Syracuse has the Powells; Hopkins has the Peysers, Bensons, DiConzas, Harneds and LeSueurs. On the women's side, Hopkins history doesn't run as thick, but there are the Crisafulli sisters, as well as two younger sisters of former players on this year's team.
The Peysers will soon match up to the Powells' legacy of having all three sons attend the same collegiate lacrosse powerhouse. Michael Peyser, one of last year's captains, started the dynasty when he came to Hopkins in the fall of 1999. His brother and current sophomore, Greg, followed him three years later.
"A big part of my decision to come to Hopkins was lacrosse but even bigger was my brother," said Peyser. "I came to the decision on my own. My parents told me they would go to my games as well as my brother's if I want to a different school, but they wanted me to go to Hopkins ultimately."
The experience of having an older brother who could show Greg the ropes of both Hopkins lacrosse and Hopkins academics was "awesome."
"Michael got me through my first year here," said Greg. "It was great to have someone else to talk to when you didn't want to talk to anyone else."
Greg made Varsity in eighth grade, so he and Michael played together for two years before Michael came to Hopkins to play defense. Sophomore year of high school was the only time Greg wasn't on a team with one of his brothers; Stephen, the youngest Peyser, joined Greg on varsity a year later.
"It was the normal sibling thing between all of us in terms of competition," said Greg. "You want to be able to live up to what your older brother has done--you want to be on the same level or better."
Now that Greg is again in another season without a brother on the sideline, it won't last long; Stephen will be enrolling at Hopkins this fall.
"It's nice to be walked through it [freshman year] but it's also nice to create my own persona this year," said Greg.
Having Stephen come to Hopkins is definitely exciting for the Peyser family.
"Stephen knows he made the right decision...family was the defining point," said Greg.
Michael Doneger, the younger brother of Adam, another co-captain on last year's team, will also be coming to Hopkins this fall along with Stephen.
"When we win it, the victory will be that much sweeter because of the rich and storied tradition of the program," said Greg.
Junior Peter LeSueur agrees that his older brother Paul, who was a defensive middie and captain of the team that advanced to the Final Four in 2000, played "a big part in my decision to come to Hopkins. As a kid I spent a lot of time here around the team coming to my brother's games and Paul showed me what the Hopkins tradition was all about."
Peter, the only three time All-American in Garden City High School's history, was featured on the cover of the recruiting issue of Inside Lacrosse his senior year.
"I had a good feel for Hopkins and all the opportunities it provides both athletically, namely the chance to win a national championship, and academically," he said.
Paul graduated by the time Peter arrived at Homewood, but "the guys who played before with Paul still come to Homecoming and some of the season games."
"It's funny because these were the guys I came to watch when I was in middle school," Peter said.
"My decision to come to Hopkins came down to the fact that it was a good fit for me," said Joe Benson, the younger brother of last year's co-captain and standout attackman Bobby Benson. "Bobby helped a lot in making the transition to college life easier."
Being from Baltimore also was a factor because, according to the younger Benson, "everybody in Baltimore knows what a great tradition Hopkins lacrosse is."
"Lacrosse is something I look forward to everyday," said Bobby. "I love getting out there and competing. Part of my decision to come to Hopkins was because I wanted to play at the highest level."
Continuing the family tradition, senior Co-Captain Corey Harned's brother Chris was an attackman for the Jays from 1997-2000. In addition, sophomore Andrew DiConza's older brother P.J. was a co-captain of the 2002 lacrosse team as well as a Third-Team All-American defensemen.
On the women's side, there is a current sibling tandem for this season as well. Junior Anne Crisafulli's younger sister Meghan is a freshman. Both play midfield.
"I knew people on the team because of Anne and going to some of her games," said Meghan. The two sisters played together for two years in high school.
"Now our two younger brothers want to come here," said Anne.
"It was nice because I always knew where she was on the field which made it easier and really comfortable," Meghan said. "It was different not having her there when she left for college."
Adjusting to Hopkins was also easier for Meghan because of Anne's experience.
"It was hard adjusting at first, but now its getting easier," said Meghan.
The two sisters were close all through high school, sharing a room together at home.
"We both know what [we] can do and we look for each other on the field," said Meghan. "Anne explains things better to me; she takes me aside and tells me what to do. Someone else wouldn't do that."
"We are kind of competitive. We play harder when both of us are on the field," said Anne.
Both are happy to be at Hopkins in large part because of the coaching staff.
"I really liked the coaches when I visited," said Anne. "They are like our moms -- they're a big part of our lives."
Molly Burnett, whose older sister Meghan Burnett, a co-captain, graduated last year, says Meghan "made the college decision easier." Like the Crisafullis, the Burnetts were close in high school and played on the same team.
"Meghan made the transition to college easier for me as well," said Molly. "She helped me to adjust last year to both athletics and academics and I do miss her this year."
In addition to these three, junior defender Kristen Miller's older brother, Pat, serves as a graduate assistant coach for the Men's team. Pat Miller also played defense for Hopkins, graduating in 2001.
