Coast Guard Academy Announces 2014 Team Captains


New London, Conn. – Fresh off the announcement from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Division of Athletics that it will elevate the Men’s Lacrosse Program to varsity NCAA D3 status (effective with the 2014-15 academic year), Coast Guard Academy Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Gary Weller announced that attackman Cadet 1/c Stu Carley (Houston, Texas/James E. Taylor), midfielder Cadet 2/c Patrick Dreiss (Wantagh, NY/Holy Trinity) and long stick midfielder Cadet 1/c Nick Fredericksen (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) were selected by the coaching staff and a vote by their teammates to serve as team captains for the 2014 season. This is the first time any of the three have served as a captain.

“One of the most unique aspects of the Coast Guard Academy, and the reason I love coaching at such a place, is that we have leaders of character up and down the roster.  Our cadets are immersed in a culture of discipline, leadership, and service to others.  While this makes being selected as a team captain particularly noteworthy, our team looks to everyone on the roster to step-up, make plays and play with 100-percent heart and integrity.  This, more than anything, makes for team atmosphere that I am proud to be a part of.”

Carley had an outstanding 2013 campaign at attack – increasing his offensive output almost three-fold from 2012 and leading the PCLL in goals with 39. Coming in second in the PCLL in points (54) and third in Points per Game (3.8), Carley was a key member of one of the most prolific attack squads in the MCLA. Together with Austin English and E.J. Schmid, this group produced 172 points in 15 games (almost 11.5 ppg) and led the Bears to the 2013 MCLA National Tournament in Greenville, SC. Thanks to these statistics, Carley was chosen to the 2013 All-PCLL Second Team. 2013 First Team All-American Austin English has graduated and headed off to Flight School, but the tandem of Carley and Schmid will return for the 2014 spring campaign to menace PCLL defenses for another year.  Carley spent his summer training period aboard America’s Tall Ship, Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE, training younger cadets to put navigation, engineering, and other professional theory they have previously learned in the classroom to work in a “real world” environment.  Carley is currently serving as the Charlie Company Executive Officer (XO) – the second in command.

Dreiss was a mainstay of Coast Guard’s midfield offense last season (18 g/17 a) and earned the rare honor of selection as a team captain as a junior.  He was fifth on the team in scoring (35 p) and ground balls (34) and was also a key member of the Bears’ extra-man unit.  Dreiss spent a majority of his summer training period as Swab Summer Cadre for the newly arrived Class of 2017 – “Swab Summer” is the initial boot-camp style indoctrination period.  He started his summer with the Cadet Aviation Training Program and was exposed to Coast Guard aircraft and missions at the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala.  He also had the opportunity to sail around New England with classmates as part of the Coastal Sail Training Program.  He is a Civil Engineering major and is serving as the Honor Department Master at Arms this semester.  Over Parent’s Weekend 2013, Dreiss won the RADM Thomas T. Davies (USN) Proficiency in Navigation Award presented to the second class cadet deemed most proficient in the art of navigation during their first two years at the Academy.

A tenacious long stick midfielder, Fredericksen was an integral part of a defense that allowed just 8.2 goals per game and held 12 of 15 opponents to ten goals or less.  Fredericksen led the team with 56 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers to his credit.  He is adept at jump-starting the Bears’ transition game and has been a key contributor as a wide-receiver for the Coast Guard Academy Football team.  Fredericksen also excelled at wing-play on faceoffs – the big question on campus is whether he will remain at LSM or move to close defense.  Fans will have to stay tuned.  Fredericksen is an Operations Research and Computer Analysis major and is serving as the Alcohol Abuse Division Head – responsible for educating cadets on responsible alcohol use.  He spent part of his summer training period aboard the 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat USCGC Narwhal out of Newport Beach, Calif. before reporting aboard USCGC EAGLE – where he spent some quality time with team captain Stu Carley on America’s Tall Ship.

The Bear’s pre-season preparations have been underway since returning from Summer Training programs in mid-August. At the time of release of this article, the MCLA PCLL schedule has not been drafted. Fans can anticipate a schedule to be announced by the end of November 2013.

For additional information – check out: www.coastguardlax.vicid.net

As the smallest of the five U.S. service academies, the Coast Guard Academy offers the elite higher education, rigorous professional development, and honor and tradition of a military academy but with a more personalized approach.

The Coast Guard Academy offers an integrated life experience which emphasizes academics, physical fitness, character and leadership, in order to graduate officers of the highest caliber. Graduates go directly to positions of leadership in “The Shield of Freedom,” one of the most admired organizations in the world. The Academy also features an impressive teacher-student ratio and picturesque waterfront campus that instills a traditional small college feel.

Cadets devote themselves to an honor concept and graduate to work at sea, on land, in the air, and even in space, in meaningful careers of selfless service to others.

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