Spring Sports Preview: McLean Lacrosse

Dedicated. Playing for the memory of fallen alumnus Alex Wetherbee, the Highlanders hope that they can embody the same traits as the 1995 team captain.

By Mike Hume

To those that did not know him, First Lieutenant Alex Wetherbee, USMC, was simply a McLean High School alumnus whose life was cut short while serving his country in Iraq. But those that did know Lt. Wetherbee knew him as a leader and a man dedicated to those around him.

Those same characteristics that personified his life will now serve as the criteria for the Alex Wetherbee Award, to be given to a senior on the McLean boys lacrosse team who exemplifies the lofty standard that Wetherbee set during his life.

Whether to his country or to his alma mater, Wetherbee’s allegiance was never in question. Last Spring while on leave from his tour of duty in Iraq, Wetherbee met up with some of his teammates from the Class of 1995 to take in a lacrosse game on campus. It would be the final time Wetherbee would see his former team in action.

On Sept. 12 of last year, Wetherbee, a Platoon Commander assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, was killed while leading his unit in Anbar Province near Falluja. It was his second deployment in Iraq since enlisting in December of 2001. He was 27 years old.

This year’s Highlanders boys lacrosse team hopes it can do right by Wetherbee’s memory, playing with the elements that he embodied during his time at McLean, as the team battles through the toughest district in the Northern Region of Virginia.

Last season McLean emerged as a new power on the regional landscape, completing the best season in the school’s history with a mark of 13-5 and advancing to the Regional Final Four. This year, McLean will have to fight hard to remain among the region’s elite, something that second-year Head Coach Cabell Maddux has set as one of his primary goals.

“Last year we kind of surprised everyone, even ourselves,” Maddux says. “Our goal then was simply to make the Regionals. This year our goal is to make it back to the Final Four and earn either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.”

Sporting what Maddux believes to be a deeper and stronger team, that goal ought to be an achievable one for the Highlanders.

McLean returns a quartet of senior captains to lead the way and hopefully set the same example as Wetherbee 10 years ago.

Senior Rob Triplett, who has already committed to Gettysburg for college, returns to lead the attack. Last season Triplett found the back of the opposition’s net 51 times, accounting for 28-percent of his team’s goals.

“Triplett is probably the best attack man in the region,” Maddux says. “The other candidate plays for West Springfield, so we’ll find out soon.” McLean squares off against West Springfield Thursday, March 31.

Joining Triplett on the attack will be last season’s assist leader senior Peter Haig (16 goals, 32 assists in 2004).

“Peter is one of the smartest guys in the region,” Maddux says. “He’s our quarterback out there, he makes things happen.”

Meanwhile, Peter’s brother Billy will patrol the crease once more after posting a 4.94 goals against average, and a save percentage of 64.41 last season.

Senior Tyson Colaianni will lead the defense. Last season, Colaianni was second on the team with 80 ground balls.

“Colaianni is definitely one of the top takeaway guys in the region,” Maddux says of his star defenseman who has already committed to play at Holy Cross. The Haig brothers however have opted to forgo their futures in the sport of lacrosse to attend Rice University in Texas.
Senior midfielder Jeremy Bussard will assume the faceoff duties. Last season, Bussard won 57-percent of his faceoffs.

The 2005 McLean squad will also have the benefit of experience — this year’s team features 12 seniors.

That experience will be badly needed as the Highlanders run the gauntlet of the Liberty District. Maddux has set the bar high for his team, challenging them to take home a first-ever district title. That would entail beating out district powerhouses W.T. Woodson, Madison, Fairfax and Langley. Despite a heated rivalry, the Highlanders have never beaten the Saxons.

In addition to the home match at Langley April 12, key matchups fall on April 14 against Madison, the 26th at Fairfax and May 2, at home against Woodson.

McLean (currently 2-0) already has one impressive win under its belt. The Highlanders notched a 5-4 OT win over 2004 Private School State Champions Cape Henry Collegiate when Peter Haig found Casey Fry in transition and the sophomore scored the game-winner. The Highlanders also topped Lafayette School 11-1 during the spring break tournament in Virginia Beach.

Highlighting the immediate schedule is Saturday’s game against Potomac School when Alex Wetherbee will be honored at halftime and a U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard at 4:45 p.m. prior to the opening faceoff.

“We’re going to remember Alex and what he’s done,” Maddux says. “It’s a reminder to go hard every day and not to take anything for granted, in life or in lacrosse.”

“The things Alex’s award stands for: courage, commitment, dedication … we’re looking for everyone to embody at least some of those traits. Not everyone can encompass all of them, but we’re going to find someone eventually.”

The Highlanders will need leaders to emerge if they want to navigate the arduous schedule and firmly establish McLean as one of the top four powers in the region. On Saturday, and everyday forward, those potential leaders won’t have to look far for their model.

Note: The senior award is not the only way that Wetherbee has been memorialized. An avid outdoorsman, Wetherbee became heavily involved with the Outward Bound program. Along with his family, Outward Bound has started a scholarship fund in Wetherbee’s memory and his wife Heather will help participate in the selection process. The scholarship is available to the children of those who gave their life in service of their country. For more information on the fund, visit http://outwardboundwest.com/student_services/financial_aid/alex_wetherbee.html..