Hiram Terriers men’s lacrosse Coach Jason Griffith acknowledged that he knew turning around the program would be a multi-year undertaking but believes that the Terriers are bound for better things as they prepare for competition in their first year in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
“It is a much better place for those guys, and I know a couple of them had injuries and poor timing last year so they were frustrated that they could not help so they are excited and hungry and ready to get after it,” the third-year coach said.
Having competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference since starting play in 2013, the Terriers are moving to the PAC, where Hiram was previously a member from 1971 to 1989. They join a conference where there is a more competitive balance compared to the NCAC, which was comprised of nationally-ranked programs including Ohio Wesleyan University, Dennison University and Kenyon College.
According to Griffin, while it was nice to use those programs as a measuring stick for his team to understand the standards they needed to reach, there was little to be gained competing in a conference where the balance of power rarely shifted.
“From my viewpoint toward the conference, if we can win four games in conference, that should be good enough to get us the sixth seed and we would make the conference tournament for the first time in Hiram’s history which is one of my goals for this year,” he added,
Hiram returns a wealth of experience on defense, including senior goalkeeper Aidan Griffin, who recorded 225 saves in 17 matches last year.
“He sees a lot of shots and for the number of shots that he sees and the number of saves he puts up in terms of saves per game and save percentage in general is very impressive,” Griffith said of the Terriers’ senior. “I know for someone looking in from the outside, they may look at those numbers and be like ‘Oh it is kind of average.’ You have to understand how many shots this guy sees and where he sees them from and the level of competition, he saw from the last two seasons.”
Also anchoring the defense will be senior short stick defensive midfielder Ethan Bitong, who fielded 43 groundballs and forced 24 turnovers in 16 matches in his first season as a defensive midfielder after previously playing as long stick midfielder.
Senior defender Gray Perry also returns after forcing 26 turnovers and fielding 66 groundballs in 17 matches.
“I think Gray has done a great job with bringing the younger guys along in terms of on the field communication and understanding of roles,” said Griffith.
Griffith noted that the defense will begin the season ahead of the curve but expects the offense to quickly catch up, especially since Hiram’s first two matches will be against good non-conference opponents such as Mount Union University and the College of Wooster.
“I have high expectations for the defense to improve greatly upon last year with the guys that came back and the new additions that are going to step in,” he added. “They should be ready to go especially with the way that they have responded to Aiden and Gray communicating.”
The Terriers’ offense will feature several new faces but welcome the return of senior attacker Micky Morgan, who scored 10 goals in 16 matches last year.
“Micky was a guy that we played at attack last year but was hampered by injuries throughout the spring,” noted Griffith. “He has come back stronger and show great potential with being a leader on the offense so I am very excited to see what he can do against the PAC as well.”
The Terriers will be fueled by a small senior class this year, as Perry, Griffin, Bitong and Morgan are the only returning upperclassmen, but Griffith said that he sees a lot of potential in some of the underclassmen, including freshmen defenders Nathan Lavigne and Isaac Ray, who will bolster Hiram’s defense.
“Both of them have shown great promise and I am really eager to see what they can do in games against opponents this spring,” Griffith added.
The Terriers’ offense will feature freshman midfielder/face-off specialist Gino Hayes, freshman midfielder/face-off specialist Remi DeSmith and transfer sophomore midfielders Michael Miles and Will Minggia.
Hiram will begin its regular season when it hosts the College of Wooster at Malmisur Stadium’s Charles A. Henry Field on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
