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Sam Herr

Men's Lacrosse Preview: Rautenstrauch's Squad Hungry for Success in the NCAC

| By: Anthony Markello, Senior Staff Writer

Coming off a down year, the Blue Streaks are fired up for the first year in the new conference

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Entering their first season of North Coast Athletic Conference play in 2026, John Carroll Men's Lacrosse enters the new league with something to prove. 

Coming off Head Coach Joe Rautenstrauch's first season as JCU Head Coach in which he did not win an OAC tournament championship, the squad enters this spring looking to rid the bad taste in their mouths.

"We were not satisfied with how last year went, so we entered the offseason pissed off," said Rautenstrauch.

"The NCAC is a higher level of competition, but we've spent lots of time preparing for this challenge."

Coach Rautenstrauch wasn't kidding. After dominating the OAC for nearly a decade, the Blue Streaks check in at a mere sixth place in the NCAC preseason poll, a testament to the level of competition in JCU's new conference. 

Luckily for the Blue Streaks, they return an array of playmaking talent ready to prove what they've got. 

Headlining the returning attackers statistically speaking is senior Sean Keane. The Buffalo, NY native recorded a blistering 51 goals in his junior campaign, which led all Blue Streaks. Junior Braden Zarek is the top dog of the JCU offense, back after scoring 63 points last season despite only playing in 13 games. 

Another surefire contributor on the offensive end in 2026 is junior Casey LaForce. Keane's high school teammate at Canisius, LaForce finished 2025 third in points among Blue Streaks with 42.

The midfield bunch also comprises an impressive group of skill players, returning multiple big time contributors. Star midfielder Josh Lombardo is back in action for the Blue Streaks in 2026. A season ago, the 2025 First Team All-OAC selection topped all midfielders in goals with 28, and led all Blue Streaks in shots on goal with 79. Also expected to continue his large impact at midfielder is senior Nicholas Yemma. The team leader tallied a whopping 108 ground balls in his junior season, leading all Blue Streaks by a country mile. A third midfielder to keep an eye on is junior Larry Voss. The Hamburg, New York native made waves in his sophomore season, where he started 10 games and recorded 22 points. 

The defensive end will be in the safe hands of returning senior Camden Uchic. The Pittsburgh native is a 2024 and 2025 First Team All-OAC selection, recording a team-high 26 caused turnovers in 2025. His leadership presence on the backend is key. Sophomore defender Ivan Roeder will also be expected to pick up where he left off last season. The Le Moyne transfer started 13 games a season ago and logged the second most caused turnovers on the team with 23, trailing only Uchic. 

In net, Devin Holder got the majority of the starts last season. Josh Wade and Michael Barton also return at goalie this year.  

All over the field, plenty of first years and incomers should contribute for the Blue Streaks. Which newcomer makes the largest impact will become apparent as the year goes on, as playing time will be earned on a veteran-laden team. 

Speaking of veterans, the aforementioned Uchic and Nick Yemma will serve as team captains in 2026.

"Nick and Cam lead the charge. If you look up John Carroll Men's Lacrosse player in the dictionary, it's those two guys," said Rautenstrauch.

"We have a strong group of leaders on this team," Rautenstrauch added. "We return a lot of talent from last season, but everything has to be earned on the field. We have a standard and this group of guys knows what they need to do to meet our goals."

The Blue Streaks will open up their season in Berea, Ohio where they'll take on the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets on Saturday, February 21 at 3 pm. 

Following the rivalry matchup to open the season, JCU will head to Colorado for spring break. The home opener and first NCAC match will be on Saturday, March 21 as JCU will welcome Wabash College to Don Shula Stadium. The Blue Streaks are also at home vs. Oberlin on April 4, Ohio Wesleyan on April 18 for Senior Day, and Wooster on April 22 for the Morgan's Message Game.  
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