Preseason High School Rankings: Culver (Ind.) Starts at No. 1

With the preseason No. 1 team kicking off its season this weekend, this felt like an appropriate time for the official unveiling.

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With the Eagles returning a substantial amount of veteran firepower, putting Culver in the No. 1 spot to start the year was a no-brainer. This group has established impeccable chemistry together over the years, and fourth-year CMA head coach Jon Birsner has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal in the senior class, particularly its core of Illinois natives, many of whom played club ball for the vaunted True IL squad. Quite frankly, it's hard to spot any glaring weaknesses on the roster, as there's star power and depth at every position. It's also safe to assume that this Culver team will be out for blood in 2024 after last season ended with its second loss to Hill Academy in as many months, causing the 17-3 Eagles to land at No. 8 in Inside Lacrosse's final rankings.

More so than any other unit, the attack will look different after the graduation of Gabe Sorichetti (Johns Hopkins) and Nick Roode (Michigan), a Canadian tandem of three-year starters. In 2023, the pair accounted for 189 of the 252 points (75%) posted by players that have since moved on. Racking up 33 goals and 50 assists last spring, British Columbia's [player_tooltip player_id='14827' first='Aidan' last='McDonald'] (Princeton) is back to play the quarterback role, however, the Top 25 recruit will miss a bit more time while working his way back from offseason surgery. UNC signee [player_tooltip player_id='14844' first='Luke' last='Macaluso'], a fleet-footed presence and fiery competitor, has bumped down to attack and is expected to stay there upon McDonald's return.

At the midfield, newly minted 5-star [player_tooltip player_id='14890' first='Mason' last='Szewczyk'] is undoubtedly among the nation's best at his position and has upped his game significantly since he committed to UNC early in the fall of 2022, racking up 36 goals and 20 assists while shooting close to 50 percent a year ago. He'll be flanked by a two-way horse in Duke-bound classmate [player_tooltip player_id='14848' first='Luke' last='Warrington'] who, like many Culver midfielders that came before him, may not leave the field very often. As always, the Eagles have considerable depth at the midfield, so the second line is expected to pack a punch due to the presence of a handful of recruits headed to Top 20 programs. At the face-off X, senior [player_tooltip player_id='14927' first='Spencer' last='Reagan'] (Dartmouth) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='19547' first='Tay' last='Rodriguez'] (Michigan) return to form a dominant 1-2 punch, with the latter providing 12 goals last spring. There's also a plethora of promising Class of 2026 recruits capable of complementing Culver's veterans to make an impact at LSM, SSDM, and offensive midfield.

Defensively, it all starts with top-ranked goalie recruit Tade Wynn, a three-year starter who will play at Army. A tremendous leader and bonafide game-changer, Wynn split time with current Princeton freshman Colin Vickrey in the past but will be the full-time starter for a program known for producing top-flight netminders. As the top-ranked defenseman in his class, athletic lefty [player_tooltip player_id='14815' first='Nikolas' last='Menendez'] (Duke) is an all-around force who will step up to cover the No. 1 after Rowan Clay (Michigan) took on that task a year ago. Fellow Illinois product [player_tooltip player_id='14929' first='Kyle' last='Eggebraten'], a 6'2, 205-pound Maryland signee, and first-year starter [player_tooltip player_id='19545' first='Parker' last='Sorenson'], a hard-nosed Canadian cover man committed to Hopkins, round out the close defense.

The Eagles are slated to get their season underway this weekend in Dallas, facing Texas mainstays Highland Park and Episcopal Dallas on back-to-back days before returning to the Midwest for their next few games. Looking ahead to Culver's annual spring break trip in mid-March, the nation's No. 1 team is set to face St. Anthony's (N.Y.) in a neutral site showdown at Princeton on Sunday, March 17. From there, the Eagles will head down to D.C., where they'll face St. John's and Gonzaga of the WCAC. They can't afford to look ahead, but the Eagles' clash with Hill Academy will take place at Notre Dame on April 19. There's also the potential for another rematch at the National Prep Championships at Loyola University, with the event recently announcing the addition of Main Line powerhouses Malvern Prep and Haverford for the third weekend of May.