UVA men’s lacrosse head coach Lars Tiffany announced that midfielder Dox Aitken, long-stick midfielder Jared Conners, midfielder John Fox and attackman Michael Kraus have been selected as captains for the 2020 season, as voted on by their peers.
“The responsibility each of these four men bears is genuinely rigorous,” said Tiffany. “Aside from establishing the culture and path for our program to realize and repeat the academic and athletic achievements of 2019, they will be tasked with the ultimate obligation of lifting up every teammate so each can realize their best potential. The preparation of their leadership begins over the summer with readings and will continue throughout the year.”
Kraus (Sr., New Canaan, Conn.) is a captain for the second year in a row. Kraus was a third-team All-American and an All-ACC honoree as he helped lead UVA to the 2019 NCAA title. Kraus started all 17 games in which he appeared and scored 39 goals and dished out 36 assists on the season. He scored eight goals and dished out 11 assists in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Aitken (Sr., Villanova, Pa.) was named a first-team All-American for the second year in a row after helping UVA to the 2019 NCAA title. He earned All-NCAA Tournament honors after scoring eight goals and dishing out two assists in four NCAA Tournament games, including three goals and one assist in a double-overtime win in the semifinals against Duke. Aitken also earned All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament honors.
Conners (Sr., Pittsford, N.Y.) was a first-team All-American after scoring five goals, dishing one assist, picking up 57 ground balls and causing 27 turnovers. Conners notched six ground balls in the NCAA title game against Yale. He also scored a goal and caused three turnovers in the ACC title game against Notre Dame, efforts that landed Conners on the All-ACC Tournament team.
Fox (Jr., New Canaan, Conn.) is the lone junior among the captains, giving UVA at least one junior captain for three years in row. He appeared in all 20 games as a short-stick defensive midfielder in 2019. Fox picked up six ground balls and caused three turnovers in the NCAA Tournament. He picked up four key ground balls in the double-overtime win in the semifinals against Duke.
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Chris Graham
