Colorado natives Kyle Hercher and Drew Babb will be joined by seven other recruits for the 2010 season

DENVER – The University of Denver men’s lacrosse team has added nine recruits to its 2009-10 incoming class, it was announced by head coach Jamie Munro. Colorado natives Kyle Hercher and Drew Babb will be joined by Dan Marcus (Connecticut), Nick Eggemeyer (California), Cam Flint (Ontario), Chase Carraro (Kentucky), Alejandro Brown (New Hampshire), Hayden Schutte (California) and Colin Scott (Connecticut).

“We are pleased to announce the names of the nine student athletes who have signed NLI’s with the University of Denver,” Munro said. “We think this group possesses the kind of skill, speed, size and athleticism to help our program continue to grow. We are also very confident that these young men have the kind of character to impact this university in a positive manner. Friends and fans of Denver Lacrosse will have something to be excited about in watching these young men develop over their college careers.”

A defenseman from Heritage High School in Colorado, Hercher was a four year varsity player for the hockey team, and a three year varsity player for the lacrosse team. In 2007, he was named to First Team All-Conference Lacrosse and All-State Lacrosse teams, while grabbing honorable mention honors in 2008. Hercher captained the hockey team his senior year, and also captained the lacrosse team his junior and senior years. Academically, he excelled in many areas, including being a member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. He was Student of the Month in September 2007, and was listed on the honor roll and high honor roll all four years. He was also a two year senator for student government.

“We are excited to have Kyle in the program,” Munro said. “He has great size, quickness and very good hands. He will fit into our system perfectly”

Also joining the 2010 squad from the Rocky Mountain Region is 6’3” right-handed midfielder Drew Babb from Arapahoe High School. In his high-school career at Arapahoe High School, Babb was a three-sport star, playing football, basketball and lacrosse. While with the football team, had was named Honorable Mention and All-League Defensive Line his junior year. In basketball he played as a guard and forward, and was named as All-League Honorable Mention.

In lacrosse, Babb played for the varsity team all four years, and was named captain of the team his junior year. In 2007 he was named First Team All-League, and that summer he was also the MVP of the Colorado Cup and Team Colorado. He was a member of the Mile High All-Stars team in fall of 2007 and summer of 2008. In the 2008 season, he was named First Team All-State and First Team All-League.

“Drew is a three sport athlete who possesses size, great quickness and field sense,” Munro said. “He is a defensive end in football and a point guard in basketball. Drew will develop into a force.”

From the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, Marcus was named All-Western New England in 2008 and was a member of the Connecticut Super Juniors Team. He is a right-handed 5-10 goalie that coach Munro describes as a lightening quick goalie who has excellent out of the cage athleticism, which plays into the type of defense the Pioneers play.

From The Bishop’s School in California, Eggemeyer is a six-foot right-handed defenseman. During his time at The Bishop’s School, his team finished as Coastal Conference runner-ups in 2008 and Coastal Conference Champions in 2007. He was named to the All-Coastal Conference in 2007 and 2008 and was a team captain during his junior and senior seasons. He is a four-year varsity letter winner that was also the recipient of the Scholar Athlete Award.

A laundry list of competitive experience, Eggemeyer was a member of his junior high’s lacrosse team in 2003 and 2004 where he was named First Team All-San Diego, while also serving as a team captain. He participated in the U-15 Tournament at the University of Massachusetts in 2004 and was a member of the RC high school club team during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, where he was an All-Star selection. He received All-Star honors during the Adrenaline Warrior Challenege (Lancaster, Calif.) in January 2007 and was named an All-Star selection during his time as a member of the RC High School Elite Club Team (2007 to 2009).

“Nick Eggemeyer combines speed and intelligence with a toughness you cannot teach,” Munro said. “He will beat you down.”

Also joining the incoming recruits is 5’11” right-handed midfielder Cam Flint who played at the Salisbury School in Connecticut. As described by coach Munro, Flint is a tremendous athlete who possess box lacrosse skills and is a two-way midfielder who can make the Pioneers more athletic.

In 2008, Flint played for the U-19 Canadian National team and was named to the Western New England Prep School All-Division First Team. He received Rookie of the Year honors during his time with the Brampton Excelsiors in 2007 and was selected first overall in the OLA Jr. A Draft. In 2006, Flint received Rookie of the Year honors from the OLA Jr. B Lacrosse Association for his performance with the Halton Hills Bulldogs. He was the team’s MVP and leading scorer and was selected for the All-Star team at the Canadian Nationals, where he was named tournament MVP. In 2005, Flint was select for the All-Star team at the Canadian nationals, where he received his first tournament MVP honor.

From St. Xavier High School in Kentucky, Chase Carraro will join the Pioneers next season as a 5’9” right-handed midfielder. During his high school career Carraro excelled on and off the field. In the classroom, Carraro was the managing editor of his schools newspaper. While on the field Carraro was Team Captain his senior year, earned Lacrosse All-American honors, Kentucky First Team All-State and was the Kentucky State MVP honors.

“This past summer chase established himself as both one of the best face-off men and one of the most dynamic midfielders in the nation,” Munro said. “He possesses great speed and can shoot on the run.”

A member of the Brewster Academy lacrosse team in New Hampshire, Alejandro Brown will join eight others for the 2010 season. Brown was awarded the Williston Varsity MVP in 2004 and was named to the Royal Palms Tournament All-Tournament team in 2007. In 2008, he was named to the NESCAC Division II First Team and was awarded NNELL First Team.

“Alejandro’s quickness, speed and athleticism are on par with the best athletes in the class,” Munro said. “In addition, he brings a toughness that every team needs to win at the next level”

The second recruit from the state of California, Hayden Schutte is a six-foot right-handed attacker from Santa Fe Christian. As well as being a gifted player in the field, Schutte is a stand-out academic as well. From 2006-08, he was a member of California Scholastic Federation and was on the high honor roll. In 2007 he was the Academic Letter Winner Recipient, and in 2008 he was the Union Tribune Scholar Athlete as well as an Academic Pin Recipient. During the 2009 school year, Schutte was his school’s nominee for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award.

On the field, Schutte was a four-year standout. In 2006, he was a member of Fellowship Christian Athletes Jr. National Team. He was named Second Team All-Coastal League, Santa Fe Christian Rookie of the Year and led his team in scoring. Schutte ended the 2006 season with 42 goals and 10 assists, which led to a total of 52 points. In 2007, he was named First Team All-Coastal League and First Team All-North County Time. As the captain of his team, he helped them become Coastal League Champions, and once again led the team in scoring with 62 goals and 15 assists, totaling 77 points. During the 2008 season, he was named First Team All- Coastal League, First Team All-North County Times, and Second Team All-CIF. His team was again the Coastal League Champions as well as the Academic State Champions, with the highest GPA in the state. Schutte was named the Santa Fe Christian Offensive MVP, and was the county’s leading scorer as well as the team’s leading scorer. He ended the season with 68 goals and 16 assists, adding up to a total of 85 points. In the summer of 2007 and 2008, he was also a participant in Jake Reed’s Nike Blue Chip Camp.

Coach Munro describes Schutte as someone who combines athleticism and skill with an unparalleled work ethic and someone who has a knack for scoring goals.

From Ridgefield High School in Connecticut, Colin Scott is a six-foot left-handed attacker. A member of National Honor Society while in high school, Scott comes to DU with a wealth of experience on the field as well as in the classroom. Scott was named All-Area in lacrosse and hockey the past two years. He was named a Pepsi Scholar Athlete of the Month, All-FCIAC for the past three years and Offensive Player of the Year. He made the All-Star Team at the Battle of Hotbeds and captained both the hockey and lacrosse teams.

“Colin is a playmaker,” Munro said. “He can feed, he can finish, he can shoot from the outside and he can put pressure on his man.”

The Pioneers start the season with an exhibition against Air Force on Feb. 7 and begin the regular season on Feb. 14 on the road against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels finished last season ranked No. 6 in the RPI standings and No. 9 in the USILA DI Coaches Poll.