Nov. 21, 2005

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Head men's lacrosse coach Brian Brecht announced the team has received eight binding national letters of intent to attend Siena in September of 2006. The Saints signed two attackmen in Ryan Duggan (East Setauket, N.Y.) and Tim Rau (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), four midfielders including Matt Leithead (Mahopac, N.Y.), Brendan Murphy (Baldwin, N.Y.), Mike Whalen (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), Shaun Dunn (Amityville, N.Y.), defender Kyle Vercruysse (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and goalie Brent Herbst (Plainview, N.Y.).

"Having these players join us is a big win for our program," said Brecht. "All eight of these student athletes will contribute greatly to our programs development and will be a positive addition to the campus. They all possess great character and they will excel in the classroom as well as the playing field. The future of Siena men's lacrosse is bright."

Ryan Duggan stands six feet tall and is a southpaw attacker who notched 10 points in an 18-1 season at Ward Melville High School. He is also a captain and the starting quarterback for the football team where he posted 1,005 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, scrambled for 408 yards and five touchdowns in a season where he was named to the All-Division First Team.

Tim Rau is a 5-10 attacker who is a two-time captain at Lindenhurst High School, a team he helped lead to the playoffs three straight years. He has been an All-County player the past two seasons and has amassed 75 goals and 84 assists heading into his final year, which has put him in position to eclipse the all-time scoring record at the school. On the gridiron, Rau has been a starting wide receiver and safety the past three years. This season, he had 50 tackles, two interceptions and two touchdowns.

Matt Leithead is a 6-1 midfielder who earned All-Section honors in leading Mahopac to a 27-13 record the past two years including two trips to the Section I Class A finals and a run to the New York State Regionals in his sophomore year. He was selected to the Hudson Valley Empire Team in both his sophomore and junior seasons. On the football field, he is a two-year starter at fullback and linebacker while also serving as the punter and kicker. Leithead is an All-League and All-Section selection the past two years. This fall, he rand for 1,010 yards with 11 touchdowns, forced three fumbles on defense and had three sacks, which earned him a spot in the Section I Exceptional Senior Game.

Brendan Murphy is a 5-11 midfielder from Baldwin High School who is coming off a 25 goal, 15 assist junior campaign that saw his team make a run to the Nassau County Class A Semi-Finals. In the classroom, he is a member of the National Honor Society. On the gridiron, Murphy is the starting safety and wide receiver on the undefeated, 10-0, Nassau County Conference I Champions, who are currently ranked fourth on Long Island. So far this season, he has 26 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Midfielder Mike Whalen is six feet tall and is a three year starter at Putnam Valley High School where he has amassed 53 goals and 39 assists heading into his final season. He has led his team to the Class B Finals twice including a trip to the New York State Regionals in his sophomore year. During his junior campaign, Whalen was named to the All-League and All-Section Teams in addition to being a member of the Hudson Valley Empire Team. He is also the starting quarterback on the football team, small forward on the basketball team and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Rounding out the midfield for the 2010 Saints is 5-10 Shaun Dunn, who helped lead powerhouse Chaminade High School to a 17-2 record in a season where they won the Catholic High School Athletic Associations Championship. This past summer, Dunn was named to the All-Star game at the "Battle of the Hotbeds" recruiting showcase camp. He is also a member of the National Honor Society.

On defense, the Green and Gold added Kyle Vercruysse a six foot tall three year starter at Yorktown High School. In his last two season, he helped guide his team to a Section I Class A and B Championship with a 33-8 record and two trips to the New York State Regionals. Vercuysse is an All-Section player who was also selected to the Hudson Valley Empire Team. He is also a three year starter at defensive end for the football team where he earned a nod to the Section I Exceptional Senior Game this season.

Siena also inked a 5-11 goalie, Brent Herbst, who has been a three year starter at Plainview JFK High School. Over the past two seasons, he notched 316 saves and improved his goals against average from 8.69 in his sophomore year to 7.35 as a junior. Herbst led his team to a playoff appearance for the first time in 10 years last year. For his efforts, he was named an All-County player the past two years and was an Academic All-County pick last year. On the gridiron, he was a three-year starter at fullback and linebacker earning All-County honors this year as well as a spot on the Exceptional Senior Game.

"These players were all players we had targeted early, as juniors, in the recruiting process," said Brecht. "These guys represent everything we want in a student athlete. They are all great players that have excelled on the high school level and we are excited about them taking that next step with Siena."