Coming off of a fantastic season last year, the John Carroll Men’s Lacrosse team will look to further their success as they begin the 2023 season. 

Last year, the Blue and Gold were named the Ohio Athletic Conference Champions after defeating the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets on the road by a definitive score of 10-4. This marked the sixth consecutive OAC Championship won by JCU. 

The Blue Streaks entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and made a statement in the first round with a 11-3 victory over North Central College, before dropping to No. 7 ranked Union College to end the season. 

The team is already being recognized this season as they were tied with the Yellow Jackets for first place in the OAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Both teams earned 77 votes, while Ohio Northern fell behind with 65 and Capital took away 55 votes. 

JCU Head Coach Joe Rautenstrauch has led the way for each OAC Championship title as he has compiled a 73-27 record in his six years as head coach. 

Two Blue Streaks have also been recognized in the USA Lacrosse Magazine 2023 Division III Men’s Preseason All-American list which is determined by the USA Lacrosse Magazine staff in combination with contributions from NCAA coaches. Seniors Jon Gaglio and Matt Berdysiak earned this recognition following their successes last season. 

Gaglio guards the net for the Blue and Gold and finished last season with 150 saves as he earned a spot as a Third-Team Preseason All-American this year. Gaglio led national rankings last season in the Goals Against Average (7.03) category as he earned a 2022 IMLCA All-Regional Honorable Mention and was a member of the 2022 First-Team All-OAC squad.

Switching field placement, Berdysiak ended last season with 73 goals which earned him a spot as an Honorable Mention Preseason All-American for this year. 

Fellow senior Tanner Gill-Snow is excited for the start of the season as he told The Carroll News, “The team this year is shaping up to be another talented JCU Men’s Lacrosse team. The standard is to win an OAC Championship and continue on to the NCAA tournament in May. The most exciting part of the upcoming season is our schedule. We play a lot of tough out of conference games this year so we are all looking forward to playing hard and showing what we are made of to teams in different parts of the country.”

The Blue Streaks will kick off the 2023 season in Salem, VA as they take on Roanoke College on Sat., Mar. 4 at 1 p.m.