Despite the NCAA’s effort to reduce the disproportionate effect dominant faceoff men can have on the outcome of a game, Dickerson, who had an 81.4-percent mark through eight games last year, has no plans of slowing down. “I’m not planning to lose more faceoffs than last year just because they changed the rules,” he said.
Dickerson was a gymnast for 10 years before finding lacrosse in eighth grade. The discipline and instant feedback he gained from gymnastics translated well to the faceoff position. He traveled throughout the East Coast looking to get on the radar of college coaches but initially had little luck. Eventually, he caught the eye of several Division II schools, including Tampa. Whipple loved what he saw in Dickerson and offered the Berlin, Md., native a chance to compete for a Division II title contender.
With a long line of pilots in his family, Dickerson had been looking in Florida for schools that could allow him to pursue his passion for aviation in addition to lacrosse. He considered Embry-Riddle and Florida Tech, but the opportunity to play at Tampa was too good to pass up.
Sam Watts was the primary faceoff man for the Spartans during Dickerson’s freshman season. He watched Watts succeed with the knee-down approach and soon changed his own mechanics.
“I guess I have to try and fight fire with fire,” Dickerson said.
For the next three-and-a-half years, the adjustments made Dickerson the preeminent faceoff specialist in the country. He took the starting spot as a sophomore and won 75 percent (267-for-354). He followed that with a 76-percent mark (392-for-518) as a junior. He worked on mechanics with former Limestone great Kevin Reisman, who had a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Tampa.
Dickerson was on pace for an even better season when the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2020 campaign. Faced with the same decision as many seniors last spring, Dickerson didn’t have to spend much time pondering whether to return to campus and use the extra year of NCAA eligibility.
Dickerson wants to be part of a championship team at Tampa. His coach knows he could play a major role in making that happen.
“What would it take to get you back here?” Whipple said he asked Dickerson. “We spoke after the last game on finished business. He brings a work ethic that the other kids look up to him, and you know he wants to try to pursue a national championship.”
He knew this offseason would be different on multiple fronts — most importantly as it pertains to learning a new faceoff style. He won’t let that be an excuse for anything less than what he has already produced in his career.
“It’s definitely a little different,” he said. “But at the same time, the guys that want to win the most are still going to win faceoffs.”