Seven student-athletes added to men's lax roster
9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Smith Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kevin Cassese announced the addition of seven new players to the team for the 2009-10 season. Included amongst the group are junior transfer Chris Ryan along with freshmen Devin Pullara, Chris Rinaldi, Griffin Farha, Baxter Lanius, Nathan Hunt and Kyle Stiefel. Name Pos. Ht./Wt. Hometown/Previous School College Chris Ryan M 6-1/170 Devon, Pa,/U. of Pittsburgh Arts and Sciences Devin Pullara M 5-10/185 Castle Rock, Colo./Arapahoe Engineering Chris Rinaldi M 6-0/190 Greenwich, Conn./Berkshire School Arts and Sciences Griffin Farha G 6-0/170 Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill Arts and Sciences Baxter Lanius D 6-0/185 Lawrenceville, N.Y./Hotchkiss Business Nathan Hunt D 6-1/210 Plymouth, Minn./Breck School Engineering Kyle Stiefel A 6-1/210 Princeton Junction, N.J./Peddie School Business
Chris Ryan transferred to Lehigh from the University of Pittsburgh this year. The midfielder was a three sport varsity athlete in high school, where he was also an Iron Man award winner. During the 2005 season, Ryan was a member of the Pennsylvania State Championship lacrosse team. During his senior year, he was named to the All-Main Line Indoor track team and received the indoor track coach’s award.
Midfielder Devin Pullara of Castle Rock, Colo. is a former high school captain in both lacrosse and football. He earned First-Team All-State distinction as a face-off specialist and was his team’s MVP. Pullara was also a member of the 2009 Colorado state championship team. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Pullara was named an Academic All American, was a member of the National Honor Society, graduated sixth out of 525 students and was an AP scholar with distinction. Pullara has received numerous other academic awards including the Rutgers Book Award, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award of Mathematics and Science, the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Award and the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship.
Chris Rinaldi, a midfielder out of Greenwich, Conn. is a four-year letter winner in both lacrosse and football. He participated in three consecutive Division 2 Western New England League Titles and rounded out his senior season with a total of 31 goals and six assists. Rinaldi also participated for the New York City Empire Team in 2008.
Goalkeeper Griffin Farha was a three year starter and letter winner at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md. Farha was named defensive MVP his junior year and team MVP his senior year while also being named Second-Team All-County and All-Division. His senior year, he was selected to the County Senior All-Star game and was a Second-Team All-Gazette selection. Farha was also a star in ice hockey earning two MVP awards and he was selected to the DC All-Area All-Star game. Academically, Farha is an AP Scholar and member of the Music Honors Society.
Also joining the Mountain Hawks is Baxter Lanius, a defender from Lawrenceville, N.Y. who attended the Hotchkiss School. Lanius led his team to a 34-3 record during his tenure at Hotchkiss and was an All-New England Selection. He was also a member of the Founder’s League Championship Team. Lanius received recognition for his leadership when he won the Christian Haley Prince Award for making significant contributions to the team without asking for major recognition. He was also named to the Dean’s List eight out of nine terms.
From Plymouth, Minn. is 2009 All-American Nathan Hunt. A four year starter and two year captain, Hunt was an All-Conference selection four times and First-Team All-State and All-Section as a senior. Also as a senior, Hunt won the team’s spirit award. On the football field, Hunt was a three-year two-way starter, earning All-Conference honorable mention distinction as a junior and All-Conference and All-Section honors as a senior. During his senior year, he served as the team captain and won both the MVP and team spirit award. Academically, Hunt is an AP Scholar with distinction and a National Merit Scholar in addition to serving as the head of the Athletic Council for the student government at the Breck School.
Rounding out the group of newcomers is attacker Kyle Stiefel of Princeton Junction, N.J. where he attended the Peddie School and lettered in lacrosse all four years. Stiefel received First-Team All Mid-Atlantic Prep honors as a senior captain and was a First-Team All-Prep A (N.J.) selection coming off a season in which he scored 45 goals and added nine assists. As a junior, Stiefel scored 57 goals and totaled 19 assists which earned him First-Team All Mid-Atlantic Prep League honors, a First-Team All-Prep A (N.J.) selection and Second-Team All-Pitt Conference honors. Stiefel was also the recipient of the Outstanding Player Award.
The newest Mountain Hawks join a group of 14 freshmen on the talented Lehigh roster for this season.
