BOULDER (2/28/11) - With the season rapidly approaching, teams around the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association are preparing for their 2011 campaigns.
The University of Colorado men's lacrosse team is no exception; the team has been hard at work during the off-season, including bolstering a roster that took the team on an unexpected run deep into the MCLA National Tournament last year. The Buff’s 2011 team was finalized last month, and among the players that made the final roster, four new transfer that each bring a new unique asset to the black and gold.
Jack Cranston is a sophomore from Coto de Caza, Calif. The attackman was among the 2009 class at Margarita Catholic High School, where he earned 2009 US Lacrosse All American honors. His greatest memory of those days was scoring the overtime winner for his team against Margarita’s rival school in the playoffs of his senior year. Now at Colorado, Jack will pursue an economic major on top of adjusting to the lifestyles of Colorado.
“I have relatives and lots of friends at CU, and it’s a lot closer to home," Cranston said. "When I visited CU I really liked the school and the environment.”
Fellow incoming sophomore, Michael Beimford, also plays attack and is a native of Colorado, where he earned All American status in 2008 and 2009 at Cherry Creek High School.
Coming from a background which consisted of varsity level play since freshman year at Cherry Creek, Beimford hopes to put his talents to good use. While juggling majors in communications and economics, he hopes to find time for skiing amidst lacrosse season.
Dane Mueller and Tyler O’Crowley are also Cherry Creek graduates. The two seniors played a role in winning back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006, O’Crowley on defense and Mueller in the midfield. Both players have come over from the University of Denver and are looking to help bring Colorado to greater heights.
“CU is a great school.” O’Crowley said. “I wanted to be in a place with great academics and a great campus. CU seemed to be the perfect fit after leaving the University of Denver.”
While watching the Kansas Jayhawks’ play basketball in his downtime, Tyler is working towards a political science degree in the classroom.
In high school, Tyler earned All American honors on top of two All-Colorado and three All-Conference honors.
Mueller meanwhile was a first team All American and is perusing an education in both economics and communications. Off the field and out of the classroom, Dane loves to ski, golf and lift. His favorite memory of playing lacrosse, like O’Crowley's, was winning those two championships during their junior and senior years.
The Buffaloes will open their regular season on Sunday Mar. 6 at 1 p.m. against the Kansas Jayhawks at Kittredge Field. They'll play their final preseason game the day before versus Adams State also at 1 p.m. on Kittredge Field.
Colorado will play Colorado State on Apr. 16 at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver.
