Bulldogs Advance to GNAC Title Game After 13-11 Win at Rivier, Photo Courtesy: deanbulldogs.com
The Dean College men's lacrosse team is coming off of their first GNAC Conference title game appearance in the team’s history, and players and fans alike have high expectations for the upcoming season. While some of last year’s top players have left the team, many have returned and will be joined by a slew of exciting acquisitions made by Head Coach Matt Schairer in the offseason.
The Bulldogs rolled through yet another winning season last year, finishing with a record of 13-5. A major key to the Bulldog’s success has been their head coach, Matt Schairer, who is returning for his 9th season. Matt established a strong culture from the start of his tenure in 2016 and has built upon that foundation every season. Since taking the reins, Coach Schairer has led his team to nine straight winning seasons. In just his second season, he led the team to a 10-4 record and a conference championship. A few years later, the team joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). Just last season, his squad became the first Dean College team to reach a GNAC final. They lost in a heartbreaker against the St. Joseph’s Blue Jays, by just one goal. Although it wasn’t the result they were looking for, there were plenty of reasons for the team to hold their head high.
While there are numerous valuable contributors to the team, the true engine of the team’s offense is the Alvarez-Segee brothers, Manny, and Diego. Diego is entering his fifth year as a player as a graduate, while Manny, the 2024 GNAC Rookie of the Year, enters his second season.
Diego is coming off of a stellar 2024 season that saw him win the 2024 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year. Leading the entire conference in points and goals, Diego was the easy pick for the award, leading his team to their most successful season to date. Manny joined a Bulldogs team that was already strong heading into last season, and he only added to their offensive production. In his rookie season, the younger brother was second on the team in goals and third overall in points. Manny proved to be a dynamic, two-way offensive player, showing prowess, and a scorer and playmaker.
The synergy between these two players is undeniable, and the chemistry that they have is a major advantage for us. I got a chance to speak to both brothers and Diego had a lot to say about the opportunity to continue playing alongside his brother.
“It’s a blessing to continue to be able to play alongside my brother. We’ve been playing together so long, and for us to be able to continue to do that is awesome. I think the experience we have on the field together makes it so easy to play with him… I always feel like I know where he’s gonna be.”
Through one season, Manny Alvarez-Segee has garnered great experience with last year's deep playoff run. He spoke briefly about how those games impacted the team, and what positive lessons can be taken from them, and applied to this season.
“The main takeaway from that was just how hard we have to work this year to get back to where we were last year. Offensively, we’ve returned almost every player we had from last year, so I think our offense is going to be even more dominant. Now that I have a year of college experience under me, I will be able to contribute even more.”
Diego also spoke on how the GNAC title game appearance molded him as a player, “…as a team, that experience, and knowing we have what it takes to make a GNAC championship will help us a lot. We feel so much more confident because we were only a couple of bounces away from a championship. I feel like I know what I have to do to put the team in the best spot to win.”
The team will be down six significant pieces that they had last year, including five starters, mostly on the defensive end. The team will be missing contributions from the likes of Tyler Bennedetto, Nick Ricci, and Chris Rivera, all captains for the squad last season. Another thing Manny and I spoke about was what made last year's team so special, and how he can try to bring some of that magic over to this season.
“What made last year's team so special was just how the seniors acted from the moment I got on campus. Everything they did was to help guide me and my teammates to be great, and to strive for success. They made lacrosse not feel like a job, but feel like a family, which made it so much easier to have fun on the field, which I think helped us win a lot of games.”
Diego also had nothing but praise for last year's veterans, “Our leadership group was also exceptional. Our captains last year showed a lot of determination. When you made a great play, they were the first to celebrate with you. When you messed up, they were the first to pick you up. As the oldest player on the team now, I need to pick up that responsibility of helping motivate my guys.”
It is anticipated that there will be five new players starting for Dean College this year. Losing three team captains is not an easy thing for a team to overcome, and one of the more interesting developments as the early season progresses will be how players fit into their new roles. There is a lot of new blood on the roster this season that has fans and players alike hopeful for a return to the GNAC Final. One of the players that both Manny and Diego highlighted as a potential player to watch was Josh Hackett, coming out of Amity High School. Hackett will be coming in as a faceoff specialist and will be attempting to fill the role Tyler Benedetto filled so well for three seasons. The best way to kickstart a great offense is with a great faceoff; Josh Hackett will be assigned that task this upcoming season.
Dean College’s Men’s Lacrosse team kicks off their regular season in February of 2025. Dean has not seen a sports team in quite some time with the pedigree that the lacrosse team has right now and seeing as the team continues to improve season after season, there’s no reason to believe it would stop now. Many conversations around campus are optimistic that the team will only continue to move up in the ranks, only time will tell if the team can taste GNAC championship glory.
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