BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 2016 season is right around the corner for the Hoosiers and their future is looking bright. Indiana is celebrating its 41st season with a men’s lacrosse program and it has one of the best schedules to date.

“We wanted to really put our guys to the test this year and make sure we are ready to take the next step in May,” said IU coach Pete Nelson. “We always have the goal of winning the GRLC and winning a national championship. The schedule we put together should put us in a good position to peak at the right time and be battle-tested when the GRLC and national tournaments roll around.”

Last season, IU was 4-0 in the GRLC East, but due to administrative errors with the University, the Hoosiers were not allowed to compete in the postseason.

“It left a bit of a chip on our guy’s shoulders,” Nelson said. “They came in this fall ready to work and I feel for the seniors last year who helped build this program from a five-win team to where we are now. They played their last game without knowing it, and we owe a lot to those guys and the work they put in.”

The Hoosiers return the bulk of their roster, only losing six players to graduation. Offensively, they will rely heavily on the two returning starters at attack: Brent Balek (Carmel, Ind.) and David Sandberg (West Windsor, N.J.). Indiana will look to seniors Jordan Croop (Cincinnati) and Joe Memmolo, Jr. (Clarence, N.Y.) to help quarterback the stout defense the Hoosiers have become known for.

IU added 20 new names to the roster this spring, including freshmen standouts George Paletta III (St. Louis), Adam Grooms (Wayzata, Minn.) and Pat Holmes (Niskayuna, N.Y.).

“We are going to rely heavily on everyone on the roster this spring,” Nelson said. “The pace we want to play at is going to require everyone to be involved and be ready to step on the field and contribute at any moment. It’s nice having a roster this deep where we are able to do that.”

The Hoosiers start the season on Feb. 27 in Atlanta against Virginia Tech -- a team coming off an appearance in national semifinals last spring. The following day, IU will face another top ten program and tournament-qualifier in Georgia Tech. The two games to start the spring mark the highest ranked opponents Indiana has ever faced in the regular season.

“We are excited,” said senior Connor Sullivan, a Naperville, Ill., product. “This gives us the opportunity to gauge where we stand right off the bat.”

The Hoosiers head to Oxford, Ohio, for games against Pittsburgh and in-conference rival Miami (Ohio) the following weekend.

“Miami is always a tough game for us, being a team we face every year in our conference,” said senior middie David Haggerty (Orland Park, Ill.). “We know how important it is to set the tone for the rest of our GRLC schedule.”

Indiana then heads to the Volunteer State for games with Tennessee and Vanderbilt before returning to Bloomington on March 25 to begin a six-game homestand. The Hoosiers will open the home schedule with Davenport and GRLC west foe Missouri. That is followed by a home game against Northeastern – a team that edged Indiana, 7-6, in a snowy game in Boston last spring – and a scrimmage with Ohio University out of the NCLL.

“Northeastern is a game that we let slip away from us last year, so we are looking forward to getting another shot at them at home this spring,” said junior middie Ben Hanson, a Wilmington, Del., native.

The homestand continues on April 8-9 when IU entertains GRLC divisional rivals Illinois State and Illinois.

“We know how important these games are,” said sophomore LSM Matt White (Fairfield, Conn.). “These are must-wins for us to make the GRLC tournament and hopefully get that first round bye.”

The Hoosiers close out the regular season heading to Purdue on April 22.

“This is one game that everyone circles on the schedule,” said junior midfielder Matt Kelley (Rockville, Md.). “It’s no secret that we don’t like each other, and I think it put a chip on everyone’s shoulder when they won the GRLC tournament last year without having to play us for it.”

IU’s final home game will take place on April 23 with a scrimmage against Ohio State from the NCLL.

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