---

Nick Brown | Phoenix Staff

Senior Max Wilson, surrounded by three Haverford Fords, carries the ball across Clothier Field.

BY MARCUS MELLO

In print | Published April 29, 2010

On Saturday, April 24, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams finished off the season with the seniors playing the final games of their careers at Swarthmore. Though both teams lost to their respective opponents on Senior Day, they played with great effort throughout the season. Several athletes had outstanding seasons. With the men falling to Haverford College and the women falling to Dickinson College, the seniors of both teams played on Clothier Field for the last time.

The women’s lacrosse team ended the year with an overall record of 7-9. The team’s conference record was 1-8, ninth out of 10 conference teams. The women’s only conference win was an 18-5 blowout against Bryn Mawr earlier in April. Head Coach Karen Borbee, who has been serving the position since 1993, said, “We had our ups and downs this season but overall I think we learned a lot.”

Senior captain Allison Grein stated that the final record does not reflect the intensity and energy her team brought to the field. “We had some amazing games this year … I feel as though our season was very successful.” After graduating a strong senior class last spring, the Garnet ladies rose to the challenge of filling in the gaps and had some especially strong games.

Grein herself had a strong senior year, topping the Centennial Conference in saves per game (9.50) and racking up a total of 152, the most in the conference. Grein’s save percentage (.469) was the eighth best in the conference. Grein that she is especially proud of the amount of interceptions and turnovers she caused this year. Grein said that it is bittersweet for her career to come to a close. “I’ve had some amazing memories and I have loved all my teammates that I have played with here, but I am ready to move on from Swarthmore ….”

In addition to Grein, attacker Annelise Mowry ’12 and midfielder Marie Mutryn ’12 established themselves as conference threats. Both players finished ranked in the conference in goals per game (Mowry with 2.25 and Mutryn with 2.06).

The Garnet will also be returning midfielders Beth Martin ’13 and Maddie Williams ’12, who both had solid seasons. “They had incredible endurance all season during every game. Not only did they play fantastic defense, they were great in transition and were a good presence on offense,” Grein said of her teammates.

Borbee said that she is excited for next season. “We have a really good recruiting class coming in and a talented and experienced group of returners. If we take all we learned this season and bring it ready to work hard next season, we will have a very successful year.”

The men’s lacrosse team wrapped up the year with a 4-9 overall record and a 1-7 record in the Centennial Conference. Though they finished last out of nine teams in the conference rankings, the Garnet defeated the Washington College Shoremen — who finished seventh in the conference — by an 11-7 score earlier in the year. In the regular season, the Garnet’s four wins were to Eastern College (8-2), Washington College, Christopher Newport University (11-9) and Drew University (8-7).

Head coach Pat Gress said that although the win-loss record was disappointing, the players clearly improved during the season. He said that the team played its best lacrosse in the final game against Haverford College, a team that finished third in the conference. Despite a 7-6 loss to the Fords, the Garnet played tough lacrosse, scoring four consecutive goals in the third period. But the Fords came back in the fourth period and captured the win. Six Garnet players netted goals in the final game of the season.

Anthony Phalen ’10, a Garnet midfielder, said that the season was somewhat disappointing in that his team had a lot of close games that resulted in one or two point losses. According to him, however, the team still found success. “Although … it was tough to suffer so many close defeats … we were able to come together as a team and play solid lacrosse. The fact that we played close against some of the toughest teams in the country is evidence of our team’s abilities, despite our record.”

On an individual level, captains Tyler Bradshaw ’10 and Kevin Friedenberg ’10 established themselves as forces in the Centennial Conference. Both players were named Centennial Conference players of the week at some point in the season.

According to Gress, this season was Bradshaw’s best. The attacker’s statistics were impressive. In conference standings, Bradshaw finished in a tie for second in goals per game (2.46), 10th in assists per game (0.92), third in points per game (3.38), and fifth in shots per game (7.23). Garnet attacker Gavin Musynske ’10 was also fifth in shots per game. Overall, Bradshaw scored 32 goals and had 12 assists and 44 points on the year. The senior also ended his career with over 100 career goals, a huge accomplishment in lacrosse. Teammate Phalen said that Bradshaw had an unbelievable season. “Tyler played incredibly from an offensive standpoint even when opposing teams were trying to eliminate him from the game.” Bradshaw’s strongest offensive game was against Christopher Newport University, during which he scored a career-high of five goals, and four more in the same week.

Friedenberg, the Garnet goalie, registered a total of 162 saves, the most in the conference. He averaged 12.46 saves per game, the most in the conference, and his save percentage was .570, the fifth highest in the conference. Regarding his teammate, Phalen said, “Kevin was the foundation of our defense and kept us in every single game because of his stellar play in net.” In his final game, he had 11 saves. Friedenberg played what Gress described as another great year for the Garnet.

Aside from Bradshaw and Friedenberg, seniors Musynske, Phalen, and defender Max Wilson will bow out from the Swarthmore College men’s lacrosse team. Gress said, “All of the seniors had strong seasons. They will be missed.”

Though Gress said that it is too early to tell how much of an impact the loss of the seniors will have on next season, the team was young this year and will be returning many strong players. “Wes Marcik [’13], John Bukawyn [’12] and Max Hubbard [’12] all had great seasons at midfield and they will be back next year to lead the team offensively alongside Zach Belden [’12] at attack,” Phalen said. “On defense, Steve Selverian [’13] and Aaron Stein [’11] played great at short stick, while Matt Bowers [’12], Joe Niagara [’12], Mike Girardi [’13], and James Wright [’13] all played very well at long pole.” This crop of young talent makes the future bright for the men’s lacrosse team.

---

« RETURN TO SPORTS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »