2023 NCAA Lacrosse Rankings: No. 5 Princeton (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

Pace Billings, LSM/D, Jr.

Billings was an all-tournament selection last May while helping Princeton to its first trip to Memorial Day Weekend since 2004. He is one of several options on close defense, but the Tigers like his versatility and disruptiveness at the long pole spot. Wherever he plays, he should be one of the Ivy League’s best defensive players.

Alex Slusher, A, Sr.

The Tigers’ top scorer a year ago with 46 goals, he also shot 38 percent while playing alongside the multi-faceted Chris Brown. The Portland, Ore., product is now the experienced veteran on the Princeton attack and will draw plenty of attention as the most proven threat on a potent offense.

Jake Stevens, M, Sr.

The Princeton first midfield line is set with Sam English (30 G, 18 A), Christian Ronda (23 G, 2 A) and Alexander Vardaro (26 G, 15 A) all back, but the most valuable player on the unit might be Stevens, a do-it-all sort who ranked second on the team with 65 ground balls and also scored 22 goals. “Jake is such an impactful player, he kind of plays as that fourth guy on the first line,” Madalon said. “He’s just an outstanding player.”

KEY ADDITIONS

Quinn Krammer, M, Fr.

On a team with less experience in the midfield, Krammer would probably vie for a starting position. But the Kirkland, Wash., native is certain to claim some sort of role, quite possibly on the Tigers’ second line. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, he is physically prepared for the rigors of the college game.

Andrew McMeekin, FO, Fr.

Princeton returns starter Tyler Sandoval (.536 faceoff percentage), who took 377 of the team’s 468 draws last season. The Tigers would like to save some wear and tear on the junior, and McMeekin — an Under Armour All-America selection — could help do that. Sophomore Koby Ginder, who won a season-high six faceoffs against Yale in the NCAA quarterfinals, is also back.

Chad Palumbo, A, Fr.

The left-hander could contend for the third attack spot, as well as a place on Princeton’s second midfield line. The crafty 6-foot-2, 205-pounder out of Newton, Mass., brings good size and has the ability to work his way into regular playing time in his debut season.

KEY DEPARTURES

Graduations: George Baughan, D; Chris Brown, A; Luke Crimmins, SSDM; Erik Peters, G; Andrew Song, LSM

STORYLINES TO WATCH

Who fills the third starting attack spot?

Alex Slusher returns at one spot, and sophomore Coulter Mackesy (28 G, 15 A) started much of last year and came on late in the season. He’s a candidate for an even greater breakout this spring.

But who takes the third starting attack slot with the graduation of Chris Brown (31 G, 41 A)?

“We’ve had a handful of guys kind of filter into that third spot,” Madalon said. “A couple lefties, a couple righties. I think that is probably one of our biggest question marks going into the year. … We may play that as a revolving door until it gets solidified.”

The Princeton staff is bullish about sophomore Braedon Saris, who got into only two games last season but enjoyed a strong fall. Some other names to keep an eye on: Seniors Weston Carpenter (two assists in six games) and Jack Crockett (one goal in three games) and freshman Chad Palumbo.

Who plays goalie?

The graduation of Erik Peters (.555 save percentage, including .618 in three NCAA tournament games) leaves Princeton with minimal college experience in the cage. Senior Griffen Rakower (.636 save percentage in three games) and junior Michael Gianforcaro (.250 in three games) combined to play less than 50 minutes last season, so neither has much of a Division I track record.

Freshman Ryan Croddick is also a contender for the job, and none of the three seized control of the position in the fall.

That’s fine with Madalon, who can see the competition extending into the early portion of the season.

“I would say Rakower, Gianforcaro and Croddick is as talented a goalie room as we’ve had,” Madalon said. “These are three really impressive guys, all right-handed keepers, outstanding stickwork, great rebound control and great ball-stoppers. Still a question mark for the Tigers, but it should work itself out early on.”

Defense seeking consistency

It was tough to know what Princeton was getting at the defensive end last season, and the results reflect it. The Tigers held Georgetown to eight goals, Brown to nine goals and Rutgers to 11 goals in victories, and yielded 10 to a potent Yale team in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Princeton also gave up 19 to Harvard and 18 to Cornell in back-to-back games to close the regular season and won a 21-20 game against Penn.

A constantly changing lineup didn’t help matters, and achieving some stability at that end of the field is a priority. Last year’s postseason — giving up 9.3 goals a game in three contests — could be a solid springboard.

“That was a unit where I would say consistency wasn’t our best at certain times,” Madalon said. “As a coaching staff, you’d much rather have a consistently performing group than the highs and lows. Our challenge coming into this year is clean up the mistakes, learn from it, exactly what we did going into the postseason.”

ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE TIGERS

“Super athletic, super experienced and very well coached. They have to replace a goalie, which I’m sure they’ll do because Madalon is a goalie guy and they have a nice stable of goalies. That team has so much coming back and is super athletic and super physical. Matt’s done a great job, and Jim Mitchell does a really good job with their offense, too.”

BEYOND THE BASICS
POWERED BY LACROSSE REFERENCE

7.5 Wins

With the potential for 14 games (including the two Ivy League tournament games) on their brutal schedule, the debate is whether the Tigers will end up with eight-plus wins or settle for seven or fewer. Outside of their first two tune-up games, the Tigers’ schedule is very tough, with games against the reigning national champs, the reigning Big East champs and another Final Four team in Rutgers.

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