HARROGATE, Tenn. – The 2016 Lincoln Memorial University men's lacrosse season was marked by the growth the fledgling program made from year one to year two. Heading into the 2017 campaign with a plethora of experienced returners and a pack of talented newcomers, the Railsplitters are focused on continuing that evolution and venturing to new heights in their third season of existence.  

*Season preview podcast with head coach Ryan Kuhn*
 
The Railsplitters went 6-6 overall and 2-6 in South Atlantic Conference play last season, making a two-win improvement from the inaugural 2015 season. Lincoln Memorial checked off two milestones early in the season by winning the first road match (at North Greenville) and first SAC match (at Tusculum) in program history.
 
After beating Brevard 12-6 on April 3, the Railsplitters were right in the thick of things and had a chance to qualify for postseason play and even potentially host their quarterfinal-round match in the SAC Championship. However, LMU lost the last three matches of the season to miss out on the league tournament.  
 
"Last year I think we learned as a staff and as a program what we need to put in place to make that final push and really get over the hump," said head coach Ryan Kuhn, who is gearing up for his third season at the helm of the LMU men's lacrosse program. "That's what our focus is on; making sure the guys are mentally and physically fresh. We're challenging ourselves every day to be the best version of ourselves."
 
The Railsplitters entered the final match of the regular season needing a win over Coker to qualify for the SAC Tournament for the first time in program history. Unfortunately, the Cobras outscored Lincoln Memorial 4-1 in the third quarter en route to a 12-9 win in Harrogate, which brought the 2016 season to a close. It was a bittersweet end, as the Railsplitters accomplished a lot for a second-year program, but were left with a feeling of unfinished business.
 
"We got a chance to see within our program just how much it meant to the guys to win, to lose and go through all that stuff," Kuhn said. "Losing is a part of life, but when it comes to sports you don't have to like it. Yeah, you have to accept it sometimes, but you don't have to like it. I think I was more proud of the reaction after the Coker game. There was just a bad taste in their mouths. It was an 'ah-ha moment' where they kind of realized they needed to do a little more to make it a special season and turn this into a special program."
 
Aside from midfielder Justin Stewart, who accounted for 25 goals and 20 assists in his two-year tenure in the Blue and Gray, the Railsplitters return nearly every player of significance from last season's squad for the 2017 season.
 
On offense, Lincoln Memorial brings back eight of the nine players that tallied at least seven points last season. That includes juniors Adam Golia (Victoria, British Columbia) (33 goals, 8 assists last season), Billy Kopsky (Smithtown, N.Y.) (17 goals, 12 assists), Dylan Neisler (Detroit, Mich.) (21 goals, 5 assists), Tylor Justin (Buffalo, N.Y.) (6 goals, 1 assist) and Jared Courchene (Sagkeeng, Manitoba) (5 goals, 2 assists), who all have been with the program since day one.
 
The Railsplitters' offense will also benefit from the return of sophomores Kyle Arcuri (Patchogue, N.Y.) (18 goals, 16 assists) and Nick Borriello (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) (9 goals).
 
"It's really nice to have those guys back because they give off an elder statesman approach to things," Kuhn said of his group of juniors in the attack. "But in reality, we're still really young on that side of the ball. We're still really young all over the field."
 
In the midfield, Lincoln Memorial welcomes back juniors Josh Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.), Kyle Fleck (Toldeo, Ohio) and Kairos Bodley (Orlando, Fla.), all three of which played in all 12 matches last season. Hernandez took nearly every faceoff and went 148-for-281 last season, while Fleck led the Railsplitters in caused turnovers with 12 and scooped up 47 groundballs. Bodley had two goals and an assist during his sophomore campaign.
 
"I can't say enough about Kyle, Josh and Kairos," Kuhn said. "Those guys are as tough as they come. They're three guys that just show up to work and want to get after it whether they are on the practice or game field. I think they have a chance to be a special group."
 
The Railsplitters are also loaded with returners from a defense that ranked first in the SAC in goals against last season. That includes two-time All-SAC defender Ryan Benck (Hauppague, N.Y.) and stalwart goalkeeper Joe Medel (Virginia Beach, Va.) as well as three guys that appeared in at least 10 matches last season: Colin Jackson (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Pat Cleary (Patchogue, N.Y.) and Ryan Ferguson (Memphis, Tenn.).
 
Despite that, Kuhn recognizes that the defense will take time to develop the chemistry and cohesion needed on that side of the field.
 
"Defensively we return a lot, but it's about coming together as a unit."
 
Lincoln Memorial added 14 new players for the 2017 campaign and each have already made an impact on the program's on-going progression.
 
"There's a lot of guys within that group that are going to contribute now and for the next few years," Kuhn said of the team's newcomers. "Those guys have come a long way and seamlessly transitioned into what we're trying to do here. They've really raised the level of everybody in our program."
 
Kuhn expects several newcomers to make more immediate contributions, indicating that freshman midfielder Hunter Clark (Marietta, Ga.) could help ease the burden on Hernandez at the face-off x. Freshman defender Will Britt (Memphis, Tenn.) will add some versatility in the back half of the field for the Railsplitters, while midfielders Robert Tucker (Wantagh, N.Y.), Richie Russo (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Khanan Bodley (Orlando, Fla.) should also factor into the rotation immediately.
 
With a massive core of returners, Kuhn hopes that the memory of last season's disappointing end serves as motivation on a day-to-day basis as the Railsplitters continue the process of establishing themselves as a program to be reckoned with.
 
"It all comes down to work ethic and playing with a chip on our shoulder. That's something that we've kind of lacked in the preseason. And it's something that we have to find over the next couple weeks before we get into the meat of our schedule. We have to take into play that nobody is scared of us, nobody is worried about that team up in the mountains in Tennessee. It motivates the coaching staff every day and frankly it gets us angry. But it's got to make those guys angry and make those guys want to play with a chip on our shoulder."
 
The 2017 campaign commences on Saturday, February 11, as the Railsplitters open with an 11 a.m. match against Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla.
 
"I think we have a great group of guys that really cares a lot about each other," Kuhn said. "We have to see that every day at practice. We have to see that those guys care enough about each other that they're going to come out to practice every day and play with a chip on their shoulder to make the guys around them that much better.
 
"Our main goal every single day is to play to our individual ceiling. If we play to our team ceiling, who knows what can happen? Our goal is to get there, shake some things up and maybe come back with some hardware. But you have to go through A and B before you can get to C."