout his career and has been hobbled again this spring. Junior Corbin Lukanski played in 11 games as freshman and five last season, and he appears to have earned a starting nod after a strong offseason.   Senior John Young has seen a ton of minutes as a long-stick defensive midfielder, and he could move to close defense this season. Young has played all 41 of the team’s games over the last three seasons and has collected more than 40 ground balls in each of the last two.   Also in the running for starting nods are junior Caleb Lewis, who has seen spot time over his first two seasons, and sophomore Grayson Falk, who is back on the field after missing his rookie season with an ACL injury. Freshman Troy Monte, a strong, fast defender at 6’3”, is also in the mix.  

“After Pickering, we have four or five guys vying for those next spots,” said Fedorjaka. “Corbin Lukanski has really taken a step forward. He has always had good physical tools, but positionally he wasn’t always where he needed to be. Now he is consistently getting himself to the right spots, he’s very active off the ball, and he’s really good on the ball. He can cover quick guys.

“We put John Young down on close D this fall, and he did well in that role. He’s got the physical tools and he’s really good with the ball in terms of ground balls and clearing, but it’s a bit different down there in terms of positioning and sliding correctly. Caleb Lewis is a really smart player with a good stick. He was an All-Greater Rochester quarterback and a very good basketball player in high school, so he’s one of those guys who is just very good at sports. Grayson Falk is one year removed from ACL surgery and only got to practice a little bit late in the fall. He’s still learning and working his way in, but he’s a very gifted player. He’s probably our best cover guy, so we’re hoping he grows into a bigger role as the season progresses.”

LONG-STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD

  Sophomore Ollie Hau was an impact player as a freshman with 15 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers in 12 appearances. Hau has been dealing with an injury this spring, but when healthy he has the potential to be one of the rising young stars in the Patriot League. Like Hau last year, freshman Riggs Taylor has made an immediate impact this season, and the California native figures to be on the field quite a bit on defense and on the faceoff wings.   Senior Jack Morvillo played in every game as a sophomore but missed last season due to injury. He’s back in 2026 and will also be in the rotation, particularly on man-down. Young could also move back up to defensive middie if needed, and depending on how the close defense group sorts out.  

“We have quality depth at long-stick middie,” said Fedorjaka. “Ollie Hau really came on last year. He’s smart and has a great stick. He’s a great ground ball guy, just a really good player. Freshman Riggs Taylor is playing great. He’s strong, fast, aggressive, great at ground balls, really good checks. Most importantly, he’s doing a good job with the team defensive system. Jack Morvillo has logged a lot of minutes and will be in on man-down.”

SHORT-STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD

  Fedorjaka feels that the short-stick defensive midfield position is the team’s most-improved unit heading into the 2026 campaign, with five or six guys capable of putting in quality shifts when called upon.   Four members of the group are second-year players. Jack Tully is coming off a strong rookie season in which he played in all 14 games and nabbed 31 ground balls. Luke Fliss is also a sophomore but is in his first season with the Bison after transferring from Providence. He played in every game for the Friars last season and tallied 17 ground balls, four caused turnovers, and a goal against Georgetown. Luke Brennan played in six games as an offensive midfielder last season, and now he moves to the d-middie group, and Charlie Miller returns after seeing action in 12 games a year ago.   Also in the mix are junior Patrick Mullen and freshman Owen Wuchte.  

“Short-stick d-middie is such an important position, and we feel great about it heading into the season,” said Fedorjaka. “Jack Tully started every game as a freshman, and he was our best player on the field when we beat Colgate. He’s gotten even better since last year. He’s a tough Long Island guy who is also really smart off the ball. He just gets it.”

 

“Luke Fliss is a big, strong, fast lefty. He started every game for Providence last year, and he’s been everything we hoped for and then some. It’s nice to have a lefty there who can cover stick-on-stick. Luke Brennan is 6’4” and runs like the wind. We converted him to short-stick d-mid in fall ball, and he’s really playing well. He’s very dangerous in transition and scored a really nice goal in the scrimmage at Virginia. Charlie Miller has taken a leap forward, he’s strong and can cover and is continuing to figure out the defense. Owen Wuchte was a state champion at Garden City High School and is undersized but fast and very smart.”

OFFENSIVE MIDFIELD

  While the defensive midfield unit might be Bucknell’s most improved, Fedorjaka says that the offensive middies could well be the team’s overall best position group. Three starters return along with a host of emerging stars, and the Bison could run at least nine deep here.   Leading the way is junior Peter Grandolfo, who earned Preseason All-Patriot League honors after garnering a Second Team All-PL citation after last season. Grandolfo ranked fourth on the team with 25 points from 18 goals and seven assists a year ago, and he will be counted on for consistent production this spring.  

“Pete Grandolfo has made that leap, where the game has slowed down for him and he is in complete control,” praised Fedorjaka. “He can really shoot the ball on the run, he’s tough, and he’s great on ground balls and in clearing. He scored three amazing goals in the scrimmage at Towson and is coming into the season with a ton of confidence.”

  Senior Will Hopkins was a Second Team All-Patriot League pick in both 2023 and 2025, and he has piled up 44 goals and 30 assists in 39 career games, 37 of which are starts. Hopkins scored a career-high 17 goals last season, despite battling some injuries and bouncing between attack and midfield.   While Grandolfo and Hopkins both earned all-conference honors last season, Fedorjaka says junior Luke Brunner might be playing the best of all of them right now. Brunner notched a career-high 15 goals as a sophomore in 2025, including hat tricks in wins over Colgate and St. Bonaventure.  

“Will can dodge from anywhere and he’s one of the smartest guys on the team,” said Fedorjaka. “Pound-for-pound he’s also one of the toughest guys on the team. Luke Brunner is playing his best lacrosse. He has a great shot from the outside and is tremendous on ground balls, riding, clearing, pretty much everything.”

  Junior Hans Huber is back after missing all of last season with an injury. He was one of the team’s best middies as a freshman, when he played in all 14 games, started the final three, and finished with 12 goals and three assists. Sophomore Anthony Panetti recorded 11 goals and 11 assists as a second-line middie a year ago, and his former Landon School teammate Sean Murray is ready to jump right in as a freshman.   Senior Chris Begier, junior Henry Boykin, and sophomore Sean Kerwick are all experienced players who give the Bison their most midfield depth in years.

ATTACK

  Bucknell’s front line features three returning starters in senior Michael Meyer (26-31-57), senior Owen Kovacs (19-4-23), and junior Sean Berrigan (10-11-21), who have combined for 98 goals and 79 assists in their careers to date.   Meyer was a Second Team All-Patriot League pick last season, when he eclipsed the 100-point mark for his career and blew past his previous career highs with 26 goals, 31 assists, and 57 points. He ranked third in the Patriot League and 12th nationally in assists per game, and he recorded multiple points in all but two games with five hat tricks. Meyer was at his best in the road win over eventual Patriot League champion Colgate, notching five goals and five assists.  

“Mike Meyer has the potential to be the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year,” lauded Fedorjaka. “He needs to stay healthy of course, but he can shoot the ball as well as anyone in the game at 6’3” and about 215 pounds. He’s fast, he’s strong, and he has great vision. If he’s healthy and puts the ball on cage and makes good decisions, he’s a first team all-league talent.”

  Kovacs missed his first two seasons due to injury, and then he broke out with a 19-goal season in 2025, including a number of highlight-reel tallies. He logged five multi-goal games and gave the Bison another legit scoring option to go with Meyer and Davis. Berrigan spent much of last season as a midfielder and finished with 10 goals and 11 assists after recording 12 and 9 as a freshman.  

“Sean Berrigan is a tremendous feeder and is our quarterback behind the goal,” said Fedorjaka. “He’s another guy who was a great high school basketball player and is just good at sports. He can use both hands and just gets the game. He doesn’t wow you, but he finds ways to score. Owen Kovacs is a lefty finisher on the wing. He has great hands and is really good off the ball. He gets to the right spots and has a quick, accurate shot.”

  In addition to the top three, Begier can play attack as well as midfield, and sophomore Graham Garrigan has made great strides after scoring one goal in limited action last season. Sophomore Crispin Kaye and freshman Wasson Burns scored fourth-quarter goals in the Towson scrimmage last week.

FACEOFFS

  The Bison return their top faceoff man from a year ago in junior Colin McLoy, who won 45.6 percent of his draws and led the team with 60 ground balls. He will be joined by sophomore Zach Hepworth, an Ohio State transfer who was outstanding in the scrimmages against Towson and Virginia, which featured one of the nation’s top-ranked faceoff men.

“We have a really solid 1-2 punch with Zach Hepworth and Colin McLoy,” said Fedorjaka. “Zach’s work ethic is second to none. He’s really motivated to be the best version of himself, the kind of guy who runs marathons just for fun. He’s big and strong and has really quick hands. His hand speed off the whistle is his best attribute.

“Colin had a solid year last year. His percentage was just okay, but he had some success against some good faceoff guys. He never had a game where he got blown out, and now he’s improved significantly this year. Going up against Zach every day has made him better, and Colin has worked really hard and improved his game. I love that we have two strong faceoff guys with different styles, which will allow us to play matchups and keep guys fresh.”

  Senior Steven Pepe and freshman Grant Carle round out the Bison faceoff unit.