Men’s Lacrosse Announces Recruiting Class

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College men's lacrosse coach David Olliver announced the addition of 11 players today. Colin Caristi, Paxton Caristi, Mitchell Dunkin, Matthew Fort, Austin Holgate, Bradly Lucas, Anthony Malik, Adam Messel, Troy Perrotti, Zack Price and Charles Stafford have agreed to play for the Cobras beginning in the 2013-14 academic year.

"We are excited about the players we are adding to a great core that's already in place," said Olliver. "We believe we've found some game-changers in this class that will make immediate impacts. Cobra lacrosse is looking to turn some heads next season, and we feel that we have taken the necessary steps to do so with this recruiting class."

Colin and Paxton Caristi are from Sandwich High School in East Sandwich, Mass. Paxton is an attacker; Colin is a midfielder.

Colin and Paxton are the sons of Jason and Marya Caristi.­

Dunkin, a defensive player, hails from Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C. He was a three-sport athlete in lacrosse, football and track for the Blazers. In his senior season for lacrosse, Dunkin had 25 ground balls and two assists.

Mitchell is the son of Mike and Mara Dunkin.

Fort, a midfielder, is also from Ridge View High School. He was a varsity letterwinner in lacrosse and cross country. In lacrosse, Fort was a first team all-region and first team all-lower state selection.

Matthew is the son of Bill and Alyson Fort.

Holgate, a defensive player, is from Claremont Secondary School in Victoria, British Columbia. He was also a member of the Vancouver Island Seaspray Elite club team.

Austin is the son of Trevor Holgate and Adina Finnessey.

Lucas is a defensive player from Winter Springs High School in Winter Springs, Fla. He was a varsity letterwinner in lacrosse for the Bears.

Bradly is the son of Jason and Kimberly Lucas.

Malik, a goalie, is from Brunswick High School in Knoxville, Md. He was a three-sport athlete for the Railroaders in lacrosse, football and wrestling. Malik was a first team all-conference selection and team captain in lacrosse.

Anthony is the son of Mubashir and Carla Malik.

Messel, a goalie, hails from Spartanburg, S.C., where he attended Dorman High School. He was a member of the 2012 4A upper state champions and the 2013 4A state runner-up teams. Messel also won the coaches' award for his team.

Adam is the son of David Messel, Pam Fitzgerald Messel and Paula Messel.

Perrotti is a defensive player from Columbia, S.C. He attended Ridge View High School where he played lacrosse and football for the Blazers. In 12 games as a senior, Perrotti had 45 ground balls and one goal on the season.

Troy is the son of Gwendoyln Perrotti.

Price, a midfielder, hails from Jacksonville Beach, Fla. He attended Providence High School and lettered in lacrosse, football, basketball and wrestling. He was named team MVP for lacrosse in 2012.

Zack is the son of Steve and Kim Price.

Stafford, a defensive player, is a midfielder from Hampstead, Md. He attended Hereford High School.

Charles is the son of Chuck and Laurie Stafford.

For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations and marketing, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.

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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.