Men's LAX Names Captains for 2021
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Four members of the Mitchell College men's lacrosse program were named captains on Monday, as announced by head coach Rich Petillo.
Seniors Desmond Knowles, Marcel Quinlan and Jade Shields and junior James Giovanniello will lead the Mariners for the upcoming 2021 season.
"We are thrilled to have these young men lead our program," said Coach Petillo. "All of them have worked hard on and off the field, and they've shown great leadership qualities throughout our fall lacrosse season."
Knowles is a 2016 graduate of Lawrence Central High School where he was a four-year letter winner, capturing the AJ Edwards Award his senior year. He went on to attend Ancilla College, which is a two-year institution located in Indiana. After playing one season, Ancilla discontinued men's lacrosse. Knowles transferred to Mitchell College in spring 2019 and went on to start all 12 games as a defenseman. Last season, in addition to his defensive responsibilities, he also took the most draws at the face-off position. He will return to anchor both positions in 2021.
Quinlan is a 2017 graduate from Uniondale High School, where he was the team MVP while also receiving honors for his academic achievements. A three-year starter in goal at Mitchell, he was selected to the NECC All-Tournament Team as a freshman. He enters his final season ranked second all-time on the school's career saves list with 437 in 31 games.
Giovanniello, a 2018 graduate of Curtis High School, was a two-time captain and three-year starter for the Warriors before coming to Mitchell. He missed the 2019 season while attending John Jay College for one semester and rejoined the Mariners for 2020. He was also named a team captain last season and started all six games and ranked third on the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists.
Shields is a 2017 graduate of Hempstead High School where he was an all-conference player and team MVP. A starter since his freshman season, he has amassed career totals of 51 goals and 26 assists over 31 games. With a strong final season, Shields could crack the program's top-five list in both career goals and assists.