The Canisius College men's lacrosse team named its team
captains for the 2013 season, announced by head coach Randy Mearns on Friday. Seniors Kyle Bell and Hugh Weir plus junior DJ Giacobbo are
set to the lead the Golden Griffins as the team looks to repeat as MAAC
Champions.
"We lost five senior captains from last season and 16
seniors overall that helped lead us to a MAAC Championship," Mearns said. "Those
players provided a ton of leadership both on and off the field and helped
change our culture, so we knew it was going to be a challenge to replace that.
"With DJ, Kyle and Hugh, we have three players that have
been in the program for at least four years and understand what it takes to be
successful. You have to have great leadership to be successful at this level
and we feel like we have that with these three. They have done a great job
leading the guys on and off the field, in the weight room and holding their
teammates accountable. We're really looking forward to the season with these
three leading the way."
Bell has appeared in seven games during his career with two
starting assignments in net. A two-time selection to the MAAC All-Academic
Team, Bell owns an 11.84 goals against average and .342 save percentage. The
San Francisco, Calif. native missed the 2012 campaign due to an injury.
Weir has played in 37 games in the midfield during his first
three seasons with the Griffs. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native has totaled
32 ground balls and four caused turnovers during his career, including personal
bests of 15 ground balls and three caused turnovers last season. Weir is also a
two-time selection to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
A defender, Giacobbo has appeared in 24 games with five
starting assignments with the Griffs. The junior, who started three
contests last season before going down with an injury, has totaled 16 ground
balls during his collegiate tenure. A native of Athabasca, Alberta, he is a
two-time selection to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
The three players are set to lead Canisius during the 2013
campaign, which begins on Feb. 23 against Air Force in Denver. The Griffs
return 21 letterwinners from a team that won the program's second MAAC
Championship last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
