Cleveland State at Mercer
Sunday, Feb. 28 | 11 a.m.
Five Star Stadium | Macon, Ga.
Presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine
HAVE MERCY
Cleveland State enters Sunday's contest 1-2 all-time against Mercer. Last season, the Vikes fell 16-13 at Krenzler Field. Cleveland State's lone win came on March 2, 2019 at Mercer, winning 12-8.
HERE COMES THE (A)SUN
Cleveland State announced Feb. 5 that its lacrosse program accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference as an affiliate member, effective for the 2022 season. This will be the first time that the Cleveland State lacrosse program has had a conference affiliation, as the Vikings have competed as an independent since their debut season in 2017.
NOT A RANK AND FILE WIN
Tristan Hanna was the hero as Cleveland State beat a ranked foe for the first time ever as it claimed a 12-11 overtime win over No. 16 Air Force Feb. 22, 2020. The win was no fluke as CSU had advantages in nearly every statistical category, including shots, faceoffs, clear percentage and caused turnovers. The Vikings rallied from four separate fourth-quarter deficits before winning in OT.
SURPASSING TRIPLE DIGITS
Michael Wilson was on fire to end 2019, tallying 45 points in his final 10 games. After posting 15 points in seven games in 2020, he has points in 12 straight games entering 2021, including 10 multi-point efforts in that span. Wilson's first-quarter assist in the final home game last season pushed his career point total to 100, as he became the first-ever Viking to reach the century mark.
OHIO IS OUR HOME
Cleveland State has 17 Ohio natives on its roster. They hail from throughout the state, with two from northeast Ohio, two from northwest Ohio, six from the Columbus area and seven from southwest Ohio. In CSU's incoming recruiting class this fall, the program will add six more players from Ohio.
SUCCESS IN THE SUMMER
While box lacrosse leagues across North America were canceled last summer, more than half of Cleveland State's 2020 roster had competed in sanctioned box lacrosse leagues in the summer of 2019. Twenty active Vikings took part in a summer box competition in 2019, including 13 that were part of the second season of the Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League. Noah Gleeson and Karson Burkey highlighted that summer season for CSU by being members of the Rivermen squad that won the inaugural National Collegiate Box Series championship.
CAPTAINING THIS (VIKING) SHIP
Head coach Andy German announced the fourth set of permanent captains at the beginning of the spring season. Quinn Lemke, Derek Radke and Jason Sullivan will serve as tri-captains in 2021. Lemke is in his second stint as a captain, also serving in the role during the 2019 season.
STUDENT-ATHLETES
Although Cleveland State did not play any official games this past fall, the program still put up some impressive numbers. The Vikings posted a 3.51 team grade point average in the fall semester. Thirty five Vikings qualified for the Dean's List while 17 of the 52 Vikings on the roster compiled at least a 3.75 mark in the fall. Eight Vikings led the way by achieving a perfect 4.0 mark: redshirt seniors Chase Baker, Quinn Lemke and Nick Wendel, senior Tristan Hanna, junior Gabe Reno and freshmen Carson Croy, Gannon Matthews and Alex Van Voorhis.
VIKING VOLUNTEERS
Cleveland State has historically run a learn-to-play lacrosse academy at the Urban Community School during the fall, providing the school that caters to low-income children with a once-a-week 'class' in lacrosse. CSU players and coaches attend the school weekly from early September into November to teach the basics of the game and interact with the kids while serving as role models for the younger generation. CSU's programming supports the mission and objectives of the Lacrosse Communities Project-Cleveland. Cleveland State had run this program in the fall of each of the past three years before the pandemic interrupted that streak this past fall.
SPEAKING ABOUT SCHEDULE
Games against BIG EAST and ACC opponents, four rematches of contests from the 2020 campaign and a first-time opponent highlight Cleveland State's 2021 schedule. CSU had nine regular-season games and one scrimmage on its initial slate. The Vikings will face off against a pair of teams that reached the most recent NCAA Tournament and will meet the same opponent more than once in the same season for the first time. An early April game against VMI will be the first meeting in program history. Two of the Vikings' final three games will see them face off against an opponent that they already faced during the campaign, adding a unique twist to the season. Cleveland State is set to continue its streak of playing at least one team from the ACC and BIG EAST in each year of its existence to date.
