2023 NCAA Lacrosse Rankings: No. 19 Navy (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

Jackson Bonitz, D, Jr.

After playing for the United States in the U21 world championships, Bonitz didn’t participate in Navy’s fall competition, instead training and taking care of his body. “He’s in a really good place physically,” Amplo said. “Mentally, I think he’s a little bit frustrated because he hasn’t done much. I think it’s going to benefit him in the long run. He’s top end. He would play for anyone and be right at the top of the depth chart for most.”

Patrick Skalniak, M, Sr.

It’s probably been a bit overlooked, but Navy has constructed one of the nation’s top first midfield lines over the last few years. A big part of it is Skalniak, who had a team-high 28 goals and 48 points last season. The Dallas product has recorded a point in all 29 games he’s played in for the Midshipmen.

Dane Swanson, M, Jr.

A starter since he arrived on the yard, Swanson missed part of his plebe year with a broken foot before delivering 21 goals and 17 assists in 2022. Amplo said Swanson has become a more dynamic player, and his ability to play off Skalniak and fellow junior Max Hewitt could lead to even bigger things this spring.

KEY ADDITIONS

Jack Flaherty, M, Fr.

The 6-foot-5, 213-pounder certainly looks the part. Flaherty ran on Navy’s first midfield during the fall in part because of veteran absences, and Amplo was pleased with the newcomer’s production. With Skalniak, Swanson and Hewitt all back in the fold, it’s uncertain exactly where Flaherty fits in — but it’s extremely likely he will somewhere.

Mac Haley, A, Fr.

Amplo said the younger brother of Georgetown attackman TJ Haley finished the fall as the team’s top attackman and might be the most talented player on the roster. “You just don’t know how plebe year here is going to wear on these guys, and being a freshman in college lacrosse plus being a plebe at the Naval Academy is a challenge,” Amplo said. “He’s handled it so far, and I have high expectations for him. He’s dynamite.”

AJ Hernandez, D, Fr.

A left-hander out of Baltimore’s Boys’ Latin School, Hernandez is part of the reason Amplo is excited about the Mids’ depth at the defensive end. Like Flaherty, it’s uncertain exactly what his role will be — only that it’s a virtual cinch he’ll have one. “He can play pole or down low,” Amplo said. “He’s going to give us an added push down there.”

KEY DEPARTURES

Graduations: Nick Cole, A; Augie Fratt, SSDM; Jacob Jarosz, FO; Jack Sweeney, A

STORYLINES TO WATCH

Is Navy ready for a breakout season?

It sure looks like it. The Midshipmen have done some interesting things the last two years, beating Army in both seasons, while also toppling Loyola in 2021 and winning at Johns Hopkins for the first time since 1969 last year.

At the same time, Navy hasn’t made it out of the Patriot League quarterfinals in coach Joe Amplo’s tenure.

Nine starters return, a group that doesn’t include attackman Xavier Arline, who started five of the six games he played in last season. It’s an intriguing group, quite possibly good enough for the program’s first NCAA berth since 2016.

“There’s never been more alignment in this program since I’ve been here, and that’s a fun place to be,” Amplo said. “That brings me tremendous excitement and curiosity. There’s a curiosity around the program — like, ‘Can they be pretty good, or are they just going to be decent?’ And that’s where I think we are. If we’re going to be pretty good, what’s our pretty good relative to other teams?”

Depth in the cage — and on defense

Pat Ryan produced a .530 save percentage last season for the Mids while anchoring an exceptionally inexperienced defense, so there’s a known quantity in goal. In the long-term, freshman Dan Daly is a name Navy fans will probably get to know.

So does the future arrive sometime this spring, or in 2024 after Ryan builds on his first year as a starter?

“It’s Pat’s job to lose, because we owe that to the senior,” Amplo said. “But Dan Daly can be the starting goalie very quickly, or platoon. We’re blessed. We have some depth there. I want to be clear Pat is the starting goalie, but I’m confident Dan Daly can go in and be the starter for us.”

Whoever starts will have more help in front of him. Amplo said Navy stuck primarily with three defensemen last year but could rotate in as many as five this season. That means Bonitz could be utilized with more flexibility rather than strictly as a close defenseman.

“We’re going to be able to be a little more aggressive,” Amplo said. “We’re going to be able to go back to some of the 10-man stuff in the middle of the field. We may use him on the wings or up top in different matchups. We can move that piece around because we have more depth down at that end.”

Answers on attack

Amplo anticipates that Arline, who is a quarterback on Navy’s football team in the fall, will play lacrosse this spring. Toss in Haley, the proven Henry Tolker (23 goals, 11 assists) and the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Jon Jarosz, and suddenly the attack looks as imposing as the Mids’ midfield.

During the fall, Amplo said there were days Jarosz was “unguardable” and the team’s “most exciting player.” Given Jarosz’s size, it’s tempting to invoke comparisons to Ian Dingman, a mammoth presence on attack when Navy reached the national title game in 2004.

“He’s a big, strong dodging presence at the attack,” Amplo said. “He’s a perfect complement if Arline plays because Arline is going to get the No. 1 and now you have to put the No. 2 on this giant of a human being. He had a great fall. He battled some nagging injuries and worked his way through it and played well against Penn in our scrimmage. He was just a presence for us.”

ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE MIDS

“This is year four [under Amplo]. You should start to see a big jump with those guys. Obviously, his first year was the COVID year, so this is his third full year. It’s a team that has a lot of potential. Skalniak is really good. He’s one of the top midfielders in the country. Bonitz is a really good defender. I’ve heard Mac Haley supposedly had a great fall. They’re an under-the-radar team you’d better be prepared for, and they’re probably going to be better as the year goes on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a run at the Patriot League.”

BEYOND THE BASICS
POWERED BY LACROSSE REFERENCE

45.7 seconds

Patriot League coaches can contradict me, but it seems like the Mids’ defense was no fun to play against last year. Nationally, the defense ranked 17th in opponent-adjusted defensive efficiency (26.7%). An interesting stat here is that their average possession on defense lasted 45.7 seconds, which is the 13th-longest average in Division I. And they allowed the 10th-lowest shot-on-goal rate as well. All signs point to a defense that made opposing offenses uncomfortable.

Lacrosse Reference Glossary