ECAC

ECAC DII Lacrosse League Announces 2016 Award Recipients, All-Conference Teams

5/5/2016 1:33:57 AM

DANBURY, Conn. - Ahead of the upcoming conference tournament, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Lacrosse League has announced the 2016 all-conference teams and major award winners, as voted by the league's head coaches.

Wheeling Jesuit University's Bryce Brochu was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year, while Bret Swan from Lake Erie College garnered the honor for Specialist of the Year. Mercyhurst University and its top-ranked defensive unit captured a pair of honors, as Greg Weyl earned the Defensive Player of the Year accolade and teammate Matt Wells took home the award for Goalkeeper of the Year.

The University of Indianapolis also collected two awards in its first year as a varsity program, as goalkeeper Jared Kimble picked up the league's Rookie of the Year award and Head Coach Greg Stocks was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.

Lake Erie and Mercyhurst each had nine student-athletes receive all-conference recognition, with a league-best four Laker student-athletes earning first-team nods. UIndy had 11 student-athletes garner recognition, highlighted by seven Greyhounds gracing the ECAC DII Lacrosse League All-Rookie Team. Seton Hill University saw seven selected as all-conference, while Lindenwood University's six all-conference honorees were highlighted by a pair of first-team selections. Wheeling Jesuit and Walsh University both placed four student-athletes on all-conference rosters, while two student-athletes from Alderson Broaddus University earned nods.

Brochu earns the distinction for top offensive player after a strong senior season for the Cardinals. The midfielder finished second in the conference in points with 58, racking up 28 goals and 30 assists while starting all 12 games for Wheeling Jesuit. Brochu scored with stunning consistency in 2016, finding twine in every game but one, and elevated his play as the season progressed. The senior compiled 19 goals and 17 assists during the final six games of the season, leading Wheeling Jesuit on a five-game win streak in the process.

Swan led the league in multiple defensive categories during his freshman campaign for Lake Erie en route to winning Specialist of the Year. The first-year player picked up a league-high 83 groundballs and also led the league with 173 faceoff wins. Swan was named the league's Specialist of the Week for the week ending March 20 after collecting nine groundballs and going 25-for-37 on faceoffs in two wins for the Storm.

Mercyhurst's Weyl garners Defensive Player of the Year honors after helping the Lakers post the best defensive record in the league this season. With Weyl at the heart of the backline, Mercyhurst allowed a league-low 6.29 goals per game, which also stands as the second-best mark in the nation. The sophomore led all league players with 29 caused turnovers, and also chipped in on offense with two goals and two assists for four points in 15 games played.

Another key component in Mercyhurst's staunch defense, Wells captures Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the league in wins and goals-against average. The senior compiled a 13-2 mark in the regular season, making 101 saves on 362 shots faced for a .526 save percentage and a league-best 6.27 GAA. Wells was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week on four occasions during the regular season, including consecutive honors in the final two weeks of the year as he backstopped the Lakers to the league's regular-season crown.

Kimble's Rookie of the Year award follows a freshman season that saw him control the Indianapolis cage. The rookie started all 13 games for the Greyhounds in their inaugural varsity campaign, posting an 8-5 record with an 8.29 GAA and a .538 save percentage. Kimble was even tougher in conference, turning in a 7.55 GAA and .544 save percentage in eight games against league foes, both of which ranked second among league goalkeepers.

Stocks completes the major awards with his Coach of the Year honor, the second of his career and first at UIndy. In his first season at the helm in Indianapolis, Stocks guided the Greyhounds to an 8-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference in their first year as a varsity program. Under Stocks, UIndy posted the best man-up percentage of any team in the league, clicking at 46.7 percent (21-for-45), while also recording the third-best goals-against mark in the conference (8.45 GAA).

2016 ECAC DII LACROSSE LEAGUE MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

Offensive Player of the Year: Bryce Brochu - Wheeling Jesuit University

Specialist of the Year: Bret Swan - Lake Erie College

Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Weyl - Mercyhurst University

Goalkeeper of the Year: Matt Wells - Mercyhurst University

Rookie of the Year: Jarod Kimble - University of Indianapolis

Coach of the Year: Greg Stocks - University of Indianapolis

2016 ECAC DII LACROSSE LEAGUE ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

A: Bryce Brochu - Wheeling Jesuit University

A: Zach Hartmann - Seton Hill University

A: Mitchell Shafer - Lake Erie College

M: James Crowe - Mercyhurst University

M: Bryan Crim - Walsh University

M: Lucas Shafer - Lake Erie College

LSM: Shane Endres - Mercyhurst University

D: Greg Weyl - Mercyhurst University

D: Kole Robinson - Lake Erie College

D: Connor Laird - Lindenwood University

S: Tyler Schermann - Lindenwood University

G: Matt Wells - Mercyhurst University

SECOND TEAM

A: Dereck Downs - Wheeling Jesuit University

A: Derek Richards - Mercyhurst University

A: Keir Yonge - Alderson Broaddus University

M: Courtland Black-Araujo - Lake Erie College

M: Zack Rusch - Seton Hill University

M: David Corazalla - Lindenwood University

LSM: Tyler Smoot - Lake Erie College

D: Matt Mahood - Seton Hill University

D: Mark Guzik - Walsh University

D: Max Gerhardt - University of Indianapolis

S: Bret Swan - Lake Erie College

G: Ben Besancenez - Lindenwood University

HONORABLE MENTION*

A: Edmond Renaud - Lake Erie College

A: Parker Kump - University of Indianapolis

A: Josh Coons - Lindenwood University*

A: Garret Howell - Seton Hill University*

M: Alex Hudgens - Walsh University

M: Sam Horning - Wheeling Jesuit University

M: Erik Hultgren - Seton Hill University

LSM: Adam Dobis - University of Indianapolis

D: Zach Bruening - Lake Erie College

D: Zach Crabtree - Wheeling Jesuit University

D: Marco Maronski - Mercyhurst University

S: Nick Neferis - Seton Hill University

G: Jarod Kimble - University of Indianapolis

ALL-ROOKIE

A: Parker Kump - University of Indianapolis

A: Kurtis Woodland - Mercyhurst University

A: Tyler Johnston - University of Indianapolis*

A: Dustin Stone - Alderson Broaddus University*

M: Sean Darroch - Lindenwood University

M: Matthew Johnson - University of Indianapolis

M: Sam Crusha - Mercyhurst University

LSM: Adam Dobis - University of Indianapolis*

LSM: Brett Craig - Seton Hill University*

D: Max Gerhardt - University of Indianapolis

D: Brandon May - Mercyhurst University

D: Connor Swanger - University of Indianapolis*

D: Jake Selvage - Walsh University*

S: Bret Swan - Lake Erie College

G: Jarod Kimble - University of Indianapolis

* Denotes tie in voting

In the 76 years since its inception, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has emerged as the nation's largest Conference. The ECAC has grown considerably from its charter membership of 58, boasting over 300 member schools in Divisions I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. In the 2015-16 academic year, the ECAC will host nearly 100 championships in 32 men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 male and female Players. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.

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