Season Preview: Men's Lacrosse

About The 2026 Cardinals 

Season In Review: Winning the Empire 8 Conference and being a tough out in the NCAA Division III Tournament has become the yearly expectation for the Cardinals, who will look to continue their remarkable run of success this season. 

In 2025, Fisher won its sixth consecutive E8 title and beat Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 3 RIT 17-13. The Cardinals ended the year 16-5 overall with a perfect 11-0 mark against Empire 8 teams, including postseason contests. 

The Cardinals had six players earn All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association, with defender Jack Cornell earning second-team honors and midfielder Jordan Leuze earning third-team honors. Attackmen Timmy Salit and Brady Mason, midfielder Connor Mesh and goalkeeper Tyler Manning were honorable mentions. 

Fisher also claimed all five of the E8 major awards. The conference named Cornell Defensive Player of the Year, Manning Goalkeeper of the Year, JP Revitte Rookie of the Year and head coach Dave Dobbins Coach of the Year. 

Head Coach: Dave Dobbins (9th Season)

Assistant Coaches: Cash Lawson, Mark Rice, Jeff Schwartz, Duffy McKenna, Dugan Doeblin and Logan Callahan

2025 Graduated Players: Brady Mason, Connor Mesh, Ethan Kesselring, Owen Bogue, Reed Currie, Zach Stirpe, Colin Blakeslee, Braeden McNeill, Jack Cornell, Jaden Tantillo, Scott Reeves, Jack Gullo, Kyler Ringgold, Jordan Leuze, Timmy Salit, Joe Urlacher

2025 Statistical Leaders: Goals (Brady Mason, 59), Assists (Timmy Salit, 50), Points (Mason, 85), Ground Balls (Bryce Riffel, 102), Caused Turnovers (Jack Cornell, 37), Face-Off Wins (Riffel, 177-of-295), Face-Off Win Percentage (Scott Reeves, .615), Saves (Tyler Manning, 185)

Returning Players: Ian McIntyre (Jr, G), Carter Van Holland (Jr., A), Nick Hauman (Sr., M), Sean Donaldson (Jr., M), Bryce Riffel (Sr., FO), Lane Edinger (Sr., M), Tyson DeLisio (So., A), Tyler Manning (Sr., G), Logan Welch (So., A), Robbie Salit (Jr., M), Colin Reinhart (So., FO), Braden Seymour (So., M), Matt Slowinski (Sr., M), Riley Callahan (Jr., D), Sean Baird (So., D), Eric Stoesser (Sr., D), Brett Seaman (Sr., M), Owen Kross (So, D/M), Justin Tundo (Jr., D/M), Graham Kesselring (So., A), Mason Gridley (So., D/M), Scott Bovard (Jr., A), Vincent Scibello (Jr., A), Terrance Cleary (Sr., D/M), Garrin Dougherty (So., D/M), Garrett Sutton (Jr., A), Kyle McQuade (Jr., M), Sam Hambsch (So., D/M), Luke James (So., A), Luke Hodge (Jr., D/LSM), Nick Marsala (Jr., D/LSM), Nick Augeri (Sr., D), Trevor Valenti (So., D), Reece Millison (So., M)

Freshmen/Transfers: Jake Vernieri (Fr., D/LSM), Drew Turk (Fr., D), Max Heieck (Fr., M), Jackson Frame (Fr., G), Dylan Oakes (Fr., M), John Korczukowski (Fr., M), Toby Leys (Fr., M), Hayden Lauer (Fr., M), Alex Sherman (Fr., D), Torin Whitten (Fr., D/LSM), Darren Vogt (Fr., M), Jonah Vormwald (Fr., FO), Collin McLaughliln (Fr., M), Henry Werzinger (Fr., FO), Max Teel (Fr., A), Connor Gray (Fr., D), Robert Protz (Fr., M), Wyatt Spratt (Fr., D), Grady Swidersky (Fr., A), Kieran Phillips (So., G, Wheaton College), Adam Vernon (So., A, Salisbury). 

Preseason Rankings: United States Lacrosse Coaches Association (receiving votes), Inside Lacrosse (No. 20), USA Lacrosse Magazine (receiving votes)

Numbers and Notes To Know

• Including regular-season and playoffs, the Cardinals have won 46 consecutive games against Empire 8 teams since the end of the 2019 season. 
• Since 2021, the Cardinals own a 32-0 regular-season record and a 12-0 postseason record against Empire 8 teams. They have suffered only one loss to a current E8 team – Hartwick in 2018 – under Dobbins. Their last conference loss came to Stevens, now a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference, during the regular season in 2019. 
• Fisher has won the E8 title and reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons. The Cardinals have won a game in the national tournament in five of those years. 
• The Cardinals’ non-conference slate includes three teams currently ranked in the USILA Top-20: No. 3 RIT, No. 11 St. Lawrence and No. 15 SUNY Cortland. Hamilton and Ithaca received votes in the preseason poll.

Players To Watch (Offense)

With their top five point-getters from last season gone, including a pair of All-Americans in Mason and Salit, the Cardinals will have a new cast of leaders offensively this year. Among plenty of others, that group will include junior midfielders Sean Donaldson and Robbie Salit and senior midfielder Brett Seaman.  

Donaldson, a second-team All-Empire 8 selection last year and the conference’s Rookie of the Year in 2024, finished seventh on the team with 32 points on 25 goals and seven assists in 2025. Robbie Salit scored 23 goals and had eight helpers for 31 points, and Seaman had 23 points on 15 goals and eight assists. 

Seniors Nick Hauman and Lane Edinger and junior Carter Van Holland also figure to be key pieces for the Cardinals offensively. Hauman, a transfer from Towson prior to last season, scored seven goals and had three assists in just five games in 2025. Van Holland found the back of the net 14 times and had five assists for 19 points while playing in just eight games. Edinger had 12 points on 10 goals and a pair of assists as a junior. 

A preseason USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American, Matt Slowinski has 41 career points on 25 goals and 16 assists over 51 collegiate games. He set career highs in goals (13) and total points (19) as a freshman in 2023.

Players To Watch (Defense)

The Cardinals also have plenty of production to make up for on the other end of the field, as they lost standout defenders Zach Stirpe, Joe Urlacher and three-time All-American Jack Cornell, the program’s all-time leader in caused turnovers, to graduation.

Ethan Hodge is coming off a productive junior season in which he caused 14 turnovers and recovered 26 ground balls over 14 games, two of which he started. He added three goals and an assist for four points on the year. Sophomore Garrin Dougherty is also expected to take a step forward after recording 10 caused turnovers and 25 ground ball recoveries during his first collegiate season. 

At the face-off X, the Cardinals return senior Bryce Riffel, who led the team in face-off wins (177-of-295) and ground balls (102) last year. His .601 career face-off win percentage stands fifth in program history entering the 2026 season.

In Goal

The Cardinals boast the top goalkeeper in the Empire 8 and one of the best in Division III in Tyler Manning, who has been named a preseason All-American by the USILA, USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. 

Manning played in 21 games and made 20 starts as a junior in 2025, recording the third-most saves (185) by a Fisher goalkeeper in a single season. He earned honorable mention All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association (USILA) and won the Empire 8 Conference's Goalkeeper of the Year award. 

Manning stands eighth in Fisher’s record book in career saves (221) and sixth in goals against average (9.21) entering this season.