DURHAM, N.C. – The 2023 campaign was easily the most successful in program history for Bellarmine men's lacrosse since the team began playing a full Division I schedule in 2006.

Five conference wins—the most ever. Eleven wins overall—two more than ever before. And a victory over four-seed Mercer in the ASUN Tournament—the team's first postseason win.

Unprecedented heights mean lofty goals, and expectations, for the encore season. Especially for a program that returns reigning ASUN co-Player of the Year and 2024 ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Kyle Playsted, preseason all-conference attackman Benny O'Rourk, preseason all-conference goalie JC Higginbotham, and the nation's 11^th-leading goal scorer in Christian Della Rocco.

On paper, it seems like the beginning of a big season.

Then you look at the schedule.

Game 1: at Duke.

The Blue Devils enter the season as the defending national runner-up and sit at No. 2 in Inside Lacrosse's preseason poll. The programs have met three times before, including last year's season opener in Durham, suffering a 19-7 defeat in Koskinen Stadium. But the challenge of starting the campaign in such a difficult manner is one that Bellarmine head coach Andy Whitley thinks will serve as a solid measuring stick for where his club is and where it can be.

"Opening with a national championship-contending program like Duke gives us a real opportunity to gauge where we are in our development process," said Whitley. "We are going to need to play very well to win, but we have the ability, when we are at our best, to compete at an extremely high level."

Duke features two of the most-heralded players in the nation in senior attackman Brennan O'Neill and fifth-year defenseman Kenny Brower. O'Neill was tabbed by USA Lacrosse Magazine as their Preseason Player (and Attackman) of the Year while Brower has named Preseason Defenseman of the Year. O'Neill was seventh in the nation with 55 goals and sixth with 42 assists as a junior. Brower scooped up 39 groundballs and caused 22 turnovers last season. Senior faceoff Jake Naso also earned All-America First Team honors from the publication along with O'Neill and Brower. He won a whopping 62 percent of his faceoffs in 2023, eighth-best in the country.

Despite Duke's extensive list of accolades, Whitley is confident in what his players, including what those who do not accumulate the shiny points totals, bring to the mix.

"Midfielders Tayo Oladunmoye, John Alie and Pat Anderson are going to be a critical part of our offense this year," Whitley said. "The attack certainly garners a lot of worthy attention, but those three keep the offense flowing and are extremely dangerous scoring threats themselves. Our midfield is the linchpin to our offense and Tayo, John and Pat all have the ability to put the ball in the net and open up scoring opportunities for their teammates."

A senior, Oladunmoye has been a consistent starter for the Knights since his freshman year and has increased his production on both ends of the field each season. Anderson, a Louisville native, transferred in after three seasons at Towson and saw his usage and production skyrocket as a regular starter in 2023. Alie was among Bellarmine's most-used freshmen last year and led the incoming class in every offensive category.

It is another midfielder, however, who Whitley will count on to bring it all together for the Knights against the tall opening weekend task.

"Denton Macdonald is the most complete all-around lacrosse player on our team and the heartbeat of our program," Whitley said. "A true two-way midfielder, he will make an impact in nearly every facet of the game. When he is at his best, we are a very difficult team to stop."
The senior last year ranked second on the Knights in caused turnovers (15) and third in ground balls (42) while tying for fifth in goals (12).

While Bellarmine has a bevy of stars capable of putting the ball in the net, the basis of their accumulation of success over the years has been disrupting their opponents' offense. The Knights return a key cog on the defensive end who will be a crucial asset if they are to spring an upset over Duke in the season's opening weekend.

"We have always been a defense-driven program led by a dynamic, athletic, playmaking defenseman. Eric Rubak, Jon Robbins and Jake Berggren have set a very high standard for Bellarmine defensemen and Brady Long is poised to take the mantle moving forward," Whitley said. "He is a leader on defense, a critical component of our clearing game and excellent 1-on-1 defender. He has the potential to follow Robbins into the PLL and is poised for a breakout season in 2024."

Long has started all 34 games during his career at Bellarmine. He is one of seven Knights captains along with Playsted, O'Rourk, Higginbotham, Macdonald, junior midfielder Brennan McDermott and fifth-year midfielder Harrison Pate.

Faceoff at Koskinen Stadium is scheduled for noon ET Saturday. Live coverage is available on ACCNX/ESPN+.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).