Yellow Jackets Name Captains for the 2009 Season

The Georgia Tech men's lacrosse team has announced its captains for the 2009 season. Seniors Drew Cammarata and Carl Wilson along with Sophomores Sam Karpowicz and Casey Timmerman will be captains for the Jackets.

Cammarata (Long Valley, NJ/Wes Morris high School), will be looked upon to anchor the Georgia Tech defense. A three year starter on close defense, Cammarata has scooped up over 100 ground balls in his career. He helped the Jackets hold opponents to one of the nation’s best GAA of 7.15 in 2007. With his up tempo clearing style Cammarata scored once last season and assisted on two other goals.

Wilson, (Zionsville, IN./Zionsville) will be the leader for the midfield this year. After earning All Conference Honors in 2008, Wilson looks to return the Tech offense to premier status. Wilson was third on the team in goals last season (14) and assisted on 6 goals. Wilson has been a four year starter for Tech and has played in every game of his college career since arriving on campus.

Timmerman, (Dublin OH./Dublin Coffman) an attackman a year ago, returns as the Jacket’s leading scorer a season ago. Only a freshman last season, he started every game and also made a switch to midfield late in the season to help the team in a position weakened from injuries. Timmerman is a leader on and off the field for the Jackets and leads by example with his hard play and always positive attitude. Timmerman’s season last year was highlighted with a scoring run in March when he scored 12 points over 3 games.

Karpowicz (West Hartford, CT./Hall) will be looked upon to continue his stellar red shirt Freshman year performance. While earning Second team All Conference Honors in 2008, he stopped over 120 shots on goal and had a 57% save percentage. Karpowicz had numerous great saves in preserving a win over a ranked Lindenwood Lions team. He also recorded 15 saves or more in 7 games last season. Karpowicz started every game for the Jackets in 2008 and was a bright spot throughout the season.

The Yellow Jackets open the 2009 season against SCAD and Florida State in Savannah, GA on the weekend of Feb. 6.

The Team

The 2009 Georgia Tech Lacrosse Team is looking to rebound from a very inconsistent 2008 season, highlighted with some quality wins but marred with injuries to many of the team’s starter’s and senior heavy class.  The team this year will be relying on many first year players to step pin and make an immediate impact.

Offense

Returning to the Jackets in 2009 is senior captain and midfielder Carl Wilson (Zionsville; Zionsville, IN). Wilson earned all league honors last season and will lead a relatively young offense this year. The other senior’s joining Wilson on the midfield will be Kevin Grebb (Yorktown; Arlington, VA) and Mitch Lentini (Sandy Creek; Meansville, GA).  The upper classman will have their work cut out for them as they break in a number of fresh faces. One sophomore that Tech will rely on is Casey Timmerman (Dublin Coffman; Dublin, OH). Timmerman had a solid freshman year and is making the move to midfield this season for the Jackets. The junior class has two returning players in Joe Gibson (St. Pius, Atlanta, GA) and Clayton Lainhart (Montgomery Bell; Nashville, TN). Rookies Blake Gleaves (Woodberry Forest; Marietta, GA), Kyle Gurny (Episcopal, Jacksonville, FL) and Ryan Jarriel (McLean HS; Vienna, VA) will all see significant playing time this season. 

On the front line attack for Georgia Tech, senior Eric Crawshaw (Stratford; Houston, TX) will lead a young group, and have one obvious absence across from him.  With three year starter Alex Del Pozzo studying abroad in 2009 Crawshaw will have to break in some new running mates. Leading the way is freshman Neal Toomey (Lake Brantley; Longwood, FL) and Chris Roden (Westlake; Austin, TX). Returning sophomore Greg Horton (Centennial; Roswell, GA) looks to be a starter for Tech this year and has shown great promise this pre-season.

Defense

The 2009 Georgia Tech roster has some familiar faces returning to the defensive end of the field. Leading the way is sophomore goalie Sam Karpowicz (Hall; West Hartford, CT), who earned second team all conference honors in his rookie campaign. Protecting the perimeter of the goal are two returning defensemen. Senior and Captain Drew Cammarata (West Morris; Long Valley, NJ) teams up with sophomore sensation Zack Gassman (Annapolis HS; Annapolis, MD) in leading one of the best close defensive groups in the conference. Joining these two will be Freshman Matt Dubie (Essex; Essex Junction, VT) and Ryan Foarde (St Pius X, Atlanta, GA). Another key freshman joining the Jackets this year is LSM Philip Georgakakos (Holy Innocents; Atlanta, GA).  The short stick midfield is also looking strong once again led by two seniors in Justin Porter and Cam Miller.  Sophomore Cory Borgel (York; York, ME) will also be seeing time in helping re-establish the top ranked defense Tech is used to playing.

The 2009 squad will be looking to rebound and get Tech back into the post season. The team has all the parts to be a threat in the SELC but must overcome the inconsistent play of 2008.  Coach Lovic has noted a significant improvement in the team’s effort this pre-season. “After a disappointing 2008 season it is easy to hang your head. But the captains and returning players have returned with a new attitude and excitement. We are young in some spots but have a solid core of players overall. I expect much more of this team this season as we will be tested all spring from some quality opponents”.

The 2009 Georgia Tech Lacrosse Team announces its 2009 schedule. The Yellow Jacket’s have 13 games on the slates, highlighted with a mixture of top 20 match ups. The season gets underway February 6 with a much-anticipated trip to Savannah, GA, to face #13 ranked Florida State University and the Savannah College of Art and Design. After the Jackets’ trip to Savannah the team will be home for the majority of their remaining schedule.

After the showdown in Savannah, Tech returns home to face conference rival The University of Tennessee. In February 21 game Tech will be seeking revenge versus the Volunteers after an early season loss in Knoxville last season.  Last season’s game in Knoxville marked the first time Tech had lost to Tennessee in four seasons.

After the game against Tennessee, Tech will jump back on their home field the following Friday night and face a tough foe in the University of Texas on February 27. Tech last played the Longhorns at Johns Hopkins University in the 2004 season, a game Tech won 14-10.  Just a few days later on Monday, March 2 Tech will host Northeastern University in a first ever match up between the two schools.

On the team’s final games prior to Spring Break, Tech will first host conference rival Clemson University at home on Friday, March 9.  Clemson beat the Jackets in South Carolina last year in a rain soaked field. Tech scored a goal with virtually no time on the clock to send the game into overtime where the Tigers prevailed.

Then, like earlier in the season, the team will have a quick turn around and face the University of Buffalo at home on Monday, March 11. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Following the team’s spring break from March 15-19, Tech will return home to take the field against the University of Colorado on Friday, March 27. The last time Tech faced the Buffalos was back in 2003 when Colorado ran all over the Jackets in a 15-4 game.  The next day Tech will have to re-group quickly, and take their only road game remaining on the schedule, as they head to Auburn to face the Tigers in a key SELC Divisional match up. Last season Tech beat the Tigers in a game that lasted over 4 hours due to some lightening strikes in the area. It was the same weekend that the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament was delayed due to a hurricane in downtown Atlanta, just one mile away.

On Saturday, April 4 the Yellow Jackets will host the Panthers from Georgia State University.  Georgia State is a new program to the SELC and the game will mark the first time the two schools will meet on the lacrosse field.

Following the cross town game with Georgia State, Tech gets back to their divisional play within the SELC with two key match ups. First up, the newest SELC member, the University of Kentucky visits Tech on Friday, April 10.  Following the first ever game between these two schools, Tech will face a familiar foe in Vanderbilt University on Saturday, April 11 at home. Vanderbilt beat Tech in Nashville last year eliminating the jackets from the SELC Tournament for the first time in six seasons.

The regular season wraps up on April 18 with Tech’s biggest rival, the University of Georgia. The game will be played at Milton High School at 1pm. The Bulldogs have owned the Jackets as of late winning the last five contests. Tech looks to imitate the success of the football team’s memorable victory in the fall, which ended their multiple-game losing streak to the Dawgs.

All home games are located on the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Turf Fields. All home games are FREE to spectators.