Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh kicks off game week by announcing four captains for 2019 season
8/24/2019 5:23:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – As preseason camp winds down and the Lehigh football team shifts focus to its week one opponent, Saint Francis, first-year Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore has announced the Mountain Hawks' team captains for the 2019 season.
Senior offensive lineman Nick Rosen, senior defensive back Riley O'Neil, fifth-year defensive back Sam McCloskey and fifth-year defensive lineman Juwan Morrow were selected by players and coaches to lead this year's squad and were then confirmed by Gilmore.
"When you see the team and coaching staff votes all come out for the same guys – guys that the team looks up to and respects and guys that are out here working their tails off day in and day out, setting a great example for the rest of the team – it's hard to argue with that," Gilmore said. "I'm happy for those guys. It's a prestigious honor, but at the same time, those guys are really up to the task and they're willing to take on the responsibilities of being a good captain."
McCloskey will be serving as a captain for the third consecutive season. He earned second team All-Patriot League honors last season after ranking second on the Mountain Hawks with 77 tackles and adding four tackles for loss.
O'Neil has started every game for the Mountain Hawks since stepping on campus in the fall of 2016, spending most of his time playing alongside McCloskey at safety. Last year, O'Neil ranked third on the Mountain Hawks with 62 tackles. He added four tackles for loss, picked off a pass at Navy and blocked two field goals.
Morrow emerged as a leader on the defensive line last season, leading Lehigh with 2.5 sacks, while ranking second with 5.5 tackles for loss. He finished with 30 tackles and also had a forced fumble to his credit.
Rosen is the lone offensive representative among the captains. He is the most experienced member of Lehigh's projected starting offensive line, having started all 11 games at left guard last season, and making 16 consecutive starts overall.
With camp winding down, Lehigh has gradually worked in preparation for its opener into its recent camp practices. The Mountain Hawks practiced Thursday morning before sending off their 34 first-year players for orientation activities. Lehigh also practiced Friday afternoon and Saturday morning around orientation activities.
The Mountain Hawks will begin their normal game-week routine with a walk-through Sunday, followed by the annual alumni Steak Fry. Lehigh will be off from practice on Monday for the opening day of classes for the fall semester, then will resume their normal game-week schedule with practice on Tuesday.
"It's game week preparation, so now everything's about tweaking the game plan and getting that in place, and rep out the things we have to do in all three phases, specifically for Saint Francis," Gilmore said. "Up until this point, we were primarily working on getting our season installation – seeing some things that we liked and throwing out some things we disliked. Now we have to focus on what we need to do from a game plan standpoint. I'm really looking forward to switching the gears 100 percent in that direction."
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2019 season against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. on Dog Day at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to that game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Senior offensive lineman Nick Rosen, senior defensive back Riley O'Neil, fifth-year defensive back Sam McCloskey and fifth-year defensive lineman Juwan Morrow were selected by players and coaches to lead this year's squad and were then confirmed by Gilmore.
"When you see the team and coaching staff votes all come out for the same guys – guys that the team looks up to and respects and guys that are out here working their tails off day in and day out, setting a great example for the rest of the team – it's hard to argue with that," Gilmore said. "I'm happy for those guys. It's a prestigious honor, but at the same time, those guys are really up to the task and they're willing to take on the responsibilities of being a good captain."
McCloskey will be serving as a captain for the third consecutive season. He earned second team All-Patriot League honors last season after ranking second on the Mountain Hawks with 77 tackles and adding four tackles for loss.
O'Neil has started every game for the Mountain Hawks since stepping on campus in the fall of 2016, spending most of his time playing alongside McCloskey at safety. Last year, O'Neil ranked third on the Mountain Hawks with 62 tackles. He added four tackles for loss, picked off a pass at Navy and blocked two field goals.
Morrow emerged as a leader on the defensive line last season, leading Lehigh with 2.5 sacks, while ranking second with 5.5 tackles for loss. He finished with 30 tackles and also had a forced fumble to his credit.
Rosen is the lone offensive representative among the captains. He is the most experienced member of Lehigh's projected starting offensive line, having started all 11 games at left guard last season, and making 16 consecutive starts overall.
With camp winding down, Lehigh has gradually worked in preparation for its opener into its recent camp practices. The Mountain Hawks practiced Thursday morning before sending off their 34 first-year players for orientation activities. Lehigh also practiced Friday afternoon and Saturday morning around orientation activities.
The Mountain Hawks will begin their normal game-week routine with a walk-through Sunday, followed by the annual alumni Steak Fry. Lehigh will be off from practice on Monday for the opening day of classes for the fall semester, then will resume their normal game-week schedule with practice on Tuesday.
"It's game week preparation, so now everything's about tweaking the game plan and getting that in place, and rep out the things we have to do in all three phases, specifically for Saint Francis," Gilmore said. "Up until this point, we were primarily working on getting our season installation – seeing some things that we liked and throwing out some things we disliked. Now we have to focus on what we need to do from a game plan standpoint. I'm really looking forward to switching the gears 100 percent in that direction."
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2019 season against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. on Dog Day at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to that game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
Lehigh Sports Central: Football
Tuesday, December 02
MHT EP6 - Football
Thursday, November 20
Brown & Flight - Episode 4
Friday, November 14
Football Blitz
Friday, October 31
