Bonnies wrap up fall ball, prepare for first ever Varsity lacrosse season

They're a large and young group all ready to be a part of history.

"It's kind of funny how we're all young and going through the same thing," freshman Andrew Hersey said. "We're all freshman, there's no one older than us so we're all going through it together."

Nearly forty guys from six states and four Canadian provinces make up the first ever varsity men's lacrosse team at St. Bonaventure.

Several are from Western New York like goalie and former Lancaster Legend Ben Mazur who happens to be playing alongside two of his high school teammates and best friends.

"CJ (DiRienzo) and Andrew (Hersey) have been my brothers since third grade and we've been best friends and hung out," he said. "So when all the stars aligned and we could come here, it was a dream come true."

They're all sharing this experience together under the direction of head coach Randy Mearns. He comes to the Bonnies after spending years at Canisius and is ready to build this program into something special.

"It doesn't really matter what anyone else believes, it just matters what you believe and whether you're willing to put in all the hard work and dedication into it," Mearns said. "We feel like we have a locker room ful of those guys who are willing to put it all in and focus on getting better everyday."

The Bonnies will play in the MAAC alongside teams like Canisius. With the majority of their roster being freshman, they'll be the youngest team this year but aren't letting their age define who they are.

This team has a lot of talent and they hope this is just the start of a successful and long-running program.

"There's a lot of learning experiences but it's a lot of fun," DiRienzo said. "Getting in a routine with everyone, everyone's in the same spot as you and you're all working together to achieve a goal."

The Bonnies say they'll be at home for the first time this season in early March.

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