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News Release

UMBC Men's Lacrosse Welcomes 19 Newcomers for 2009-10 Academic Year; Retrievers to Compete in Two October Tournaments

9/30/2009

UMBC head men’s lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman and his staff are pleased to welcome 19 newcomers to the Retrievers’ program for the fall of 2009. The largest incoming class in UMBC’s Division I history includes 18 freshmen and one transfer and is comprised of a dozen attackmen/midfielders, six defensemen/long-stick midfielders and one goalkeeper.

 “We are excited to have this group of newcomers join the UMBC community,” Coach Zimmerman said. “In addition to providing the program with additional depth, these players have exhibited the strong character and work ethic we believe is the trademark of Retriever lacrosse.”

The Retrievers will compete in a pair of fall tournaments in October. On Saturday, Oct. 10, UMBC will take part in the Third Annual Nick Colleluori Classic in Folsom, Pa, facing Hofstra at 3:00 p.m. and Villanova at 5:00 p.m. Each year the HEADstrong Foundation hosts this lacrosse tournament with all proceeds going towards blood cancer research.

The following Saturday, Oct. 17, Coach Zimmerman’s team will compete in the 12^th Annual Lacrosse for Leukemia Fall Invitational Tournament at Cedar Lane Park in Bel Air, Md. The Retrievers face St. John’s (12:50 p.m.) and Air Force (2:30 p.m.) . Sponsored by Price Modern, Lacrosse for Leukemia showcases top NCAA lacrosse teams while raising funds to further The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

A Glance at the Newcomers

David Brown  (M/A, 5-8, 165 lbs., Coopersburg, PA/The Hill School) Brown was named to the Mid-Atlantic Prep League First-Team in his senior year. The four-year varsity starter scored was a career-best 17 goals in the 2008 season.

Adam Cohen (G, 5-7, 170 lbs., Arnold, Md./The Severn School) Cohen was ranked as of the top 15 incoming goalkeepers in Inside lacrosse. A 2009 Ensign C. Markland Kelly award finalist posted a sizzling 68% save percentage in his senior campaign for the Admirals and earned Second-Team All-County honors. Cohen also competed in the 2008 Under Armour game for underclassmen.

Nick Doub (M, 5-10, 170 lbs., Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) Doub scored 20 goals and added 40 assists and earned Capital Gazette First-Team All-County honors in 2009. He was the Saints’ team captain and named their “Unsung Hero” last spring. Doub was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Matt Gregoire (A, 6-2, 180 lbs., Crofton, Md./South River) Gregoire led the Seahawks to a 4A/3A state championship in 2009, scoring five goals in the title game. He was selected to the First-Team All-County in both his junior and senior seasons and was a Washington Post Second-Team All-Metro honoree  after amassing 46 goals and 16 assists last spring. Gregoire was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Jamie Grimm (LSM, 5-9,200 lbs., Black River, N.Y./Carthage Central) Grimm was named to the Frontier All- League team in all four years of varsity lacrosse for the Comets. Also a two-year letterwinner and Scholar-Athlete in football, he helped lead the team to the state championship game in his junior campaign. Jamie is the younger brother of 2009 America East All-Rookie team member and Retriever attackman Rob Grimm.

Riley Hansen (D, 6-1, 185 lbs., Annapolis, Md./The Salisbury School) As a senior, Hansen received the Salisbury School’s Corkery Medal, which goes to a senior that participates in three sports (lacrosse, cross country, and basketball). He has competed in the Maryland Freestate Top 44 game and the Under Armour game for underclassmen. His older brother, Pat, lettered in lacrosse at Ohio State  and Stevenson.

Scott Hopmann (M, 5-11, 165 lbs.,Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) Hopmann scored 20 goals and added 16 assists for the fifth-ranked (Inside Lacrosse) Saints in 2009. His best effort was a four-goal, five-point effort against St. Paul’s.  His older brother, Alex, graduated from UMBC in 2009 and earned All-America honors as a senior midfielder.

Joseph Impallaria (M, 5-8 175 lbs., Lutherville, Md./Calvert Hall College) Impallaria won the Calvert Hall Ground Ball Award in 2007, 2008, and 2009, recording 305 ground balls in that span. He won 471 face-offs and maintained a 73% face-off winning percentage from 2007-09. His father, Joseph J. Impallaria, Jr., played lacrosse at the former Western Maryland College (McDaniel College) from 1979-82 and has served three tours of duty in Iraq.  

Scott Jones (A, 6-4, 225 lbs., Port Moody, B.C./Terry Fox) Jones was selected as a 2009 Junior A British Columbia First-Team All-Star. He scored 44 goals and added 46 assists in 21 games for the Port Coquitlam Saints last season. Jones’ older brother, Jeff Ratcliffe, lettered in lacrosse from 1997-2000 at UMBC and is currently tenth on the all-time list with 104 goals scored.

Casey Lasda (A/M, 5-9 165 lbs., Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) Lasda was selected to the OHSL Section 3 First-Team All-League in 2008 and again in 2009. He earned Honorable Mention All-CNY honors in 2008 and 2009 and played on the Central team in the 2008 Empire State Games. Lasda was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Neill Lewnes (M, 5-7, 160 lbs, Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) Lewnes scored 11 goals, added 14 assists, corralled a team-best 108 ground balls and won 63 percent of his draws for St. Mary’s.  He was selected to the First-Team All-County and All-MIAA team in 2009. Lewnes was the team’s Most Valuable Player and its team captain and the All-County tailback, who rushed for over 1,200 yards,  also captained the Saints’ football team in 2008.

Joe Lustgarten (A, 5-10, 150 lbs, Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River)  In prep career, Lustgarten scored 105 goals and added 149 assists, including a senior campaign which featured 33 goals and had 43 helpers. He earned All-America honors from the state of New York (Suffolk County) in 2009. Lustgarten was three- time All Suffolk County Selection and a three-time All-Division selection. As a sophomore, he scored a career-best 38 goals and 100 points and led the Wildcats to a state championship.

Sam McKelvey (D, 6-0, 175 lbs., Davidsonville, Md./South River) McKelvey was the winner of the prestigious 4A/3A C. Markland Kelly Award after a brilliant senior campaign. The close defender was selected First-Team All-Metro (Washington Post) and First-Team All-County and Second-Team All-Metro by The Baltimore Sun.  He also earned First-Team Mid-Atlantic/South honors by U.S. Lacrosse and earned a 4A/3A state title with the Seahawks last spring.

Ethan Murphy (D, 6-0, 180 lbs., West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) During his prep career, Murphy had 514 groundballs, 27 goals, and 13 assists. He earned All-America honors as a senior for the New York-Buffalo region. Murphy was named West Seneca’s Male Athlete of the Year, by the West Seneca Bee and was a two-time First-Team All-Western New York honoree.

Joey Placek (M/A, 5-10, 170 lbs., Laurel, Md./Atholton) Placek was named the Raiders’ Most Valuable Player as a senior. He earned All-County honors in both 2007 and 2009 and served as the team captain last spring. Placek scored a career-high eight goals and added four assists in an overtime win over rival Hammond in his sophomore campaign.

Tony Spada (M, 5-11, 165 lbs, Kingston, N.Y./Saugerties) Spada is a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American from the New York-Mid-Hudson region. He was the first junior in New York state Section 9 history to be named an All-American. Spada was a three-time Section 9 First-Team midfielder and was the 2009 Times Herald Record Lacrosse Player-of-the-Year. His Saugerties teams have won six consecutive Section 9 championships. 

David Stock (Jr., D, 6-0, 175 lbs., Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township/CCBC –Essex) At CCBC-Essex, Stock was named First-Team All-American by the NJCAA. He also earned Region XX Most Valuable Defensive Player in 2009. Stock was named to First-Team All-Region and to the First-Team All-Maryland JUCO squad.  He was selected First-Team All-League, and was an All-District defenseman while at Manheim Township.

Lucas Wood (D, 6-2, 185 lbs., Columbus, Ohio/Worthington-Kilbourne)  Wood was a three-time First Team All-Region selection and was named to First-Team All-OCC. He also earned First-Team All-Midwest and Second-Team All-Ohio honors in 2009. He helped the Wolves win a state championship as a last spring. Wood also captured the school’s Gold Key Award winner, which is given to a student for having a 3.5 grade-point average through the senior year. 

Jake Zimmerman (5-11, 170 lbs., Baltimore, Md./Boys’ Latin)  Zimmerman received the Jack Williams Cup for Sportsmanship in his senior year with the Lakers. The son of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman, Jake also earned the captain’s award for varsity lacrosse. He also lettered in football for Boys’ Latin and earned academic honor roll recognition during the 2008-09 academic year.