2023 NCAA Lacrosse Rankings: No. 14 Delaware (Men)

The 2023 college lacrosse season is almost here. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20.

Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.

TOP RETURNERS

Owen Grant, D, R-Sr.

A Canadian named Grant has usually meant big things for the Delaware lacrosse program and that’s been entirely true for the 6-foot-3 defenseman. A two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-American honoree, Grant can both shut down an opponent’s top offensive player and flat out take the ball away. He had 35 caused turnovers (team-best) and 51 ground balls (second only to faceoff specialist Logan Premtaj) last year.

Mike Robinson, A, Sr.

Robinson has been a prolific scorer since he first set foot in Newark, tallying 113 career goals in two-and-a-half seasons. Last year, he led the Blue Hens and the CAA with 53 goals, and when he scores, they often come in bunches. He scored seven goals in his first collegiate game, one of eight times in his career he’s scored at least five goals.

JP Ward, A, Jr.

Ward scored four goals in Delaware’s season opener and never let up, finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 72 points (40G, 32A). The first-team All-CAA selection had multiple points in all but three games, including a career-best eight (4G, 4G) in a CAA semifinal win over Drexel. His ability to shoot and dish is paramount in an offense with lots of finishing options.

KEY ADDITIONS

OJ Morris, FO/M, So. (Seton Hill)

Delaware won just 45.7 percent of its faceoffs last year, so the addition of Morris could pay dividends. Morris won 67.9 percent of his draws at Division II Seton Hill last year as a freshman, helping the Griffins reach the NCAA quarterfinals as the team’s No. 2 option.

Finn Morgan, A, Fr.

Morgan was a two-time USA Lacrosse All-American, four-year starter and two-time captain at Haddonfield (N.J.) High School. Getting on the field won’t be easy for any of Delaware’s young players, but Morgan has plenty of experience and talent to make an impact.

Brendan Powers, M, Fr.

Powers, from Avon Old Farms (Conn.), was a three-sport athlete in high school, playing soccer, hockey and lacrosse. He’s also lacrosse royalty at Delaware. His father, Randy, was a three-time All-American playing for the Blue Hens, including second-team honors in 1985 and 1986, and he finished with 161 goals and 241 points in his career.

KEY DEPARTURES

Graduations: Mark Bieda, M

STORYLINES TO WATCH

Experience in spades.

It’s not often that a coach can look at a roster and see so many familiar faces, but that’s the luxury Delaware head coach Ben DeLuca has as he gets ready for his sixth season in charge of the Blue Hens.

He’s not even trying to downplay it like many other coaches might.

“We return a lot,” DeLuca says matter-of-factly.

The Blue Hens have 15 seniors on the roster — five of them fifth-year players — two graduate students and another 13 juniors.

The starting attack of Tye Kurtz, Mike Robinson and JP Ward — who combined for 207 points last season — returns intact. All-American Owen Grant, who ranked 11th in the country with 1.8 caused turnovers per game, returns to anchor the other end of the field.

In fact, only one player that started double-digit games — midfielder Mark Bieda, a 50-point scorer — is not returning in 2023. That doesn’t mean the door is closed on change.

“Everything is wide open,” DeLuca said. “The young guys bring some energy and excitement.

A new-look CAA.

After years of stability, the Colonial Athletic Association will have a new look this season. The same six schools comprised the league from 2015-22, but this year sees the departure of UMass and the arrivals of Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook.

Delaware lost four of its last five games against UMass in the series, including an 11-10 loss last season, so the Blue Hens may not shed too many tears about that departure.

Stony Brook, which beat Fairfield in its only game last year against a CAA team, figures to be an immediate challenger in the league. Delaware’s longtime rivals through several conference switches in recent decades — Drexel, Hofstra and Towson — remain at the core of the schedule and will be in the title hunt.

Starting quickly.

A final look back on the 2022 Delaware season sees a team that won 13 games, was the No. 1 seed for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament — which it won — and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. Pretty great stuff.

But on April 9, Delaware was just 6-5 and was clinging to any postseason aspirations by a thread following a 12-11 loss to Hofstra. Delaware walked a tightrope over the next few weeks, beating Towson and Drexel by a single goal each, to kick off a seven-game winning streak that ultimately carried them to their end destination.

DeLuca wants no part of those anxious days again this year. With Delaware’s experience, they have the ability to start strong in 2023. Traditional Top 20 programs Johns Hopkins and Villanova are included on Delaware’s slate this year, but neither is ranked in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20, nor are any of its CAA rivals. Delaware doesn’t have much margin for error in its quest to return to the NCAA tournament.

ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BLUE HENS

“The Delaware that we saw last year that beat Georgetown and the team they return, they may have the strongest returning lineup of any team in the country. Owen Grant is as good a defenseman as there is in the country, and that trio they have on attack ... I feel like they scored more goals and put up more points than any attackmen in the country. I think they’re going to be an elite program this year.”

“Their whole team comes back. They lose [Mark] Bieda, and I think that’s the only one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that team get into the tournament again. They figured out who they are. Their recipe is to play really good, tough defense and control the tempo of the game. They have some elite guys. Owen Grant is a first-team talent. He should be on the Canadian world team. He’s that good. They are who they are, and I mean that in a really positive way.”

BEYOND THE BASICS
POWERED BY LACROSSE REFERENCE

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Perhaps no team has more momentum coming into the 2023 season than Delaware. The Blue Hens are coming off an unexpectedly good playoff run and return four different players who finished in the top-100 of the EGA rankings (Mike Robinson, 35th; JP Ward, 67th; Tye Kurtz, 71st; Logan Premtaj, 86th). The biggest challenge on the offensive end is replacing the production from current Michigan volunteer assistant Mark Bieda, who produced 21% of the Hens’ assists last season.

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