Jan. 8, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Chris Burdick announced that eleven prospects have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Providence College in the fall of 2008.

Attackmen Matt DiFrancesco, Matt Weigand and Peter Wujciak, defender Mike Noyes, midfielders Matt Johnson, Connor Keefe, Ryan Korn, Chris Mahoney and Jake Nolan, and goaltenders Christian Dzwilewski and Tim Finnegan have all returned their commitments to attend Providence College.

"We are excited to welcome this group of fine young men to be a part of the growing commitment of excellence in academics and lacrosse at Providence College," Coach Burdick said.

The class was put together by Friar Assistant Coach Keith Loftis, who is also the Recruiting Coordinator at Providence College. "Coach Loftis does a fantastic job of evaluating and screening prospects against the highly selective admissions standards of the College," Burdick said. "He is the primary contact with admissions and financial aid and handles all the visits in our recruiting efforts. I can't say enough about the level of commitment that Keith brings to this institution."

Matt DiFrancesco - Attack - Bethlehem Central High School Matt DiFrancesco is a 5-10, 170 pound, attackman from Bethlehem Central High School where he helped his team to a 13-7 mark in 2007 playing for Coach Dave Rounds. DiFrancesco was a Suburban Council All-Star in 2006 and 2007 and holds school records for most assists in a career (76) and most assists in season (42, in 2007). DiFrancesco will serve as a team captain in 2007 for the Eagles and intends to pursue a major in business at Providence.

Matt Weigand - Attack - Bellarmine College Prep Matthew Weigand is a 6-1, 185 pound, attackman from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, California. In 2007, he led the Bells to 16 wins playing for Coach Brad Lipscomb. Weigand was given the Coaches Award, as well as being named MVP for offense. He also garnered First-Team All-League honors. In his career, Weigand has recorded 142 goals and 127 assist and is a two-year captain. He will pursue a business marketing major at Providence.

Peter Wujciak - Attack - Delbarton Peter Wujciak is a 6-1, 190 pound, attackman for the Delbarton Green Wave, where he helped lead his team to the 2007 New Jersey State Championship Game. The Green Wave finished 21-1 and was ranked ninth in the nation in 2007 under coaches Chuck Ruebling, Matt Kovachik and Pat Finn. Wujciak attended the FCA National Team camp, Top 205, Peak 200, and was a member of the Patriot Silver Team. At Providence Wujciak will major in political science.

Mike Noyes - Defense - Salisbury High School Mike Noyes is a 6-2, 195 pound, defenseman from Salisbury High School in Maryland. Noyes led the Dragons to a second-place finish in the ESIAC Conference in 2007 and an ESIAC championship in 2006 playing for Coaches Bob Conklin and Andrew Glassman. He was a three-time First-Team All ESIAC Conference selection ('05, '06, and '07) and was the C. Markland Kelly Award Finalist. He was named Second-Team All Daily Times in 2006. He has been named captain for the second year in lacrosse and also captains the soccer and basketball teams at Salisbury High. Noyes will major in science at Providence.

Matt Johnson - Midfield - Chaminade High School Matt Johnson is a 5-11, 160 pound, midfielder from Chaminade High School in New York, where he was a member of the Flyers' eighth-ranked team in the nation in 2007 under Jack Moran. In 2007, he scored five goals and had eight assist while running in the Flyer midfield. A multiple-sport athlete, Johnson also is a three year basketball team member for the Flyers and team captain.

Connor Keefe - Midfield - Bridgeton Academy/Weymouth High School Connor Keefe is a 5-9, 175 pound, midfielder who is attending a post-graduate year at Bridgeton Academy under Coach Mike Jones. A two-year captain at Weymouth High School, under Coaches Rob McCarthy and Dan Chouinard, Keefe scored 38 goals and added 25 assist in his senior year, and took a large number of face-offs. He was named to the Bay State League All-Star team two times in his career and was an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star as a senior. At Providence, Keefe intends to major in political science with a minor in psychology.

Ryan Korn - Midfield - Rumson Fair Haven High School Ryan Korn is a 6-1, 180 pound, midfielder for Rumson Fair Haven High School, where he led the Bulldogs to a conference championship under Coaches, Jim Barbieri and Reid Jackson. The 2008 team captain was named All-Shore, All-Conference and All-State selection with 82 goals and 30 assist. He also collected 315 ground balls. In football this fall, Korn ran for over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the State Championship game and was named "Player of the Game" despite a six-point loss. Korn moved to New Jersey from Tennessee where he helped lead Ravenwood to the Tennessee State Semifinals. Korn also is a stand-out member of the Tri-State program coached by MV Whitlow, a former University of Delaware teammate of Friar Head Coach Chris Burdick.

Chris Mahoney - Midfield - St. Anthony's Chris Mahoney is a 6-5, 210 pound, midfielder for Saint Anthony's High School, where he helped his team to a NSCHS second-place finish in 2007 under Coach Wieczorek. Mahoney was a standout at the Top 205 camp at the University of Maryland. According to Coach Wieczorek, Mahoney is a very talented player with great athletic potential, who projects to be a great addition to any Division I roster. Mahoney will pursue a degree in accounting at Providence.

Jake Nolan - Midfield - Chantilly Jake Nolan is a 5-8, 140 pound, midfielder for the Chantilly High Chargers, where he helped lead his team to a fourth-place finish in 2007 under Coaches Kevin Broderick and Bob Waters. In 2007, Nolan earned First-Team All-District and Northern Region Honorable Mention honors. He was a District Honorable Mention selection in 2006, as well as a Defensive All-District selection for basketball in 2006-07. In 14 games during the 2007 season, Nolan recorded 19 goals and 16 assists and 65 ground balls. At Providence he will pursue a degree in business.

Christian Dzwilewski - Goalie - Cold Spring Harbor Christian Dzwilewski is a 6-2, 165 pound, goaltender from Cold Spring Harbor in Nassau County Long Island. He helped lead his team to the New York State Class C Championship under Coach Dennis Bonn. As a multiple-sport athlete, Dzwilewski was pulled up as a sophomore to play for the Long Island championship football team and has been a varsity team member each of the past two seasons. In lacrosse, he played behind All-American and current UVA freshman, Adam Ghitelman, as a junior and is the projected starter at CSH in 2008. He has not declared a major at Providence.

Tim Finnegan - Goalie - Lowell High School Tim Finnegan is a 5-11, 175 pound, goaltender from Lowell High School, where he led the team to a first-place finish in 2007 under Coach Burke Walker and Peter Finnegan. A state champion in ice hockey, Finnegan has been named hockey and lacrosse captain as a senior for the Red Raiders. The lefthander is a top goalie in the Team Central Lacrosse Club and was a standout at the TopLax, STX shootout, and NEPL showcase. He was named MVC Player of the Year and MVC All-Conference in 2006 and 2007. At Providence Finnegan will be a political science major.

According to Coach Burdick, "One of the primary concerns in recruiting at Providence, is that the prospective student-athlete understands the level of commitment that is expected. This group has the character and the focus to follow through on their promise to have a positive impact on the institution, and represent the lacrosse program and the academic programs at Providence College at the highest level."