Head coach Kevin Corrigan and his staff inked another top-notch class for the Fighting Irish.

Fighting Irish Receive Commitments From 13 Student-Athletes

Sept. 13, 2010

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse head coach Kevin Corrigan has announced the commitment of 13 student-athletes who will join the program beginning in the 2011 season. The newcomers hail from six different states, including three apiece from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

There are two Under Armour All-Americans, midfielders Liam O’Connor and Jimmy Marlatt, in the talented class. O’Connor (#33) and Marlatt (#46) were among four of the incoming student-athletes ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Freshman Power 100. Joining them on that list were defenseman Stephen O’Hara (#63) and midfielder Matty Collins (#91). The class features three attackmen, five midfielders and five defensemen.

“This is a class that’s deep at every position,” said Corrigan. “I feel good about the numbers we have and the quality of athletes in the class. I think athletically it’s a very talented class. There are some guys that are going to be able to compete right away because of the athleticism of the class. There are also some particular skills, like faceoffs, that will help us right away as well.”

Here is a breakdown of Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class …

Tyler Brenneman – Midfield – East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton
Earned a total of eight varsity letters in lacrosse, basketball and volleyball at East Hampton High School … received four varsity letters in lacrosse … concluded his high school career with 176 points on 71 goals and 105 assists … tallied 72 points as a senior … selected all Suffolk County as a junior and senior and earned Academic All-America status as a senior … team captain as junior and senior … selected to the 20-man roster to represent Suffolk County in the Lacrosse Rising Senior Showcase … named by Newsday as one of top 75 lacrosse players on Long Island in 2010 … earned two varsity letters as a two year starter at guard in basketball … copped all-division recognition as a senior in basketball as he led the team in points, assists, blocked shots and steals … basketball team advanced to New York state quarterfinals during his junior season … basketball team captain as senior … earned two varsity letters as a two-year starter in volleyball … captained the volleyball team during his senior campaign … an all-county volleyball player as a junior and senior … set East Hampton record with 42 kills in a match against Sachem East during his senior season … received the Paul Yuska Award as the top male athlete at East Hampton High School … joins his older brother Zach on Fighting Irish lacrosse team … son of Timothy and Deborah Brenneman.

Corrigan on Brenneman … “Ty is a good all-around lacrosse player. He’s a big, athletic kid and I really think he’s going to be a very good player. We’d love to see him be a little more aggressive on offense, but he has very good all-around skills.”

Brian Buglione – Defense/LSM – Vestal, N.Y./Vestal
A three-year starter in lacrosse and football (tight end and linebacker) at Vestal High School … captained both teams during his senior season … a U.S. Lacrosse high school All-American … an all-state, all-division I and all-section honoree in lacrosse … named team MVP as a senior … Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) all-star … picked up 120 ground balls, scored one goal and dished out 15 assists as a senior … member of the Under Armour All-American Underclassman team in 2009 … Empire State Games Central team in 2008 … four-time New York State Scholar-Athlete and four-time New York State Academic Honor Roll member … three-year member of the National Honor Society and National Society for High School Scholars … son of Ray and Kathy Buglione … father played baseball at Georgetown … older brother, Dana, played football at College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Mass. … younger brother, Cameron, has committed to play lacrosse at Bucknell.

Corrigan on Buglione … “Brian is a big kid who is strong and athletic. We just have to get him to learn and buy into our system, but I think as he becomes acclimated to the way we do things, he’ll have a chance to compete for playing time.”

Matty Collins – Midfield – Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep
A two-sport athlete at Georgetown Prep … earned four letters in lacrosse and three in football … helped Georgetown Prep to three conference (IAC) titles in lacrosse … team achieved national rating all four years of his playing career … member of the Maryland Free State team … ranked as the 28th best incoming midfielder, and 91st overall prospect, by Inside Lacrosse … played safety and wide receiver in football … named all-league (MIAA), all-county and honorable mention all-state in football … recorded seven interceptions in nine games during senior year … son of Steve and Carin Collins … father played football at the University of Delaware … has three siblings.

Corrigan on Collins … “Matty is another big, athletic kid. This group of midfielders is kind of that way. He’s shown very good game sense and good all-around skills. He’s a good defensive player and good from box-to-box. Again, he’s a guy we’d like to see refine his skills to get on the field and compete for playing time.”

Alex Eaton – Attack – Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan
Two-time All-American … earned four varsity letters in lacrosse at Bridgewater Raritan … captained the team as a senior in addition to earning team MVP honors … led the team in scoring three times … first-team all-state selection during his junior and senior seasons … first-team all-area and first-team all-county … group IV state champions in addition to being the two-time state runner up … selected to the New Jersey all-star game … selected to play in the Champion High School Showcase … two-time member on the Garden State team … Somerset County scholar-athlete … son of Gilman and Lynne Eaton … father played lacrosse at Bowdoin College … has a sister, Jenny.

Corrigan on Eaton … “Alex is a lefty attackman and those guys are always valuable. It might take him a little while to break into our lineup because we have a lot of older guys on our attack right now. He’s a good, smart lacrosse player.”

Westy Hopkins – Attack/Midfield – Newtown, Pa./La Salle College H.S./The Lawrenceville School (PG year)
Coming off a post-graduate year at The Lawrenceville School … ranked as the fourth-best post-graduate player in the country by Inside Lacrosse … tallied 35 goals and 22 assists for a team-best 57 points in 20 games at Lawrenceville … received the 2010 Marshall H. Chambers Lacrosse Trophy (team MVP) at Lawrenceville … team was the 2010 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association champions … also lettered in basketball at Lawrenceville … 2010 Trenton Times All-Prep Player of the Year … team captain at Lawrenceville … earned five varsity letters in lacrosse at La Salle College High School … combined for 87 goals, 56 assists in 58 games during his junior and senior seasons at La Salle … 2008-09 first-team All-Catholic League … 2009 Academic All-American … La Salle won the state title in 2008 and 2009 … the 2008 squad was ranked No. 1 nationally according to Lacrosse Magazine … 2009 team was ranked eighth in the country according to Inside Lacrosse … son of Doug Hopkins and Joy Sill-Hopkins.

Corrigan on Hopkins … “Westy has a great chance to help us right away. He’s a year older than the rest of the guys in the class because of the pg (post-graduate) year. He really has a very good game sense and can do a lot of things well. He plays really, really hard all the time.”

Don Keough – Defense – Rye, N.Y./Rye/Westminster School (PG year)
Completed a post-graduate year at the Westminster School (Connecticut) in 2009-10 … ranked as the second-best post-graduate player in the country by Inside Lacrosse … … earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and three in football at Rye High School … an all-section and all-league selection in lacrosse during his junior and senior seasons … team captain as a senior … voted onto the Hudson Valley all-star team during his final two prep lacrosse campaigns … was on the Hudson Valley Empires team the summer before his senior season … state champion in football during his junior and senior seasons as a starting tight end and linebacker … first-team all-state, all-section and all-league during his senior football season … Class B defensive player of the year and most valuable lineman in Class B … captained football team as a senior … all-league in football as a junior … played varsity hockey as a freshman and sophomore … son of Patrick and Megan Keough … father attended Notre Dame and competed in rugby.

Corrigan on Keough … “Don has a lot of ability. I think it’s going to be a step up in the competition level that he’s going to have to adjust to. As he makes the adjustments and improvements physically, he’ll be in a position to play.”

Jim Marlatt – Midfield – Clarksville, Md./River Hill
An Under Armour All-American … scored two goals for the South team in the Under Armour All-American game … ranked 46th overall in the class of 2010 by Inside Lacrosse … listed as the 15th best midfielder in the class of 2010 according to Inside Lacrosse … tallied 74 goals and 39 assists in addition to picking up 112 ground balls in leading River Hill High School to the Maryland state title game during his senior season … finished with 199 goals and 97 assists during his high school career … named the Howard County player of the year as a senior … a U.S. High School All-American … named second-team all-metro by the Baltimore Sun and second team All-Washington Post … a Kelly Award finalist … a three-time first-team All-Howard County selection … two-time Maryland Freestate team member … was on two Under Armour Underclassman Baltimore teams … son of Geoff and Jane Marlatt … has four younger siblings, Katie, Emily, Colleen and Bobby.

Corrigan on Marlatt … “Unfortunately Jim has a back injury right now that he’s been dealing with. He’s a very skilled offense player. He has speed and a high IQ for the game and knows how to score points. I think he has a great opportunity to compete for playing time.”

Ryan Mix – Attack – Newport Beach, Calif. /Corona del Mar
A two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American … ranked as the 36th best attackman in the class of 2010 according to Inside Lacrosse … racked up 322 points on 202 goals and 120 assists during his high school career … as a senior, tallied 102 points on 80 goals and 22 assists en route to being named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Year and the Orange County Player of the Year … also copped first-team all-league (Pacific Coast League) and all-county (Orange County) honors … 2010 Orange County Register Player of the Year … voted team captain twice by his teammates … received the Gratzinger Scholarship Award, which is the team award for leadership … a U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American … two-time Pacific Coast League champion and two-time CIF finalists at Corona del Mar … as a junior, registered 102 points on 66 goals and 36 assists … voted as the team’s most valuable attackman … received first-team all-league and all-county accolades as a junior … played in the 2009 Under Armour Underclassman games for the Midwest team … competed at 2008 Adrenaline High Rollers and the 2009 California Gold … played at the 2009 Champ Camp with the SoCal Surf Dawgs … son of G.W. and Mary Mix … father played and coached lacrosse at Penn … mother competed in volleyball at UC Santa Barbara … has two younger brothers, Casey and Kyle.

Corrigan on Mix … “Ryan has a tremendous IQ for the game. His father’s a coach and he plays like a coach’s kid. He knows where to be and what to do. Physically, I think he’s really going to benefit from being here with our facilities and everything else that we have. In the meantime, we’re going to count his skills and his IQ for the game.”

Liam O’Connor – Midfield – Haverford, Pa./The Haverford School
An Under Armour All-American … two-time All-American … ranked 33rd in the class of 2010 by Inside Lacrosse … ranked as the 10th best midfielder in the class of 2010 according to Inside Lacrosse … tallied 35 goals and 10 assists in addition to winning 73 percent of his faceoff attempts during his senior season … two-time all-Philadelphia selection … two-time All-Delco … two-time all-conference (Inter Ac) … team won Inter Ac (Inter-Academic League) championships in 2009 and 2010 … squad also captured Inter Ac Tournament in 2009 and 2010 … two-time All-Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association … son of Michael and Ellen O’Connor … mother attended Notre Dame and was a member of the tennis team … brother, Rory, plays lacrosse at the University of Vermont.

Corrigan on O’Connor … “Liam is a great faceoff guy. He’s an outstanding faceoff guy that not only is very good at it, but he loves it and thrives on it and works extremely hard at it. He’s an athletic kid and he has skills as a two-way midfielder as well which is a great thing to have whether he’s winning or losing the ball, you don’t worry about him being on the field.”

Stephen O’Hara – Defense – West Chester, Pa./St. Joe’s Prep
Four-year starter in lacrosse at St. Joe’s Prep … received All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) as a senior … ranked 63rd overall in the class of 2010 by Inside Lacrosse … ranked as the 18th best defenseman in the class of 2010 according to Inside Lacrosse … three-time all-state selection (sophomore, junior and senior) … earned All-Catholic League honors his final three seasons after being an honorable mention pick as a freshman … copped team MVP award twice … served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons … two-year starter in football at fullback and linebacker … as a senior, he earned first-team All-Catholic (multi-purpose) and was a second-team choice at linebacker … an honorable mention All-Catholic selection in football during his junior season … named the scholar-athlete of the league … son of Tom and Maria O’Hara … father played basketball at Rider University.

Corrigan on O’Hara … “Stephen is another big, athletic defenseman who I think will have a little bit of an adjustment period coming into a program at this level. He has a toughness to him and a relentless way of playing that I think will make him a very good college player.”

Chris Prevoznik – Defense – Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes
Played lacrosse and football at Mountain Lakes High School … copped first-team All-Morris County and second-team all-state accolades during his senior season of lacrosse … received the Hugh Chambers award in lacrosse … earned second-team All-Morris County honors as a junior … lacrosse team won the New Jersey tournament of champions in 2007 and 2008 … two-time state champion (Group 1) in football (2008 and 2009) … earned all-conference, all-area and all-county recognition in football during his senior campaign … named the team’s best offensive and defensive lineman as a senior … son of Michael and Joyce Prevoznik … his father, aunt, uncle, grandfather and great grandfather all attended Notre Dame.

Corrigan on Prezovnik … “Chris is a tough, hardworking, blue collar type player who is really going to be a nice mix with the guys that we have. He has the ability to play up top or down low. His versatility will help him.”

John Scioscia – Attack – Summit, N.J./Summit
Earned three varsity letters in lacrosse at Summit High School … set school scoring record with 231 points … earned All-America honors as a senior … ranked as the 33rd best attackman in the class of 2010 according to Inside Lacrosse … received all-state accolades twice … three-time all-conference, all-division and all-county in lacrosse … represented New Jersey at 2008 and 2009 Under Armour underclassman tournament … led high school team in scoring as a sophomore and senior … during his junior season, he helped Summit to a 22-1 record and the state title along with a top-10 national ranking … captained his high school team as a senior and helped them to a second straight state title with a 23-0 record and a top-five national ranking … Summit set the New Jersey record with 45 consecutive wins … also lettered in soccer and track … graduated Magna Cum Laude … son of John and Michele Scioscia … sister, Gina, is a 2010 Notre Dame graduate and was a lacrosse All-American for the Irish … sister, Amy, is a dancer attending Loyola University in Baltimore.

Corrigan on Scioscia … “John is just a very nifty player who really understands the game. He knows how to make plays within the flow of the game. He’s the kind of guy that makes people around him better.”

Mike Shepardson – Defense/LSM – Winter Park, Fla./Saint Andrews
Played long-stick midfielder and defense for Saint Andrews High School … an all-state defenseman … tallied five goals and six assists during his senior season … two-time state champion … helped Saint Andrews gain a nationally ranking of 12th … earned South Florida athlete of the week honors … competed with Team Florida for two summers … received two varsity letters in football … son of Michael and Carole Shepardson … father was a swimmer at Notre Dame.

Corrigan on Shepardson … “Mike is a tremendous athlete. He’s a big, strong kid, who I think will come in better prepared physically than anyone else in this class. We just need to work with him on his skills and getting acclimated to the way we play as well as with the speed and physicality of the college game.”

2010 Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Recruits
NAME POSITION HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Tyler Brenneman Midfield East Hampton, N.Y./East HamptonBrian Buglione Defense/LSM Vestal, N.Y./VestalMatty Collins Midfield Bethesda, Md./Georgetown PrepAlex Eaton Attack Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater RaritanWesty Hopkins Attack/Midfield Newtown, Pa./La Salle College H.S./ The Lawrenceville School (PG year)Don Keough Defense Rye, N.Y./RyeJim Marlatt Midfield Clarksville, Md./River HillRyan Mix Attack Newport Beach, Calif. /Corona del MarLiam O'Connor Midfield Haverford, Pa./The Haverford SchoolStephen O'Hara Defense West Chester, Pa./St. Joe's PrepChris Prevoznik Defense Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain LakesJohn Scioscia Attack Summit, N.J./SummitMike Shepardson Defense/LSM Winter Park, Fla./Saint Andrews