University of Delaware Athletics
2022 Men’s Lacrosse Season Preview
1/28/2022 10:30:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
It’s almost that time. The University of Delaware men’s lacrosse team will open the season on Saturday, February 5th against NJIT at home at Delaware Stadium.
Don’t miss out on the action, as fifth-year head coach Ben DeLuca has his Blue Hens ready to take the field in 2022!
What’s In Store…
The Delaware men’s lacrosse program is coming off one of its most successful seasons in school history. The Blue Hens won their first outright CAA regular-season crown, won the Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year awards, set a new CAA record for most conference wins in a single season with 10, had the sixth-best winning percentage in the nation (.769), and was one of only 10 Division I teams with double-digit wins.
Wow.
That’s not too bad for a Blue Hen program that received zero first-place votes in the CAA preseason poll in 2021.
Fast forward.
The Blue Hens are ranked No. 16 in the USA Magazine and Inside Lacrosse Preseason Polls. They were picked second in the CAA preseason ranking (haven’t the voters learned) and return a fully loaded roster of experienced players and newbies, who are set to take the lacrosse world by storm in 2022.
The Return
The Blue Hens return 5 of their 6 top players in points scored from a year ago. Mike Robinson, Tye Kurtz, Mark Bieda, Cam Acchione, and Matt Acchione will all take the field in 2022. The five players accounted for 62 percent of Delaware’s scoring from 2022.
Delaware finished second in the CAA and 18th nationally in points per game (21.08). Robinson led Delaware in goals scored with 43 – it tied for eighth in the nation and 12th on the UD record chart.
When it comes to ground balls, Delaware leads the way. The Blue Hens ranked first in the CAA and 13th in Division I in ground balls per game with 34.31. With 8 of the 9 leaders in ground balls from last season suiting up in 2022 – Robinson, Grant, Joe Speers, Kurtz, Jason Seiter, Reed Kurtz, Roland Hockenberry, and Kevin McCormick – the Blue Hens are primed to be at the top the CAA charts once again.
Home Field Advantage
The Blue Hens are 12-3 at Delaware Stadium dating back to 2019. With records of 5-1, 2-1, and 5-1 in their rear view mirror, Delaware has its eyes set on a home slate that will challenge the squad every weekend. The Blue Hens have seven games at home, including two CAA opponents.
Feb. 5 – NJIT
Feb. 12 – Mount St. Mary’s
Feb. 26 – Monmouth
March 12 – Marist
March 20 – Johns Hopkins
April 9 – Hofstra*
April 16 - Towson*
Leading the Way
Our team has selected three outstanding young men who each epitomize our program's core values to lead us for the 2022 season. Mark, Owen and Kevin are proven leaders on and off the field and they, along with our entire senior class, will set a standard of excellence and commitment for our team to follow.Head Coach, Ben DeLuca
Mark Bieda, Owen Grant, and Kevin Lynch were named as captains for the 2022 season. Bieda returns as a captain, after being voted to the leadership team last season. Grant and Lynch serve as first-time captains this upcoming season.
Bieda provided steady presence last season as a captain, competing in all 13 games last year, making 12 starts and posting 27 points on 17 goals and 10 assists. Bieda has established a knack for making plays in clutch moments, tallying a pair of hat tricks and recording a career-best six points after scoring a career-high four goals to pair with two assists against Drexel. Bieda's efforts in the classroom earned him a spot on the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll and Dean's List honors.
Grant, one of the most dynamic playmakers in the nation, is coming off a stellar spring campaign in which he earned 2021 USILA All-American Honorable Mention, USA Lacrosse Magazine Third Team All-American, and Inside Lacrosse Third Team All-American honors. He became the program's first-ever CAA Defensive Player of the Year en route to earning First Team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament Team accolades. Grant was also named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
Lynch enters his third season with the program and has provided invaluable leadership on and off of the field. Lynch was honored with the program's Hard Hat Award last year, awarded to the competitor that the coaching staff feels best demonstrates the program's blue-collar mentality: tough, driven and selfless, not always the most talented player on the lacrosse field, but consistently the hardest worker, and someone who embodies the program's motto of "Well done is better than well said." Lynch is a Dean's List student at Delaware and earned a spot on the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll as well.
Preseason Recognition
The Blue Hens were picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) preseason rankings. Delaware men's lacrosse swept the CAA major awards, as Mike Robinson and Owen Grant were named the league's Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. In addition to earning the league's top-two preseason major awards, Delaware tied Drexel for a league-high five preseason all-conference selections. Tye Kurtz, Robinson, Cam Acchione, Grant, and Matt Kilkeary were all placed on the preseason team. Robinson, Grant, and Kurtz were also named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media All-America Team.
The Delaware men's lacrosse team earned recognition in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Division I Media Poll with a No. 16 ranking. The Blue Hens were also ranked No. 16 in the USA Lacrosse Preseason Magazine Poll.
2?0?2?2? @CAASports ?? ?????????????????? ????????????!
— Delaware Men’s Lacrosse (@DelawareMLAX) January 27, 2022
Offensive MVP ?? @Mrobinson_19
Defensive MVP ??@owenngrantt
All-CAA ?? @cam_acchione I Matt Kilkeary I @2Kurtzy
Tied for a league-best 5? honorees ??
?? https://t.co/G08tG6Cdtu#BlueHens pic.twitter.com/wj2E6S3oh5
