Men's Lacrosse Introduces Class of 2025
October 26, 2021 | Men's Lacrosse
"We're super excited about this class," head coach Ryan Polley said. "It's been well-documented the trials and tribulations that they've had with COVID and losing a season and seasons being restructured and sports happening right after one another but for the most part we thought these guys handled that adversity incredibly well and performed at a really high level during their senior year. Couldn't be more excited about them. Eight out of the 10 freshmen spent the summer here getting acclimated to Boston and put in some great work in the weight room and working on their individual skills."
This group of newcomers includes three attackmen, two midfielders, three defenders, three faceoff specialists, one LSM and one goalkeeper. They hail from eight different states, with three Massachusetts players remaining local, including Belmont Hill teammates Trey Brown and Zach Travaglini.
Will Barnes
GK • 5-9 • 155 • South Riding, Va. • Paul VI
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at Paul VI High School … Named to the All-PVI Team as a senior … Earned second team all-state accolades as a sophomore … Won a state title as a freshman.
Polley on Barnes: "We're super excited about Will. He had a great senior year, leading his team to a conference championship and beating some really good teams with him being the star of the show. He's a big-time goalie prospect who sees the ball really well. Has great feet, great instincts, tracks the ball really well. Quick hands. We fully expect Will to compete for some playing time."
DJ Batton
A • 5-10 • 165 • Apex, N.C. • Christchurch School
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at Christchurch School … Earned first team all-state honors as a senior.
Polley on Batton: "DJ is a very complete player who does a lot of things really well. He's very skilled with both hands. DJ Certainly can score, but he also has a knack for including his teammates. We're expecting DJ to compete for time either at attack or midfield, but we certainly are excited about his productivity."
Trey Brown
D • 6-0 • 185 • Hopkinton, Mass. • Belmont Hill
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at Belmont Hill … Helped lead his team to an undefeated season and an ISL championship as a senior … Selected as a 2021 Boston Lax All-American … Also played football.
Polley on Brown: "Trey's a local product who's an A+ athlete. What really jumps off the film and watching him live is just how athletic he is, how he can cover in space and make plays in the middle of the field. We think Trey's gonna be a weapon for us in a lot of different places. We think he can play the wing on faceoffs, he can cover, help us in the transition game once we get stops or turnovers. He's a tough defender who has a knack for the ball. We're really excited about Trey."
Matt Caccese
D • 5-10 • 185 • West Chester, Pa. • Malvern Prep
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at Malvern Prep … Won 2021 Inter-AC title and helped Malven Prep finish as the No. 2 team in the nation … Also rowed for one season.
Polley on Caccese: "We picked up Matt late in the process and we're excited about his development. He's a cover guy with a little bit of a mean streak. He's got really good feet. Matt started for the No. 2 team in the country all season and covered some of the great attackmen in the Philadelphia area. He Was a major contributor to that team. The things he does best is his off-ball play. He's really instinctual and has a high IQ. Matt's got good ball skills and I think he has the ability and versatility to go out and cover different types of attackers."
Conor Calderone
M/FO • 5-6 • 165 • Smithtown, N.Y. • Maryland
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Transfer from Maryland … Invited to participate in Team USA U21 camp in June … Played three games during 2021 campaign … Won seven faceoffs in a victory at Penn State on Feb. 26 … Made three appearances as a freshman … Took all 29 faceoffs against Villanova on Feb. 18, winning 17 and grabbing four ground balls … Made collegiate debut against High Point, winning four faceoffs while scooping two ground balls on Feb. 1, 2020 … Prior to Maryland, was a four-year letter winner at Smithtown West High School … Posted a 93% faceoff win percentage in 2019 while adding three goals and three assists … Two-time All-American … Three-time Suffolk County Specialist of the Year Three-time All-Long Island … Three-time all-county … 2019 Ray Enners Award winner (Suffolk County most outstanding player) ... 2019 Bob Scott Award winner … Led Long Island in faceoff winning percentage in 2019.
Polley on Calderone: "Coming out of high school, Conor was one of the most sought-after prospects in the country. He went down to Maryland and competed on two really strong teams, but was looking for a change of scenery. Conor really took to the city of Boston, our coaching staff and our vision. We're hoping Conor can get back to his success coming out of high school. He's focused, driven and wants to be one of the best faceoff men in the Patriot League. I'm excited to see what this change of scenery can do for Conor. He had a lot of opportunities, but BU is a really good fit for him."
Luke DiIorio
LSM • 6-1 • 200 • Mendham, N.J. • Bucknell
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Transfer from Bucknell … Played two seasons with the Bison, appearing in seven games … Notched his first collegiate goal on Feb. 24, 2020 at Binghamton … Prior to Bucknell, played four years of varsity lacrosse at Salisbury School … As a junior and senior, helped Salisbury win Western New England titles and finish as runner-up at the GEICO Lacrosse National Championship … Earned Western New England All-League honors as a senior as he helped lead Salisbury to a 16-0 record … Also played basketball and football.
Polley on DiIorio: "Luke was highly sought-after coming out of high school. He's a great athlete, good in transition, good off the ground, and fits the mold that we like in our LSMs. Luke can make plays on the defensive side of the ball. He has an active stick and can create havoc in the middle of the field. He's a guy who can quickly transfer his thought process from defense to offense and create scoring chances. Luke has a college body as a junior and we're excited for him to add depth at LSM and challenge for some playing time."
Benjamin Ferrara
M/FO • 5-6 • 165 • Bayville, N.Y. • Locust Valley
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at Locust Valley High School … Earned all-county honors as a senior after recording 32 points … Was an all-county selection as a sophomore, finishing the year as the No. 27 player (No. 4 faceoff specialist) in the Class of 2021 on Long Island … Two-time all-county football player who was nominated for Nassau County Player of the Year as well as conference player of the year and running back of the year.
Polley on Ferrara: "Ben had a tremendous football season as a running back, and went right from football to lacrosse this past spring. He has really done wonders in transforming his body. He looks like a college lacrosse player right now. Ben had a great summer and a good senior year. He can do a little bit more than just faceoff since he can be a threat in transition if we secure the draw. We're excited for Ben to get into our faceoff mix and compete for some playing time."
Stephen Gaskill III
M • 6-0 • 205 • Chelsea, Mass. • Noble & Greenough
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at Noble & Greenough High School, where he also was on the basketball and football teams … Also played for Harlem Lacrosse Boston.
Polley on Gaskill III: "Stephen is a local product who was one of the best players on one of the best teams in the country. He's very skilled. He'll play midfield for us but has the skill set to play attack at this level. His strengths are creating separation. He's got a body that can absorb contact and is comfortable with contact. We've been impressed with Stephen's decision making, whether it's being able to score if the defense allows him to get to a spot that's a high-percentage shot, or if he draws a slide to make the right decision with the ball in his stick. We're excited for him to come in and compete for time at offensive midfield."
Colby Kim
D • 6-0 • 190 • Bryn Mawr, Pa. • The Haverford School
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at The Haverford School, captaining the squad as a senior … Earned First Team All Inter-Ac honors and was named to the Eastern PA Lacrosse Coaches Association Team as a senior … Won the William L. Thorkleson Award, given annually to the person who exemplifies high moral standards, academic integrity, commitment and service to The Haverford School and is a member of the varsity lacrosse team … Won the Kip Taviano Leadership Award as a junior, which is given to a leader on both the lacrosse and football teams … Was a two-year starter and senior captain of the varsity football team, serving for three years on the squad's leadership council.
Polley on Kim: "Colby is another Philadelphia product and the best defenseman from Haverford, one of the best programs in the country. One of our focuses with this recruiting class was getting more athletic, and Colby fits that mold. He's really athletic and really long. Colby constantly covered the opponent's number one attackman. He had a great senior year. Colby is tough and someone we think down the road can be a top-level defender who is going to get tough assignments on a week-to-week basis."
Levi Lemke
M • 6-1 • 190 • Mahtomedi, Minn. • Mahtomedi
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at Mahtomedi High School … Was an All-American as a senior, earning first team all-state honors and being selected as the East Metro Player of the Year … Captained Team Minnesota for two years.
Polley on Lemke: "Levi is another great A+ athlete. He's a guy who will play between the lines, can create separation and run. He's very fast and very athletic. Levi has worked really hard on his skills and we've already seen improvement over the last two years since we committed him. He's a guy that will start at offensive middie, but we'll use his athleticism at either wing on the faceoff or at the defensive midfield position. We've been impressed with him early and think he's going to compete for a top-nine spot. Levi is going to make it hard for us to keep him off the field with how athletic he is."
Jimmy O'Connell
A • 5-11 • 175 • Franklin Square, N.Y. • H. Frank Carey
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at H. Frank Carey High School … Helped lead Carey to its first-ever Nassau County title game in 2021 … Earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades and was also a Second Team All-Long Island selection by Newsday after he tallied 47 goals and 21 assists for 68 points … Earned all-county honors as a sophomore after scoring 34 goals and adding 36 assists for 70 points … Was all-conference as a freshman … Also played football, receiving all-county recognition as a senior.
Polley on O'Connell: "Jimmy is a skill guy who we recruited to play X attack. He's a quarterback-type. He's two-handed, smart, has a high IQ and can get everybody involved. Jimmy has the ability to score but he's more of a distributor. He had a wonderful senior year. He did a little bit of everything for his high school team, but we see him in an attack role as a facilitator who will make his teammates better."
Jax Popovich
M/FO • 5-10 • 200 • Glastonbury, Conn. • Richmond
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Transfer from Richmond … Played two seasons of varsity lacrosse at Salisbury School … Elected team captain prior to 2020 season … Won 73% of his faceoffs as a junior to help Salisbury finish runner-up at the GEICO National High School Championship and earn a top-five national ranking for the second straight year … Repeated as Western New England champions in 2019 thanks to a 16-0 season … Played his freshman year at Glastonbury High School, winning 78% of his draws to lead Glastonbury to the state semifinals … Also played football and did MMA.
Polley on Popvich: "Jax will add to our faceoff depth. He was another highly sought-after recruit out of high school who transferred here from Richmond. I think a change of scenery will do Jax well. He'll compete for playing time at a faceoff position that is completely wide-open. I'm excited to see how the five of them compete and work with each other. We're really excited about Jax. He's a tough kid who is very dedicated to his technical skills and focused on his craft. Between the five guys we have at the X, we have some different styles and we're going to be much improved in that area."
Zach Travaglini
A • 5-7 • 155 • Winchester, Mass. • Belmont Hill
BEFORE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Played varsity lacrosse at Belmont Hill … Was a 2021 Boston Lax All-American and finished as the No. 13 player in Massachusetts … Earned All-ISL honors as a sophomore after leading his team in assists … Also played football.
Polley on Travaglini: "Zach is small but tough. He had a great senior year. and was one of the best players in the ISL who helped lead his team to an ISL title with Trey. What we love about Zach is that his intangibles are off the chart. He's a born leader. He's made up for his lack of size with his toughness and his leadership abilities. Zach is going to come in and compete to play on the offensive side of the ball on the left-hand side. He can play attack or middie and be very productive. He sees the field really well. Zach is another multi-dimensional offensive player who can score a lot, has a good IQ and makes his teammates better. His best attribute is that he's a slasher and can create offense by penetrating the defense."
