BYU Lacrosse Names 2011 Captains

The BYU Men’s Lacrosse team announced their captains for the upcoming season Tuesday Night. The group of 5 captains is lead by Senior Midfielders Tyler Monteath (Columbine High School, CO) and Brian Mathay (Heritage High School, CO). Joining Monteath and Mathay are Juniors Ted Ferrin (Olympus High School, UT), Drew Shumway (Bingham High School, UT), and Jared Houghton (Denver University).

Monteath returns to the Cougars this year after spending two years on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission. In his last season of action, Monteath helped lead the Cougars to their third National Championship in 2007. He earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-America honors during the championship run.  He was also First Team All-American his sophomore year in 2006.  Monteath, who returned from Scotland last January, has spent the last 6 months getting his legs and skills back after a two year layoff.

“I’ve been waiting for the past three years to finish out my lacrosse career and now I have the opportunity to do it as one of the captains.” said Monteath.  ”I’m so excited for this next year and am willing to do whatever it takes to help this team win its fourth National Championship.”

Monteath looks to provide a wealth of talent and skill to the first line midfield. He has gained a reputation as an all-around playmaker, not only scoring goals, but opening up shots for teammates.

“We are excited to have Tyler back on the team with us this year,” said Head Coach Matt Schneck.  ”Even though Tyler had just returned home from his mission, he would have been a significant contributor on our team this past season had we decided to let him play.  We wanted Tyler’s senior year to be the best it could be, one with impact and dominance, so we prepared and saved him for this year.”

Mathay will be joining Monteath at the midfield, as he returns for his Senior season after starting for the Cougars his previous 3 years. Bumping around from defensive midfielder to offensive midfielder during his time at BYU, Mathay has proven to be one of the most versatile players on the Cougars roster.  Mathay has the distinction of being only the second non-LDS player to captain the Cougar lacrosse team.

“Brian has earned this opportunity to be a captain by not only how he plays on the field, but also because how he lives his life off the field,” said Schneck.  ”Brian is respected by his teammates, is rarely outworked and leads by example.”

Mathay brings a wealth of leadership and an attitude of hard work and hustle to the 2011 Cougars.

“I am very humbled to be chosen as a captain of such a fine group of young men,” said Mathay.  ”I am looking forward to walking alongside each of my teammates and pushing the team to reach its potential.”

Ferrin is the only returning Captain out of the group, as he returns for his Junior year, and second year as Captain. Ferrin lead the Cougars on and off the field last year as he returned for his sophomore year after spending two years in Croatia as part of his LDS mission. Ferrin played most of the season hampered by a shoulder injury sustained in the first game of the year. He looks to come back fresh and healthy this fall to take the reigns of the Cougar offense.

“BYU Lacrosse has a great tradition of excellence both on and off the field,” said Ferrin.  ”It’s an honor to be selected as a captain this year and help continue this tradition and help lead the team to even greater accomplishments.”

Shumway returns to the Cougars after taking a medical redshirt last season after a broken finger operation turned into an infection, and eventually ended his season.  It was a tough blow for the Cougars at the time, but Shumway is back and ready to lead the Cougars forward in 2011.

“I am very excited for this upcoming season,” said Shumway. “I know that as we come together as a team, our potential is incredible.”

Shumway has shown his diversity as a player during his time at BYU. Coming in as an attackman, he was the most productive attackman for the Cougars in 2006. After serving a mission he returned and made the switch to midfielder, tallying 36 points during his sophomore year. Shumway will return to his natural position this year and, along side Ferrin, lead the Cougar attack.

“Teddy and Drew will be an incredible 1-2 punch on our starting attack line,” said Assistant Coach Jordan Harris.  ”Their games are very different, but they are also extremely complimentary. They are going to be a tough duo to stop.”

Houghton brought a new style to the BYU Lacrosse team last year in his first season as Cougar. As a Freshman Houghton, along with his twin brother Jacob, played for Division 1 Denver University. After serving a mission Houghton made the decision to transfer to Brigham Young to finish his lacrosse and school career. Houghton was able to create physical mismatches for the Cougars based on his size, and was able to post a 30 point season on the first midfield. Houghton continually pushes teammates, drawing from his experience at Denver, to bring the team to the highest possible level.

“Jared brings a unique perspective to the team,” said Schneck.  ”He’s passionate about the game and his effort.  He expects great things from himself in order to expect great things from his teammates.”

Houghton will look the contribute again on the first midfield line, being a part of one of the strongest Cougar midfield lines in recent history.

“I am excited for this opportunity,” said Houghton.  ”Our team has a tremendous amount of desire to perform and succeed.  I want to build off the new traditions and great foundation that was built this past season.”

2011 brings a new tradition the BYU Lacrosse team. Each of the junior captains will be assigned an “area of emphasis” in which they will be expected to ensure the highest standards are maintained.  With each assignment tailored fit to the strength of each captain each important aspect of the BYU Lacrosse Team will be overseen with close detail. Junior Captains will report to the Senior Captains who in turn will report directly to Coach Schneck.

“We will continue to grow stronger as a team, said Schneck.  Last year provided a wealth of learning experiences that will be build upon to become a more cohesive and unified team.  These stellar captains will help make that happen.”

The Cougars kick off their fall season on August 30. Follow the Cougar Lacrosse team from the official website (www.byulacrosse.com), facebook (Facebook.com/byulacrosse), or twitter (www.twitter.com/byulacrosse).