Culver Academy Lacrosse (Indiana): D1 College Pipeline Profile

It’s not too difficult to pick up on the impact of Culver Academy grads on Division 1 college lacrosse.

Last weekend was just one example.

In the course of a single day, Mike Robinson, a junior attackman from Ontario, had 7 goals and two assists for Delaware against Monmouth; another former Eagle, Princeton’s Sam English, had 4 goals against top-ranked Maryland—and that was in the first half.

That same afternoon as well, in a game played in Naples, Florida, Austin Madronic had 3 goals and 2 assists for Harvard against Ohio State; that same game also saw his former Culver teammate Jackson Reid score 4 goals for the Buckeyes—and that was just in the third quarter.

And all this happened with Syracuse’s Owen Hiltz, yet another former Eagle, and the crown jewel of his recruiting class, sidelined with a season-ending injury.

And that’s just a sampling of what was achieved on a single day of the season by the some of the 36 Culver Academy graduates on Division 1 lacrosse rosters in 2022.

The Culver Academy Lacrosse Program

It would be tempting to pigeonhole Culver as just another military academy claiming a long and distinguished history and tradition—though it is just that.

But CMA clearly is not just another springboard for the service academies.

Since its founding in northern Indiana in 1894, the school has in fact produced a disparate though accomplished group of graduates that might make for some parallel-universe season of Survivor.

They include theatrical impresario Josh Logan, author and screenwriter Ernest K. Gann, former race car driver and billionaire entrepreneur Roger Penske, actor Hal Holbrook, writer and producer Kath Lingenfelter (“Westworld”, “House”, “The Leftovers”), Weather Channel founder Frank Batten, jazz singer Kurt Elling, New York Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner, and his father and predecessor in that role, George Steinbrenner.

(One measure of the school’s alumni/ae success and loyalty is Culver’s financial solidity; its $540,000,000 endowment puts it roughly on par with institutions like Creighton University and Haverford College).

 

And yes, Culver does send graduates to the service academies, including lacrosse players. There are two former Eagles currently playing for West Point: Ethan Barangan and Alec Vaccaro.

But there are also 5 currently on the Princeton’s roster, and at other programs offering elite academic and lacrosse programs such as Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Duke, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.

The school’s lacrosse program began in the 1980’s and really began to flourish under longtime coach Jon Posner. Now coaching at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, Posner compiled a record at Culver of 280-55. At the time of his Posner’s departure in May of 2020, Culver had finished inside the Top 10 in the Under Armour/Inside Lacrosse National High School Power Rankings six of the previous seven years.

 

 

The Eagles are now coached by Jon Birsner. An Honorable-Mention All-American at Navy in 2005, Birsner was also the recipient of the Lt. Robert T. Bianchi Award as Navy’s most valuable player (an honor he shared with Matt Russell). Beyond his playing experience in Annapolis, Birsner also has coaching experience at two other military institutions, as an assistant, and later head coach at Naval Prep, and as a Division 1 head coach at VMI. He also served as an assistant at the now defunct Furman program under former Navy coach Richie Meade.

Culver and The Division 1 Lacrosse Pipeline

 

Among the many Culver graduates who’ve gone on to excel at the D1 level are Zach Currier (Princeton), Joel Tinney (Johns Hopkins), and Ethan Walker (Denver).

All three also went on to play professionally with the Premier Lacrosse League.

Significantly, all three are from Ontario.

Culver has had a reputation for attracting and further developing Canadian talent. That still holds true, as evidenced by not only Ohio State’s Jackson Reid, but also players like Mike Robinson of Delaware, Syracuse’s Owen Hiltz, Austin Madronic of Harvard, and Sam English of Princeton.

As with another school we recently profiled, Ontario’s Hill Academy, Culver has also has played an important role in nurturing U.S. based talent from areas outside lacrosse’s traditional hotbeds.

Those players, as shown in the list below, include Alec Stathakis of Denver (Northville, Michigan), and Wheaton Jackoboice (Kansas City, Missouri), Ryan Hallenbeck (Indianapolis), both of Notre Dame.

Revealingly, the list includes players from both Huntsville, Ontario and Huntsville, Alabama.

 

Culver Academy Graduates on 2022 D1 Lacrosse Rosters

ACC

Jack Gray, Duke, FR, M, San Rafael, California

Ty English, North Carolina, FR, M, Burlington, Ontario

Wheaton Jackoboice, GR, M, Kansas City, Missouri

Ryan Hallenbeck, GR, M, Indianapolis, Indiana

Owen Hiltz, Syracuse, SO, A, Peterborough, Ontario

John Cohen, Syracuse, RS-FR, Carmel, Indiana

ASUN

Jayden Smith, Bellarmine, FR, D/LSM, Brantford, Ontario

BIG EAST

Alex Simmons, Denver, SR, M, Smithville, Ontario

Alec Stathakis, Denver, JR, FO, Northville, Michigan

Gabe Bowen-Slott, FR, D, Portland, Oregon

BIG TEN

Cameron Chauvette, Johns Hopkins, SO, A, Shaker Heights, Ohio

Brett Handsor, Johns Hopkins, JR, SSM, Huntsville, Ontario

Jackson Reid, Ohio State, SR, A, Guelph, Ontario

CAA

Mike Robinson, Delaware, JR, A, Peterborough, Ontario

Jake DeMare, Delaware, JR, M, Naperville, Illinois

Grayson Feick, Hofstra, SO, D/LSM, Dallas, Texas

Cam Roth, UMass, JR, D, Naperville, Illinois

IVY

Jack Kelly, Brown, SO, M, Zionsville, Indiana

Jack Parker, Cornell, JR, D, Ada, Michigan

Cam Hitchcock, Dartmouth, FR, D, Carmel, Indiana

Austin Madronic, Harvard, SR, A, Victoria, British Columbia

Batts Parker, Penn, SO, D, Huntsville, Alabama

Jake Stevens, Princeton, JR, M, Puslinch, Ontario

Sam English, Princeton, JR, M, Burlington, Ontario

Luc Anderson, Princeton, JR, M, Littleton, Colorado

Michael Gianforcaro, Princeton, SO, G, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

Braedon Saris, Princeton, FR, A, Burlington, Ontario

MAAC

Matt Edell, Siena, SO, M, West Chicago, Illinois

NEC

Kyle Driscoll, Hobart, SR, M, Guelph, Ontario

Joel Stevens, Hobart, SO, M, Puslinch, Ontario

Skyler Wilde, Sacred Heart, JR, A, Bayport, New York

PATRIOT

Ethan Barangan, Army, SR, FO, Plainfield, Illinois

Alec Vaccaro, Army, FR, FO, Wheaton, Illinois

Ryan Essensa, Colgate, SO, M, Etobicoke, Ontario

Ben Trumble, Colgate, FR, M, Orillia, Ontario

Gavin Bailey, G, Holy Cross, FR, D, Hinsdale, Illinois

 

David Parry is the founder and editor of LaxAcrossAmerica. A New York-based digital marketer and copywriter, he played Division 1 lacrosse as a walk-on at Brown.