The Cardinal men’s lacrosse team is coming off one of the best years in team history. Last year, the team experienced its first NESCAC title, and the team continued its run in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to rival Middlebury. The Cardinals were ranked 10th in the nation in the season’s final USILA poll, and in this spring’s preseason poll, the team only dropped one spot to number 11.

One of the big reasons they continue to be so highly regarded is the return of attacker Jon Killeen ’10. The quint-captain has the highest point total of any returning Cardinal after accumulating 42 last season (26 goals, 16 assists), and his third point this year will make him the 25th player in school history to reach 100 for his career. He started every game last season, scoring the second-most goals on the team, and ranking third in assists. Killeen also had the game-winning goal in a 6-5 win over Amherst as the Cardinals won their 12th straight over the Lord Jeffs.

Killeen will look to further improve those numbers this spring when he takes on a leadership role vacated by All-Americans Spike Malangone ’09 (first-team) and Russ Follansbee ’09 (third-team). He will have plenty of help, from his fellow captains Lonny Blumenthal ’10, Bo Pratt ’10, Ram Sivalingam ’10, and Matt Ward ‘10, as well as 2009 New England Division III Rookie of the Year John Froats ’12. With so many returning weapons to complement Killeen’s scoring, it is not surprising that the Cardinals have even higher hopes for this year than last.