Pietramala names 2015 lacrosse captains

With the anticipation of a brand new lacrosse season inching closer and closer with each passing day, Hopkins lacrosse Head Coach Dave Pietremala announced the new trio of captains that will be leading the Blue Jays into battle for the 2015 season. Senior long stick midfielder Michael Pellegrino was selected for a second straight year to serve as a captain, while senior attackman Wells Stanwick and graduate student goalie Eric Schneider were selected for the first time to lead the Jays. Pellegrino, a native of Oakdale, N.Y., has been a powerhouse for Hopkins over the past three years. Known for his determined effort and tenacious competitive spirit, Pellegrino has notched five goals and five assists as a long stick midfielder over the course of 45 games at Hopkins, while creating 38 turnovers and notching 98 ground balls. Pellegrino is just the 13th two-time captain in Hopkins lacrosse history since 1949. In addition to the above accolades, Pellegrino was selected as an All-American last season as a junior, making him the first long stick midfielder to capture the honors since Corey Harned, Class of 2004, received an honorable mention during the 2004 season. Pellegrino was an integral component for the Jays’ success all of last season, especially during the NCAA playoffs against Virginia and Duke, where he won several key face-offs and groundballs. Entering his second year as captain, Pellegrino is primed to serve another year as one of the Jays’ most valuable assets as a player, as a motivator and as a leader on and off of the field. Stanwick, a long-time native of Baltimore, has earned Honorable Mention USILA All-American honors twice entering his senior season at Hopkins and is the current career-leading scorer amongst returning players. He notched the highest point total of his career during the 2014 season, recording 23 goals and 44 assists for a total of 67 points in 16 games. He led the team to key victories over Maryland, Albany and Princeton, which eventually proved to be victories needed to advance to the NCAA playoffs. Heading into the 2015 season, Stanwick stands at 11th in school history for career assists as well as 26th overall in career points. His level-headed patience, swift stick skills and ability to put the ball in the back of the net make Stanwick one of the most talented players for the Jays, as he’s continued to generate more and more offense each successive year. As a result, Stanwick has been awarded the title of captain and will look to lead the Jays to another NCAA birth in 2015. Schneider is the third and final captain selected by Pietremala for the 2015 Jays. Schneider, a current graduate student at the Hopkins Carey Business School, earned the position of starting goaltender a season ago and has had a solid season between the pipes for the Jays. Schneider finished the season with a record of 11-5, helping Hopkins reach the NCAA quarterfinals after failing to be selected during the 2013 season. Schneider finished the season with an 8.84 goals against average and a .547 save percentage, good for 14th and 16th in NCAA D-I lacrosse, respectively. In his final year of NCAA eligibility, Schneider earned the honor of captain, the first goalie to be given the distinction since Rob Scherr, Class of 2003, earned the position during his senior year. The trio will lead the Jays into battle as Hopkins enters its first season as an affiliate of the Big 10 Conference. The Big 10 Conference will feature challenging matchups for the Jays including Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers, in addition to several difficult out-of-conference games. The three captains led the Jays in the conclusion of their fall season in tune-up matchups against Drexel and UPenn on Oct. 25. With the memory of a bitter loss against Duke in the quarterfinals still fresh in their minds, the three captains will look to prepare the Jays for one of their most difficult schedules in recent years.