Simon Fraser Introduces 2010 Freshman Class
For Immediate Release—Simon Fraser University Men’s Lacrosse
By William Howard, SFU Lacrosse Media Relations
(Photographer: Scott Weighton)
BURNABY, BC (February 5, 2010) Co-head coaches Jeff Cathrea and Brent Hoskins have announced the addition of eight players to Simon Fraser’s roster for 2010. Entering their sixth season at the helm of the Clan, Cathrea and Hoskins will add eight freshmen to a returning class that features three sophomores, seven juniors and seven seniors.
(Picture: (L-R) SFU Co-Head Coaches Brent Hoskins and Jeff Cathrea, Eric Ransom, Stu Mills, Kyle Middleton, Mitch Frank, Frank Davalos, Eric Dufresne, Colton Dow, Sam Biagioni.)
“As a program, we did not graduate a single player in 2008…after graduating five athletes last season we knew that this would be an important year in terms of our recruiting,” commented Cathrea. “We are really excited about our 2010 freshmen class and will be challenging our younger players to step in and contribute as quickly as possible.”
“This is a very talented group of athletes” added Hoskins. “Equally as important, we believe that each of these young men possess the strong character and work ethic that has become a trademark of Clan lacrosse.”
Information on each of Simon Fraser’s freshmen appears below:
#48 Sam Biagioni (D, 5’11″, 200 lbs., Surrey, BC / Fraser Heights Secondary)
Biagioni arrives at SFU after playing for three seasons under Cathrea and Hoskins as a member of the Burnaby Mountain Selects Elite Touring program. The Surrey, BC native most recently helped guide the Selects U18 Elite team to a second place finish at the Atlantic Cup in Baltimore, Maryland (July 2009) where he was a defensive starter.
#2 Frank Davalos (M, 5’6″, 160 lbs., Moose Jaw, SK / Albert E. Peacock Collegiate)
Davalos has twice represented his home province of Saskatchewan as a member of the Saskatchewan provincial team, where he competed for the 2007 Canadian Field Lacrosse U16 National Championships and for the 2009 Canadian Field Lacrosse U19 National Championships.
#22 Colton Dow (M/A, 6″0″, 185 lbs., Coquitlam, BC / Heritage Woods Secondary)
Another Burnaby Mountain Selects product, Dow started at attack for the Selects U18 Elite team that won gold at the World Youth Lacrosse Invitational, held as part of the youth festival for the 2008 ILF U19 Men’s Field Lacrosse World Championships. Dow also started on attack for the BC provincial team that won gold at the 2008 Canadian Field Lacrosse U19 National Championships. In box lacrosse, Dow finished the 2009 season in the Top 10 for BC Intermediate ‘A’ scoring with 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 20 games with the Coquitlam Adanacs.
#16 Eric Dufresne (M, 5’10″, 160 lbs., Surrey, BC / Ecole Gabrielle-Roy)
Dufresne will attend Simon Fraser after playing box lacrosse for North Delta, where he lead the Hawks with 35 goals and finished in the Top 20 of BC Intermediate ‘B’ scoring with 43 points in 15 games. Dufresne was also named the league’s Most Sportsmanlike player in both 2008 and 2009.
#14 Mitch Frank (D, 6’4″, 200 lbs., Burnaby, BC / St. Thomas More Collegiate)
Frank, a highly touted recruit for SFU men’s ice hockey team in 2009, will suit up for the Clan’s lacrosse team in 2010 after playing both box and field lacrosse in Burnaby, receiving a Defensive MVP award in 2007.
#37 Kyle Middleton (G, 5’6″, 160 lbs., Nanaimo, BC / Woodlands Secondary)
Middleton played two seasons for the Burnaby Mountain Selects Elite Touring program where he backstopped the Selects to a second place finish at the 2008 Hobart College Team Camp and was selected to play in the tournament’s All-Star game. Most recently, Middleton won silver with the BC provincial team at the 2009 Canadian Field Lacrosse U19 National Championships where he was also named an All-Star as the tournament’s top goaltender. Middleton, who plays out in box lacrosse, was a member of the Nanaimo Timbermen Intermediate ‘A’ team in 2009.
#44 Stuart Mills (M/A, 6’0″, 185 lbs., Campbell River, BC / Timberline Secondary)
A product of Campbell River, BC, Mills also played Intermediate ‘A’ box lacrosse for the Nanaimo Timbermen in 2009 where he finished the season in the Top 20 for league scoring with 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 17 games.
#23 Eric Ransom (M/A, 6’0″, 190 lbs., Sherwood Park, AB / Bev Facey High School)
Ransom, a native of Sherwood Park, Alberta played Jr. ‘A’ box lacrosse for the Edmonton Eclipse, guiding the Eclipse to the 2009 Alberta Jr. ‘A’ Provincial Championship and qualifying for the 2009 Minto Cup (Canadian Box Lacrosse Jr. ‘A’ National Championships). Ransom finished in the league’s Top 10 for both regular season and playoff scoring with 49 points (36 goals, 13 assists) in 19 regular season games and 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 10 playoff games. His totals of 36 regular season goals and 15 playoff goals placed him second in the league in both categories.
Simon Fraser opens its 2010 season at home Feb. 6 versus regional PNCLL Division II opponent Western Washington. Face-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PST at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West in Burnaby, BC.
For further information on Simon Fraser men’s lacrosse please visit www.sfulacrosse.com or follow the Clan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fraserlacrosse.
