A generation ago, lacrosse players as large as Will Yeatman and Grant Catalino would have been pigeonholed. They would have been issued long sticks and relegated to defense.
But this is 2009. The sport has evolved. Yeatman (6-6, 260) and Catalino (6-5, 240) start at attack for Maryland. A new day has dawned. Yes they can.
Yeatman and Catalino are not just a sideshow curiosity. They’re a major reason Maryland is ranked No. 3 (Nike/Inside Lacrosse).
No. 9 Georgetown (0-0)
at No. 3 Maryland (2-0)When » Saturday, 1Where » Ludwig Field, College ParkTV » ESPNUSeries » Maryland leads, 7-1» Georgetown junior goalie Jack Davis will make his first collegiate start against the Terrapins.
Catalino, a sophomore, was Maryland’s top scorer last year (29 goals, 13 assists). Yeatman, a junior transfer from Notre Dame, also led his team in scoring (21 goals, 24 assists) in his freshman year in 2007.
“I don’t think we’re the next generation of attackmen, or anything like that,” said Yeatman. “We just happen to have skills and are big.”
The pioneer for gargantuan attackmen was Ian Dingman (6-4, 260), the all-time scoring leader at Navy, and the centerpiece of their unique low-post offense when the Midshipmen made a run to the NCAA title game in 2004.
“He showed that a big guy can play attack and be a real weapon using his size,” said Yeatman. “But I wouldn’t compare him to Grant or myself. Our styles are different.”
Catalino, from upstate New York, and Yeatman, from San Diego, look more like bookends in a double-tight end alignment. But Maryland coach Dave Cottle downplays their size and is just as quick to tout the skills of talented sophomore attackmen Travis Reed and Ryan Young.
Yeatman says Catalino is a better shooter. Catalino suggests that Yeatman is the better passer and athlete.
Yeatman, in fact, played tight end at Notre Dame and will have two years of football eligibility, starting in 2010. He does arrive with some baggage. He missed the 2008 lacrosse season after a drunk driving charge and his departure from South Bend was hastened by a September arrest for underage drinking and resisting arrest.
“I don’t look at it as a second chance,” said Yeatman. “I didn’t have to transfer. I did it on my own. I needed to get away from South Bend and start over someplace else.”
