Men's Lacrosse All-NESCAC Selections Announced
Hessler of Tufts Scores Player of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. – Junior attacker DJ Hessler (Monkton, Md.) of Tufts has been named the 2010 NESCAC Player of the Year, as determined by the conference coaches. Hessler has been a big part of a remarkable season for the Jumbos, one in which his team has recorded a program-best 17 victories to date, won its first-ever NESCAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship, and has reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He joins former Jumbos Bryan Griffin (2003, 2004) and Devin Clarke (2005) in winning the conference’s top honor.
In addition to being named NESCAC Player of the Year, Hessler garnered All-NESCAC honors for the third consecutive spring with his second-straight appearance on the First Team. Hessler leads his Jumbo squad in scoring for the third time in as many years heading into Wednesday’s NESCAC title game rematch against Middlebury in the NCAA quarterfinals. Starting all 18 games, Hessler has a league-high 78 points on 32 tallies and 46 assists while adding in 39 ground balls and committing only one penalty. His 78 points are just shy of the 89 he accumulated during a sophomore season (42-27) in which he set a new single-season record at Tufts. In the opening round of the 2010 NESCAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship on May 2, Hessler set a tournament record with six assists in a 13-9 victory over Williams. Already the career assist leader at Tufts with 116 helpers, Hessler is 22 points shy of the program’s all-time scoring mark.
Hessler was joined at attack on the All-Conference First Team by seniors Steve Dachille (Garden City, N.Y.) of Connecticut College and Whit McCarthy (Darien, Conn.) of Colby. Dachille earned All-NESCAC honors for the first time thanks to a career year for the Camels, as he paced the NESCAC in goals with a personal-best 44 markers and led his teammates in scoring with 48 points. McCarthy moved up from the 2009 Second Team to the 2010 First Team after headlining the Mules’ offense for the second year in a row on 33 goals (seven man-up) and 11 assists for 44 points.
Returning at midfield on the First Team was Bowdoin junior Owen Smith (Brunswick, Maine). Smith’s most recent season between the pines proved to be his best with a career-high 22 goals and six assists for 28 points, third among the Polar Bears, while also scooping 21 grounders. Along with Smith at midfield were Tufts junior Matt Witko (Chappaqua, N.Y.) and Amherst sophomore Evan Redwood (Lutherville, Md.). Witko is fourth for the Jumbos in scoring with 41 points, tallying 34 goals on a team-high 116 shots. Redwood followed up a strong rookie campaign by nearly doubling his point totals from last season, as his 36 points put him in a two-way tie atop the Lord Jeff stat sheet. His 16 helpers were the most for any Amherst player while his 47 ground balls were second.
Tufts senior defender Eytan Saperstein (Hewlett, N.Y.) was named to the conference’s top squad for the second year in a row. Saperstein has 80 grounders as part of a defense that has an 8.33 goals against average. He has also contributed a goal and two assists to the offense. Williams senior Andrew D’Ambrosio (Arlington, Va.) and Middlebury sophomore Matt Rayner (Andover, Mass.) both received All-NESCAC honors for the first time. A four-year starter for the Ephs, D’Ambrosio drew the toughest assignments and regularly covered opponents’ best attackers. Rayner is currently second on his team in ground balls with 55, as the Panthers’ playmaker in the defensive end also tallied his second career goal this season.
Junior face-off specialist Craig Bunker (Topsfield, Mass.) of Colby earned First Team honors for the second-straight season as a unanimous choice by the coaches. Bunker once again led the NESCAC in face off wins with a remarkable .724 conversion rate, a figure that ranks third nationally. He also averaged 7.56 ground balls per game with a conference-best 121 grounders and chipped in two goals and three assists.
Alec Bialosky (Moreland Hills, Ohio) gave Tufts four representatives on the 13-member All-NESCAC First Team, more than any other program, with a nod at long-stick midfielder. A big part of the Jumbos’ transition offense, the junior has 58 ground balls to go with seven goals and five assists. Also at LSM was Trinity senior Colin Murphy (Wellesley, Mass.), as eight of the 10 conference institutions had a man on the First Team. Murphy was a four-year starter for the Bantams and capped his career with three goals and two assists for five points along with 36 grounders.
Williams senior goalkeeper Stephen Vrla (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) completed the 2010 NESCAC All-Conference First Team. Vrla became the everyday starter for the Ephs in net this season and played nearly every minute of every game. He posted a .665 save rate and a 6.87 goals against average in conference contests.
NESCAC Rookie of the Year went to Colby midfielder Ian Deveau (Portsmouth, R.I.). The only first year player among the league leaders in scoring, Deveau saw action in all 16 outings for the Mules this season and distributed the ball well with a team-high 21 assists. He finished second in overall points for Colby with 35.
Fourth year head coach Dave Cornell of Connecticut College came away with Coach of the Year honors. After going 1-8 in league play last spring, the Camels opened 2010 with a program-record 13-game winning streak and went on to record the most victories in school history with 14 as they finished atop the conference standings with an 8-1 record.
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| 2010 NESCAC Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Team |
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First Team |
Institution |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| A |
Steve Dachille |
Connecticut College |
Sr. |
Garden City, N.Y. |
| A |
DJ Hessler |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Monkton, Md. |
| A |
Whit McCarthy |
Colby |
Sr. |
Darien, Conn. |
| M |
Evan Redwood |
Amherst |
So. |
Lutherville, Md. |
| M |
Owen Smith |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Brunswick, Maine |
| M |
Matt Witko |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Chappaqua, N.Y. |
| LSM |
Alec Bialosky |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Moreland Hills, Ohio |
| LSM |
Colin Murphy |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Wellesley, Mass. |
| SP |
Craig Bunker |
Colby |
Jr. |
Topsfield, Mass. |
| D |
Andrew D'Ambrosio |
Williams |
Sr. |
Arlington, Va. |
| D |
Matt Rayner |
Middlebury |
So. |
Andover, Mass. |
| D |
Eytan Saperstein |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Hewlett, N.Y. |
| GK |
Stephen Vrla |
Williams |
Sr. |
Paradise Valley, Ariz. |
| |
| |
Second Team |
Institution
|
Yr. |
Hometown |
| A |
Russ Halliday |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Sudbury, Mass. |
| A |
Pete Smith |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Wilton, Conn. |
| A |
Adam Tracy |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Providence, R.I. |
| M |
Eric Doran |
Connecticut College |
Jr. |
Pennington, N.J. |
| M |
Alex Fox |
Amherst |
So. |
Garden City, N.Y. |
| M |
David Hild |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
West Hartford, Conn. |
| LSM |
Mike O'Donnell |
Connecticut College |
So. |
Winchester, Mass. |
| SP |
Corey Jacobs |
Williams |
Jr. |
Somers, Conn. |
| D |
Henry Andrews |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Owings Mills, Md. |
| D |
Teddy Bascom |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Sudbury, Mass. |
| D |
Michael Nadler |
Bates |
Sr. |
Northborough, Mass. |
| GK |
Rob Moccia |
Connecticut College |
So. |
Malvern, Pa. |
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Player of the Year |
|
|
|
| A |
DJ Hessler
|
Tufts |
Jr. |
Monkton, Md.
|
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Rookie of the Year |
|
|
| M |
Ian Deveau
|
Colby |
Fr. |
Portsmouth, R.I.
|
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Coach of the Year |
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|
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Dave Cornell
|
Connecticut College
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