Buckeyes Sign 11 to National Letters of Intent
11/14/2020 5:21:09 PM | Men's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eleven student-athletes have signed national letters of intents to further their academic and athletic careers as members of the Ohio State men’s lacrosse program, head coach Nick Myers announced today. The Buckeyes’ signing class includes players from seven different states and one province of Canada.
The newest Buckeyes are: Henry Blake (Kentfield, Calif.), Dante Bowen (Brampton, Ontario), Matthew Fritz (Blue Bell, Pa.), James Gurr (Marietta, Ga.), Garrett Haas (Highland, Utah), Owen Heinecke (Tulsa, Okla.), Aidan Kenley (Powell, Ohio), Alex Marinier (Burlington, Ontario), Matthew Mercer (Centerville, Ohio), Edward Shean (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Bobby Van Buren (Wingate, N.C.).
“We’re very excited to officially welcome these young men and their families to The Ohio State University and to the Buckeye Lacrosse family,” said Myers. “The resolve and commitment of these young men to one another, this brotherhood, and this institution during unprecedented times speaks to the quality, character and values of their families. Not only does this group bring a high level of athleticism and talent, they will also fortify our culture off the field. Buckeye Nation will really enjoy getting to know and watching these young men grow and develop over the next four years in Columbus.”
Henry Blake | 6-2, 170 | Goalie | Kentfield, Calif. / Brewster Academy
- Three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.
- His team won the Lakes Region championship in 2019.
- Named by Inside Lacrosse as a top performer at the Goaliesmith Experience in 2019.
- his grandfather, Jerry Blake, is a 1960 Ohio State graduate and played defense for some of the program’s earliest teams.
- Has a cousin who plays lacrosse at Harvard and another cousin who plays baseball at Penn.
- Member of the National Society of High School Scholars.
Dante Bowen | 6-1, 190 | Defense | Brampton, Ontario / David Suzuki Secondary School
- A three-sport athlete who also plays football and basketball.
- Member of the 32-man tryout group of U19 Team Canada.
- Three-time Most Valuable Player for Brampton Excels.
- Assistant captain for EDGE Lacrosse.
- Two-time Defensive Player of the Year in football as a safety.
- His father, Orlando Bowen, played football at Northern Illinois and later in CFL.
- His grandfather, Chuck Ealey, holds the record for most consecutive wins in college history (35) for the University of Toledo and was the first African-American quarterback to win a CFL title.
Matthew Fritz | 5-7, 165 | Midfield/Faceoff | Blue Bell, Pa. / Wissahickon High School
- A midfielder/face-off specialist.
- Won nearly 66 percent of his face-offs in 2019 and was a first-team All-League selection.
- Was a NLF National Championships Standout in 2019 for Big 4 HHH.
- NLF National Championships team runner-up.
- With Philly Highlight in 2020, was an Under Armour East Region All-Tournament team choice.
- Also wrestles at Wissahickon High School where he has been a league champion and district runner-up at 145 lbs.
- Father, Bernie Fritz, was an All-American wrestler at Penn State.
- His uncle, John Fritz, was a NCAA wrestling champion at Penn State and later the program’s head coach in the 1990s.
James Gurr | 5-11, 178 | Midfield | Marietta, Ga. / Walton High School
- Three-year letterwinner at Walton High School
- Is the top-ranked player in the state of Georgia by Inside Lacrosse and a top-25 ranked midfielder nationally
- Helped his team win the Georgia High School Association state championship as a sophomore in 2019
- Scored three goals and had three assists in the championship game
- Voted his team’s Offensive MVP in a COVID-shortened season in 2020
- Three-time Maverick Showtime invite with one All-Star recognition
- Grandfather played defensive end at Florida State.
Garrett Haas | 5-7, 165 | Midfield | Highland, Utah / Lone Peak
- Currently attends Lone Park High School in Highland, Utah and previously attended Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas from 2017-20.
- While at Lovejoy, broke the school’s single-season goals, assists and points record.
- Was an All-State pick in 2019 after totaling 103 points on 64 goals and 39 assists.
- Honorable mention All-State in 2018 when he had 53 goals and 27 assists.
Owen Heinecke | 6-2, 198 | Midfield | Tulsa, Okla. / Bishop Kelley High School
- Letterwinner in both lacrosse and football at Bishop Kelley
- Team captain, leading scorer and Most Valuable Player in 2019
- Had the 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19
- Leading scorer and MVP for his club team, Impulse
- An all-state selection
- Leading rusher and tackler during his senior football season in 2020
- A member of the National Honor Society
- Father played football at the University of Tulsa.
Aidan Kenley | 5-11, 185 | Midfield | Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty
- Two-sport athlete at near-by Olentangy Liberty High School.
- Ranked No. 65 nationally by Inside Lacrosse in 2019.
- Two-time All-Star (2018, 2019) at Maverick Showtime for Resolute.
- First team All-OCC and All-Midwest Region as a freshman.
- First-team All-OCC and team captain in football this fall.
- ThisWeek Community Newspaper’s Athlete of the Week for Oct. 6.
- Father, Mike, played basketball at Alma College.
Alex Marinier | 6-3, 191 | Defense/LSM | Burlington, Ontario / Hayden Secondary School
- Plays hockey and lacrosse at Dr. F.J. Hayden Secondary School.
- Member of the 32-man tryout group of U19 Team Canada.
- Had 48 points in 13 games (39 goals, nine assists) in 2019.
- Named a team captain and the Most Valuable Player.
- Was the leading goal scorer in hockey during the 2019-20 season.
- With Team Ontario, won a Midget national championship in 2019 and was tied for the team lead in goals (10 in eight games).
- Member of U15 national champions for Team Ontario in field lacrosse in 2018.
- A Bantam national champion for Team Ontario in 2017.
Matthew Mercer | 6-4, 200 | Defense | Centerville, Ohio / Centerville High School
- A four-year varsity letterwinner and starter on defense for Centerville High School.
- Named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
- All-Region in 2019 … will be a captain this spring.
- An Under Armour Underclass All-American in 2018.
- His mother, Meredith, played tennis at Ohio State and dad, Ben, played football at the University of Dayton.
- Has 11 cousins who played either football or tennis in college.
- Great grandfather, Art Zimpfer, played football at Ohio State from 1936-40.
Edward Shean | 5-11, 200 | Attack | Los Alamitos, Calif. / Los Alamitos High School
- Basketball and lacrosse player at Los Alamitos High School.
- Team leader in goals and assists.
- First team all-county.
- Selected as his team’s captain and Most Valuable Player.
- Defensive Player of the Year in basketball and helped his team win the Sunset League title.
- Has a 4.0 grade-point average.
Bobby Van Buren | 6-0, 190 | Defense | Wingate, N.C. / Wide Plains Academy
- Is homeschooled.
- Five-star rated recruit by Inside Lacrosse and the nation’s No. 12 overall player.
- For Team Carolina 24/7, was a Maverik Showtime All-Star and a Baltimore Summer Kickoff All-Star in 2019.
- Was also a Maverick Showcase All-Star in 2018 with Team Carolina and Defensive Player of the Game in the Naptown National Challenge Championship.
- A Blue Chip SE 26 All-Star and Brine National Lax Classic All-Star.
- Has two cousins who are collegiate athletes.
- Father, Frank, played football at Shippensburg.
- Is a third-degree black belt.
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