2023 NCAA Lacrosse Rankings: No. 15 Harvard (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

Greg Campisi, LSM, Jr.

The lone All-American on Harvard’s roster last year, Campisi was the biggest name on a surprise NCAA tournament squad. It was a long time coming for Campisi. After starring at Long Island power St. Anthony’s, he didn’t play in the shortened COVID season and then Harvard played no games in 2021. After the three-year wait, Campisi led Harvard with 46 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers to earn first-team All-Ivy honors. He’s versatile enough to play LSM or down low depending on how the lineup shakes out.

Sam King, A, So.

King burst on the scene to lead Harvard in scoring with 46 points, fairly evenly distributed between goals (25) and assists (21). He scored at least one goal in all but one game and had four hat tricks, all Harvard wins. King was one of four first-years to rank among the top six in scoring for the Crimson last season. He finished the season strong with multiple assists in the final three games of the year against top-flight competition, including a five-point effort in a win over Princeton that likely got Harvard into the NCAA tournament.

Chase Yager, SSDM, Sr.

Yager began his career at Amherst, playing in 21 games for the NCAA Division III runner-up in 2019, and made an immediate impact in his first year with Harvard last season. The defensive midfielder had 23 ground balls, including six in the NCAA tournament game against Rutgers, to go along with 13 caused turnovers. He was named second-team All-New England and honorable mention All-Ivy League.

KEY ADDITIONS

Adam Blind, G, Fr.

One of the biggest losses from Harvard’s NCAA tournament team is goalie Kyle Mullin, who will play as a graduate student at Rutgers. He played all but about 50 minutes of last season for the Crimson, so that opens the door for highly-touted freshman Adam Blind to make a push for the job. Blind, after honing his skills against the nation’s best while playing for powerhouse Culver Academy (Ind.), was the No. 39 overall player and No. 5 goalie in his class, according to Inside Lacrosse.

Logan Ip, M, Fr.

First-year Sam King was Harvard’s leading scorer last season and seven first-years were among the top-line midfielders. History could repeat itself with a number of talented newcomers that could make an impact for Harvard’s offense. Ip should be among the leaders of this group. The midfielder was a three-time all-league player at Corona Del Mar (Calif.), where he was coached by former Penn coach G.W. Mix. Ip was the CIF Player of the Year in 2021 and shared league co-player of the year honors with teammate Lucas Newton (Villanova) in 2022.

Charlie Muller, D, Fr.

There’s no easy path to a starting spot for the talented newcomer — the starting defense of Collin Bergstrom, Tommy Martinson and Chase Strupp returns intact, along with Campisi at LSM — but Muller is proving himself worthy of playing time. “It’s a huge battle, all of those guys can play,” Byrne said. Muller was the IAC Player of the Year as a defenseman at Bullis and a first-team All-Met selection. Inside Lacrosse ranked him as the No. 28 player in his class, the highest of any of Harvard’s recruits.

KEY DEPARTURES

Graduations: Austin Madronic, A; Steven Cuccurullo, FO
Transfers: Kyle Mullin, G (Rutgers)

STORYLINES TO WATCH

The Crimson remain young.

Varsity letters aren’t just thrown around at Harvard. Only 23 were awarded last year and a staggering 17 of those went to first-years. While other top-rated schools around the country are incredibly deep — featuring lineups of fifth-year seniors and grad transfers — Harvard will still be young in 2023, even if they are a little more experienced overall. Byrne expects the 10-member first-year class to be every bit as important as the Crimson rookies were a year ago.

The lone captain.

Midfielder Nick Loring was a key contributor on the field last year with 20 points, including 13 assists that ranked third on the team. Much more important will be his leadership in blending the veterans with a strong core of young players. Byrne thinks very highly of Loring, the lone captain on the team, and thinks he’ll do a great job of seeking input to help build the culture. Last year’s NCAA berth was the school’s first since 2014, but nothing is given. “This team doesn’t get to start where that team ended,” Byrne said.

The specialists will be new.

Harvard does need to replace two of the most important positions on the field. Kyle Mullin, a three-year starter in goal and honorable mention All-Ivy League selection last year, will use his grad transfer year at Rutgers. Faceoff specialist Steven Cuccurullo, a four-year regular, has graduated. Junior goalie Christian Barnard had a very strong fall, but freshman Adam Blind is one of the Crimson’s top recruits and could factor in the mix. Another rookie — Matt Barraco — could help address the faceoff void. Barraco was a standout at Parkland (Pa.) High School and has shown the clutch factor, helping the USA U18 Select team rally from a four-goal deficit in the final two minutes of a 2021 Brogden Cup game against Team Ontario, scoring the game-winner with seven seconds left to cap the comeback.

ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CRIMSON

“Very young, but they get a lot of guys back. I really can’t put them ahead of Princeton, Cornell, Penn or even Yale right now. It’ll be interesting to see how that materializes. I think Gerry does a great job and Harvard’s a great school and kids want to go there. John Tillman is a good coach, and there’s a reason he left Harvard to go back to Maryland. If Harvard was the Maryland of the North, I’m sure he would have stayed.”

BEYOND THE BASICS
POWERED BY LACROSSE REFERENCE

97th percentile

“What’s Harvard going to do for an encore?” is one my favorite questions heading into the 2023 season. This is a team that has basically everyone back with the exception of Austin Madronic. And to fill that hole, they’ve got a potential break-out player in Nick Loring. He hasn’t seen the field as much under the new coaching staff, but his fundamentals last year were impressive. As an initiator, his assists-per-touch number was in the 97th percentile, and his ball security rating was in the 72nd percentile. If he can put a few less shots into the goalie’s chest, you’ve got a very efficient replacement for Madronic in the rotation.

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