Jan. 21, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has announced its captains for the 2009 season. Seniors Peter Christman, Regis McDermott, Davey Melera and Scott Rodgers all will be first-time captains for the Fighting Irish.
Christman (Simsbury, Conn./Westminster School), a midfielder, started all 17 games last season and posted career-high numbers in goals (14), assists (20) and points (34). Overall, he has played in 47 career games, including 20 starts, and totaled 52 points on 25 goals and 27 assists. Christman scored two of the team’s biggest goals during the 2008 campaign. He notched the game winner in overtime in an 8-7 triumph of Colgate during the first round of the NCAA Championship. Earlier in the season, he put the Irish on top for good with 23 seconds remaining in a 7-6 win over Albany. Christman is one of the top students on the Fighting Irish squad as he boasts a 3.622 cumulative grade-point average as a political science major. Christman, a three-time monogram recipient, made the Dean’s List in the fall of 2008 with a 3.883 GPA.
McDermott (Amityville, N.Y./Chaminade) will be looked upon to anchor the Fighting Irish defense. Last season, he started all 17 games and picked up 37 ground balls and was a key force behind one of the nation’s top defenses. Notre Dame ranked fifth among all NCAA Division I team’s last season with a 7.04 goals-against average. During his sophomore season, he helped the Irish defense rank fourth nationally by holding opponents to a school-record 6.66 mark. For his career, McDermott has appeared in 47 games and has collected 81 ground balls along with earning three monograms.
Melera (Timonium, Md./Boys’ Latin), a defensive midfielder, has played in 36 career games, totaling 10 points on five goals and five assists along with picking up 38 ground balls. In 2008, he appeared in 16 games and matched a career-best total with five points on two goals and three assists. The assist total was a career-high mark as were the 21 ground balls he collected. Melera, a two-time monogram recipient, made the Dean’s List in the fall of 2008 with a 3.733 grade-point average. He currently carries a 3.317 GPA as a finance major.
Rodgers (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) will be looked upon to fill the shoes of graduated All-American Joey Kemp in goal. Rodgers has played in seven career games and carries a 5.73 goals-against average in 73:20 of play. He has made 23 saves, while allowing seven goals for a .767 save percentage. Rodgers boasts a 3.146 cumulative grade-point average as a sociology major.
Notre Dame is ranked ninth in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll. The Fighting Irish open the 2009 season against Loyola (Md.) in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Feb. 14.
— ND –