LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Ed Stephenson announced Wednesday the addition of seven transfers and two freshmen walk-ons for the River Hawks 2015 season.

"I've been very impressed with both our recruited transfers and our walk-ons," said Stephenson. "Overall, this is a very strong group academically, and they have the ability to develop into fine Division I athletes."

The list of transfers includes Alex Desmarais (Atkinson, N.H./Salisbury University), Sam Klingsporn (Aloha, Ore./High Point University), Chris Litchfield (Burlington, Mass/Nichols College), Nicholas Pino (North Andover, Mass/Plymouth State), Luke Roever (Bow, N.H./Mount St. Mary's), Kyle Strong (Groton, Mass/Clarkson University) and Martin Winter (Lake Oswego, Ore/Jacksonville University).

"Two of our more experienced guys, Martin Winter and Chris Litchfield, have shown strong leadership skills thus far and I look forward to seeing them progress," Stephenson said. "All of these guys are competing hard and could see time in the spring."

In addition to the transfers, freshmen Adam Auditore (Medford, Mass./Medford High School) and Peter Slattery (Salem, Mass./Salem High School) have made the squad after impressing during open tryouts earlier this month.

"I don't know if we'll have tryouts in the future, but for our first year they were very important," Stephenson said. "We were able to add depth, and maybe even a leading role."
 
RIVER HAWK BIOGRAPHIES

Name: Adam Auditore
Hometown/High School: Medford, Mass. / Medford High School
Position: Defense
Height: 5'7"
 
Medford High School: Tallied one goal and two assists during his senior season – Finished tied for second on the team with 37 ground balls

Personal: Son of Anthony and Barbara Auditore – Majoring in Business – His favorite musical artist is Michael Buble – Remember the Titans is his favorite movie – Lists beating Arlington Catholic in 2013 as his favorite sports memory – Has been taking flying lessons with his uncle since he was 14 and hopes to get his pilot's license – Jackie Robinson is his most influential sports figure – The New England Patriots are his favorite sports team – Lists snowboarding as his favorite hobby

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Adam is a hardworking, tough defender with Division I potential."
 
Name: Alex Desmarais
Hometown/Previous School: Atkinson, N.H. / Salisbury University
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6'4"
Club Team: NH Tomahawks
 
Salisbury: Earned 48 minutes in net as a freshman

Timberlane High School / Gould Academy: Three-year starter at Timberlane High School – Named captain, team MVP and honorable mention All-State in his junior season – Transferred to Gould Academy for a repeat junior year – Two-time First-Team MAISAD and First-Team Northern New England – Set records in saves (420) and save percentage (71%) in his junior season

Personal: Son of Bruce and Jean Desmarais – Greatest sports moment was winning the conference championship in 2011 – Lists Four Brothers and Wedding Crashers as his favorite movies – Names the Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics as his favorite sports teams – Breaking Bad and Entourage are his favorite television shows – His favorite musical artists are Jay-Z and Dispatch – Bill Russell is his top sports figure – Majoring in International Business

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Alex is a good student and he has been very competitive thus far.  I look forward to working with him."
 
Name: Sam Klingsporn
Hometown/Previous School: Aloha, Ore. / High Point University
Position: Midfield
Height: 6'3"
Club Team: Black Rhinos
 
High Point: Appeared in two games last season at Furman and Richmond

Aloha High School: Participated in lacrosse and football in high school – A four-year varsity letterman in lacrosse – Named Team MVP and Honorable Mention All-Conference in 2010 – Second-Team All-Conference in 2011 – Awarded First-Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-State in 2012 – All Conference Tight End in football his junior season – Named First-Team All-Conference, Second-Team All-State and Adrenaline All-American his senior season in 2013 – Graduate and AP Scholar with honors

Personal: Son of Scott and Lisa Klingsporn – His favorite hobbies include hiking, camping, swimming and running – Lists The Godfather, Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street as his favorite movies – Names The Office, Eastbound & Down and The Walking Dead as his favorite television shows – The Portland Trailblazers are his favorite sports team – He names Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Floyd Mayweather Jr. as his favorite athletes – Beating league-rival Jesuit in in 2010 is his favorite sports moment – Lists Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G and Weezer as his favorite musical artists – Majoring in Business Administration

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Sam is a very strong student and a very competitive midfielder.  I look forward to seeing him develop into a leader for us."
 
Name: Christopher Litchfield
Hometown/Previous School: Burlington, Mass. / Nichols College
Position: Midfield
Height: 6'3"

Nichols College: Played his freshman season in 2013 – Finished third on the team in points (32) and second on the team in goals (27)
Burlington High School: Three-year varsity player – Two-time First Team All-State – captained the team his senior season – Scored 150 points in his three seasons

Personal: Son of Diane Reale – Enjoys listening to country music – His grandfather is his biggest influence – Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and The Office are his favorite television shows – Lists Dumb and Dumber, Act of Valor and Never Back Down as his favorite movies – His favorite sports moment was scoring a game-winning goal in overtime in high school against a school rival to make the playoffs.

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Chris is a very strong student and he brings strong leadership skills to our young team.  I've been very impressed with his hard work and determination."
 
Name: Nicholas Pino
Hometown/Previous School: North Andover, Mass. / Plymouth State
Position: Attack/Midfield
Height: 6'1"
Club Team: Home Grown Raptors
 
Plymouth State: Finished fourth in scoring as a freshman with 32 points (26 G, 6 A)

North Andover H.S.: Participated in the U-17 All-American lacrosse game in 2013 – Named 2013 Eastern Mass Lacrosse Coaches Association First Team All-American
Personal: Son of Rita Pino – Lists the Boston Bruins as his favorite sports team – His favorite show to watch on television is The Office and his favorite movie is The Town – Kevin Durant is his favorite sports figure – Lists his favorite musical artist as Lil Wayne – Majoring in Business Management

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Nick has shown some skills that could help him develop into a strong Division I athlete."
 
Name: Luke Roever
Hometown/Previous School: Bow, N.H. / Mount St. Mary's
Position: Midfield
Height: 5'10"
Club Team: NH Tomahawks
 
Mount St. Mary's: Redshirted as a freshman – Did not play his sophomore year due to injury

Bishop Guertin High School: Four-year varsity attackman – Three-time All-State performer – Helped his team win three state championships – Three-time U-19 NH Tomahawks purple selection – Scored over 100 points in his high school career

Personal: Son of Howard and Nancy – Lists Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Blue Mountain State, ESPN First Take and Hockey Night in Canada as his favorite television shows – Greatest sports moment was winning three state championships in high school – 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Tyga, Kendrick Lamar and Hardwell are among his favorite rappers – Names the Toronto Maple Leafs and Miami Dolphins as his favorite sports teams – Attending UMass Lowell for the opportunity to play Division I lacrosse close to home while receiving a great education – Majoring in Business Marketing

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Luke is a good student, and he has a strong skill set.  I'm looking forward to seeing him develop."
 
Name: Peter Slattery
Hometown/Previous School: Salem, Mass. / Salem High School
Position: Attack/Midfield
Height: 5'10"
Club Team: Home Grown Raptors
 
Salem High School: 2014 NEC Offensive Player of the Year – All-Conference performer his final two years – NEC South Champions in 2013 and 2014 – Played lacrosse, football and swam in high school
 
Personal: Son of Sean Slattery and Alexandra Pineros-Shields – His favorite sports moment was winning the 2013 NEC South Championship – Michael Jordan, Pele and Tom Brady are among his favorite sports figures – Lists Prison Break, The Office and Breaking Bad as his favorite television shows – Woodworking and stringing lacrosse sticks are his favorite hobbies – His favorite movies are Friday Night Lights, Good Will Hunting and Gladiator – All four major Boston sports teams are his favorites

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Peter has good stick skills with the tools to develop."
 
Name: Kyle Strong
Hometown/Previous School: Groton, Mass / Clarkson University
Position: Midfield
Height: 5'11"
 
Clarkson: Featured in two games during the 2012 season and won one ground ball

Kent School: Played lacrosse and soccer during his time in high school – AP Merit Scholar his junior and senior years

Personal: Son of Joyce and William Strong – Sister Kasie played collegiate hockey at Rochester Institute of Technology and was recently inducted into the RIT Athletic Hall of Fame for Women's Ice Hockey – Top ranking caddie at two of the top 50 golf courses in the entire world (Oak Hill CC, Rochester, NY- The Country Club, Brookline, MA) – His favorite hobby is golf and he has caddied for ESPN's Mike Greenberg, PGA President Ted Bishod and LPGA Tour Pro Allison Walsh – Lists the four Boston sports teams as his favorites – Patrice Bergeron, Dustin Pedroia, Allison Walsh and his sister Kasie are among his favorite sports influences – His greatest sports moment is being a part of the River Hawks inaugural Division I lacrosse team

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Kyle earned a spot during our open tryouts.  He's a very good student and a very hard worker."
 
Name: Martin Winter
Hometown/Previous School: Lake Oswego, Ore. / Jacksonville University
Position: Attack/Midfield
Height: 6'0"
Club Team: Rhino Lacrosse, West Coast Starz
 
Jacksonville University: One of five freshmen to travel to every game – Top freshman attackman during 2012-13 season – President's List for 4.0 semester twice in a row

Oregon Episcopal High School: Led high school in scoring three years in a row – Multi-time All-Conference and All-State performer – Team captain for his senior season

Personal: Son of Lea and Jerry Winter – Majoring in Psychology – Becoming the first US team to win the Space Needle Shootout is his favorite sports moment – First player to play Division I Lacrosse from his high school – The Detroit Lions are his favorite sports team – Lists Man v. Wild, Trailer Park Boys and Dragon Ball Z as his favorite TV shows – Monty Python and the Holy Grail is his favorite movie – His favorite hobbies include playing video games and coaching lacrosse – Black Sabbath, Anvil and Pantera are his favorite musical groups – Has a pet tarantula named Steve

Head Coach Ed Stephenson: "Martin made the long trip from his West Coast home in Oregon to join our new program, and I couldn't be happier. Martin is a very strong student, and he has quickly emerged as a leader on and off of the field."