LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell head lacrosse coach Ed Stephenson tabbed four team captains on Wednesday for the upcoming debut season in 2015. The four are freshman midfielder Jared Zaniewski [Sandwich, Mass], freshman attackmen Sean Tyrell [Calgary, Alberta] and Jon Phillips [Delta, B.C.], and sophomore midfielder Martin Winter [Lake Oswego, Ore.].

“I’m very pleased with the emergence of our leadership group,” Stephenson said. “These young men are excelling in the classroom, training hard and have been leaders off the field.”

With this being the first season in program history, Stephenson stressed the emphasis on leadership with such a youthful squad.

“The choice of captains is especially important with a new and very young team,” said Stephenson. “Although we have several qualified candidates, we addressed our specific needs with these four young men.”

Phillips comes to UMass Lowell from north of the border in British Columbia. He helped lead the Delta Secondary School to the Provincial Div. II Championship his senior year and was named the team MVP.

“Jon has resolute character, but I am most impressed with his empathy,” Stephenson said. “Jon has the ability to put himself in another’s shoes and for an 18-22 year old, this is no small task. He’s a teammate that would truly give you the shirt off his back.”

Tyrell also hails from western Canada and played four sports at Central Memorial High School in Calgary. For his club team, the Jr B Mountaineers, Tyrell scored a team-high 101 points and helped lead them to the 2013 Silver Medal at the Founders Cup.

“Sean really does everything well,” said Stephenson. “He’s a great communicator, great student, understands game situations, thinks of others, has great passion and is mentally tough.”

Winter is the oldest of the four captains for the River Hawks. The Lake Oswego, Oregon native played his freshman season at Jacksonville University in 2012-13 and was named to the President’s List twice for a 4.0 GPA.

“Martin is an exceptional student,” Stephenson said. “He seems to know the right things to say at the right times. That may sound simple, but 25 years of coaching has taught me it is the exception. Although mild-mannered, Martin competes with great intensity, understands game situations very well, and he is a strong communicator.”

Zaniewski is the final captain for the River Hawks and comes to Lowell after an impressive four-year career at Bishop Stang High School in Sandwich, Massachusetts. A co-captain during his senior year, Zaniewski was a two-time MIAA state qualifier and was named to the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team and the Southeast Mass. Region Interscholastic All-Star team.

“Jared has incredible enthusiasm, and great things are rarely accomplished without it,” said Stephenson. “He is also a strong student, has an exceptional work ethic, is a great communicator and has grit.”

UMass Lowell begins their fall schedule this Sunday, October 12 with a pair of scrimmages in the annual Northeast Classic: Face Off Against Cancer Tournament in Braintree, MA on the campus of Thayer Academy.