HIGH POINT, N.C.-- High Point University men's lacrosse head coach Jon Torpey announced the naming of Davis Sampere, Dalton Sulver, Sean Coughlin, Taylor Acra, Hayden Baker, Colin Clothier, Clayton Krol, Asher Nolting, and Tyler Stinson. as the team captains for the 2021 season.
"I'm truly blessed to coach some of the most amazing young men in Division 1 athletics, these nine are the absolute epitome of everything we embody as a program", Coach Torpey said. "Some people might say nine captains is a little excessive but we could have honestly had 12 guys this year. In a year full of so much uncertainty the staff can use all the help we can get to make sure guys are not letting their guards down and they are consistently making high-end decisions both on and off the field. This is a player-driven process as the voting is done solely by our guys and I truly believe the team did a tremendous job with their choices. I look forward to seeing what this group can accomplish."
The 2021 season will be Sampere's third straight season as a team captain. Sampere joins Dan Lomas and Matt Thistle as the only three HPU players to be a three-time captain. Sampere played in seven games during the Panthers' shortened season, finishing the year with a goal, a team-best thirty-one ground balls, and a team-leading 56 face-off wins.
Sulver is entering his second straight season as a team captain. He played in seven games during a shortened season, starting in two. Sulver finished the season with 10 goals (fourth-most on the team), two assists, and four ground balls. Sulver was selected 76th in the 2020 National Lacrosse League Draft by the Buffalo Bandits.
This is Coughlin's second straight season as a team captain. He recorded a season-high two goals and an assist for a season-best three points against Cornell in Baltimore in his junior season. Coughlin scored five man-up goals during the shortened 2020 season.
Acra played in all eight games during the 2020 season, starting in one. He finished the season with four goals and one assist. Acra had a four-point game with three goals and an assist against St. Bonaventure (March 2, 2020).
Baker, the three-time Millis Scholar-Athlete played in the contest against Maryland in the 2020 shortened season. In the spring of 2020, Baker earned the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship's award as the top business administration student.
Clothier played in seven games during the shortened season, finishing 2020 with three goals and seven ground balls. Clothier ended the shortened year on a hot streak, he scored goals in three-straight appearances against Virginia (Feb. 25), St. Bonaventure (March 2), and UMBC (March 7).
Krol started all eight games for the Panthers' defense during a shortened season, finishing the year with 15 ground balls (fourth-most on the team) and seven face-off wins. He recorded lone assist of the season at UMBC (March 7).
Nolting started in all eight of the Panthers' contests during the shortened season. He led the team with 22 assists while also adding 11 goals and five ground balls. Nolting was named to the 2020 Tewaaraton Award Watchlist for the third time in his career.
Stinson appeared in all eight games during the Panthers' 2020 shortened season. He finished the 2020 season with two goals, five assists, and six ground balls. The Uxbridge, Ontario native had a career-high four-point game with two goals and two assists against Cornell (Feb. 23, 2020).
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