PHOTO COURTESY OF LEHIGH ATHLETICS
Mike Sisselberger (left) and Conor Gaffney are one of the top faceoff duos in the country.
Mike Sisselberger and Conor Gaffney Share a Competitive Drive
Fri May 14 2021 | Justin Lafleur | College
This story originally appeared on LehighSports.com and is being republished with permission.
Heading into Saturday’s first round of the NCAA tournament against Rutgers, Mike Sisselberger has won 79.5 of his faceoffs, which is better than the current NCAA Division I record for a season.
But it was never a sure thing Sisselberger would even see this much playing time. His teammate, Conor Gaffney, is an All-American himself.
When Mikey Sisselberger walks out onto the field, all he sees is the ball.
All the noise and chaos and movement around him and it all comes down to a ball, sitting there for him to take.
“I like to not focus on anything around me besides the ball,” the Lehigh face-off star says. “They put the ball down before anything. That’s a great focal point there. You’re not focused on anything around you, the ball’s already set on the ground and you have to line up on it.
“I look right at the ball, don’t focus on anything else, get down in my stance and think to myself, ‘be the quicker guy.’ … I’m just thinking, it’s my ball. You have to get the ball before you can do anything afterwards.”