CAMBRIDGE, Mass.
-- One of the most prolific scorers in NCAA men’s lacrosse history, Stony Brook University’s Jordan McBride has been honored as the 2011 America East Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year, which highlighted the league’s end of season awards announced on Tuesday afternoon. The Seawolves’ head coach, Rick Sowell, repeated as Coach of the Year after leading his squad to its third straight regular-season title and University at Albany’s Miles Thompson (Nedrow, N.Y./LaFayette) was tabbed Rookie of the Year to cap the three major award honorees. The winners, along with the all-conference teams, were determined in a vote by the league’s head coaches, who could not vote for their own players or themselves.
McBride, a senior attack who also earned first-team All-America East honors for the fourth straight season, leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally averaging 2.58 goals per game (31 total). He has totaled 19 scores in league play, which also paces the conference, and ranks third in overall points per game (3.08 ppg) with 37 total points. Stony Brook’s all-time leading goal scorer, McBride’s 165 career goals are tied for 16th all-time in NCAA history.
Sowell, who is in his fifth season at Stony Brook, has led his program to a 9-3 mark and its third straight America East regular-season title. The Seawolves, who reached the NCAA quarterfinal round last season, became the first America East squad to go unbeaten against conference foes in back-to-back seasons since Hofstra completed the feat in four straight years from 1995-98. Stony Brook, which is currently ranked 13th in both national polls, boasts the sixth-best offense in the nation averaging 12.5 goals per game.
Thompson, a freshman attack, led all America East rookies and ranks sixth overall averaging 2.73 points per game (41 total). He scored 29 goals, which ranks fourth in the conference, and added 12 assists. Thompson excelled against league foes, racking up 14 scores and five assists in five conference contests. A four-time America East Rookie of the Week selection, Thompson recorded multiple points in nine straight games to close the season.
Joining McBride among the the first-team attackers is teammate Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge), a repeat selection who ranks fourth among league leaders in assists per game with 1.45 (16 total) and seventh in points per game with 2.73 (30 total). Also on the first-team squad is Hartford’s Aidan Genik (Toronto, Ontario/Univ. of Western Ontario), who ranks eighth with 1.83 goals per game (22 total), with 13 of those coming in league play, the second-most in the conference.
Stony Brook’s Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster/Simon Fraser), last year’s Player of the Year, highlights the first-team midfield. A four-time first-team selection, he leads the league and ranks sixth nationally averaging 4.0 points per game (48 total) on 26 goals and 22 assists. The Seawolves’ Tim Trenkle (Commack, N.Y./Commack) accompanies Crowley after totaling 18 goals and six assists during the regular season. Albany’s Joe Resetarits (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg), whose 31 goals tie for the league lead, rounds out the unit.
Binghamton University’s Derrick Danieu (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) highlights the first-team defense. A three-time first-team choice, he has helped the Bearcats hold America East opponents to 8.51 goals per game. Danieu is joined by Hartford’s Conor Flynn (Corning, N.Y./Corning East), a second-team choice a year ago, who ranks fifth among league leaders with 4.40 ground balls per game and Stony Brook’s Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville/Manhattan), who has led a unit that is tops in America East allowing only 7.00 goals per game.
Hartford’s Scott Bement (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) is the first-team goalkeeper after registering an 8.24 goals-against average and a .568 save percentage since his return from injury.
The first-team specialists are led by faceoff specialist Tim Fallon (Lowell, Mass./Lawrence Academy) from Hartford, who ranks second nationally with 8.73 ground balls per game and is eighth nationally winning 62.1 percent of his draws. He is joined by longstick midfielder Ben Waldron (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) from Binghamton and shortstick midfielder Jared LeVerne (Jericho, N.Y./Syosset) from Stony Brook.
The second team attackers are Binghamton’s Matt Springer (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg), UMBC’s Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and University of Vermont’s Drew Philie (Sandwich, Mass./Deerfield Academy), a repeat choice. The midfielders are Hartford’s Carter Bender (Caledon, Ontario/Brewster Academy (N.H.)), a first-team selection a year ago, UMBC’s Jamie Kimbles (Centreville, Md./Queen Anne’s) and Stony Brook’s Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia/Seaquam). Hartford’s Dan Gillespie (Malvern, Pa./Episcopal Academy), UMBC’s Sam McKelvey (Davidsonville, Md./South River) and Vermont’s Evan O’Brien (Winthrop, Mass./Phillips Exeter Academy) comprise the second-team defensive unit. The second-team goalkeeper is Stony Brook’s Rob Camposa (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) and the specialists are long stick midfielder Ben Knapton (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and short stick midfielder Brendan Marlow (Weston, Mass./Brewster Academy) both from Hartford and faceoff man Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) from Stony Brook.
Thompson is accompanied on the all-rookie squad by teammate and cousin Ty Thompson (Hogansburg, N.Y./Salmon River Central), Binghamton’s Michael Antinozzi (Fallston, Md./Fallston), Greg Cove (Rockville Center, N.Y./Southside) and Brandon Planck (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland), Hartford’s Tate Klidonas (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and Alex Matarazzo (New Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield College Prep), UMBC’s Zack Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul’s) and Vermont’s Connor McNamara (Winchester, Mass./Brewster Academy).
Twenty-nine of the 35 all-conference sections will be in action at the 2011 America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins on Wednesday, May 4 with semifinal action. The championship game will be played on Saturday, May 7 at 3 p.m. and televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
For more information on the Championship, including links to live stats and streaming video, visit Championship Central.