Men's Lacrosse All-NESCAC Selections Released
Amherst's Moroney Named Player of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Amherst junior attacker Quinn Moroney (Manhasset, N.Y.) has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2015 NESCAC Player of the Year. He leads the league with 92 points and 66 assists, and has played a role in 45 percent of the Jeffs’ 205 goals so far this season. Moroney is the second Jeff to receive the award, joining Derek Cherney, who shared the award in 2005 and won it outright in 2007.
An All-NESCAC First Team selection in 2014, Moroney continued his assault on the Amherst record books this season. He has registered five or more points in 12 games, averaging 5.75 points per game, to help the Jeffs earn the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Championship for the first time in program history. Earlier this year, Moroney became Amherst’s all-time points leader in the modern era, as he heads into the conference semifinal round with 254 points on 71 goals and 183 assists in 47 career games.
The all-conference attack unit also boasts Tufts’ John Uppgren (Stillwater, Minn.) and Connecticut College’s Briggs Barton (Rye, N.Y.). Uppgren earned his second straight first-team selection after being named to the First Team as a midfielder last season. The junior is tied for first among conference players with 50 goals, and ranks second in points (88), assists (38) and man-up goals (9) heading into the NESCAC semifinals. Barton closed out his collegiate career by being selected to his first All-NESCAC squad. The senior paced the Camels with a team-high 29 goals and tied for a team-high 41 points in 14 games this season.
Williams senior Steven Kiesel (Excelsior, Minn.) headlines the trio of honorees at midfield. Kiesel led the Ephs with 49 points this season, and currently ranks third in the league with 40 goals to receive All-NESCAC recognition for the first time in his career. Joining Kiesel as first-time selections are Bates sophomore Charlie Fay (Falmouth, Maine) and Amherst junior Dylan Park (Charlottesville, Va.). Fay is second in the conference averaging 3.50 goals per game for the Bobcats, who reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since 1987. Park has compiled 32 points on 22 goals and 10 assists to go along with 23 ground balls in 15 games for the Jeffs.
Dylan Lahey (Barnstable, Mass.) of Hamilton was elevated to the First Team for the first time in his career after garnering Second Team accolades in 2013 and 2014. The senior caused 16 turnovers and compiled 47 ground balls for the Continental defense. Amherst junior Ryan Cassidy (Wellesley, Mass.) earned First Team All-NESCAC recognition for the first time in his career by leading the conference’s best defense, which held opponents to 8.94 goals per game. The 2014 Second Team selection has caused a league-best 30 turnovers and recorded a team-high 66 ground balls so far this season. Middlebury’s Cal Williams (Wayland, Mass.) rounds out the First Team defensive unit, landing on the all-conference team for the first time in his career. The senior is tied for fourth among league players with 25 caused turnovers to go along with 78 ground balls. He has also chipped in on the offensive end of the field, tallying a goal and a pair of assists.
Tufts junior Conor Helfrich (Andover, Mass.) was a repeat First Team selection as a face-off midfielder. Helfrich leads the NESCAC for the second consecutive season in ground balls (146) to go along with a .640 face-off percentage (247-386), two goals and four assists. Sophomores Joey Zelkowitz (Westport, Conn.) of Middlebury and Riley Hoffman (Darien, Conn.) of Williams were selected to the First Team as short-stick and long-stick midfielders, respectively, for the first time in their careers. Zelkowitz has registered 13 goals and an assist along with 46 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers in 16 games. Hoffman paced the Ephs with 65 ground balls in addition to contributing 15 goals and two assists for 17 points and 17 caused turnovers.
Amherst sophomore Cody Tranbarger (Louisville, Ky.) earned a spot as the First Team goalkeeper after pacing the league in nearly every statistical category, including goals against average (8.83), save percentage (.642) and saves per game (15.44).
Wesleyan’s Harry Stanton (New Canaan, Conn.) was selected as the 2015 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Stanton had a standout rookie campaign, posting 29 goals and 17 assists to finish second in points for the Cardinals this season. He is the fourth Cardinal to earn the award, joining John Froats (2009), Jon Kileen (2007) and Glen Adams (2003) as previous Wesleyan honorees.
Peter Lasagna of Bates and Jon Thompson of Amherst have been recognized by their peers as the NESCAC Co-Coaches of the Year. Lasagna, who has guided the Bobcats for 15 seasons, is receiving the award for the third time in his career after being acknowledged in 2005 and 2013. He helped direct Bates to its first 10-win season since 1987 and into the NESCAC semifinal round for the first time since 2005. The Bobcats are 10-4 overall with a 6-4 NESCAC record, including wins over Middlebury and Tufts. Thompson earns the award for the first time in his fifth year leading the Jeffs. This season, he led Amherst into the postseason as the top seed in the NESCAC Championship for the first time in program history, while tying the single-season record for wins in a season at 15. The Jeffs are 15-1 overall with a 9-1 NESCAC mark.
Men's Lacrosse All Conference Teams
| First Team All-NESCAC |
| Position |
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
| A |
Briggs Barton |
Conn. College |
Sr. |
Rye, N.Y. |
| A |
Quinn Moroney |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Manhasset, N.Y. |
| A |
John Uppgren |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Stillwater, Minn. |
| M |
Charlie Fay |
Bates |
So. |
Falmouth, Maine |
| M |
Steven Kiesel |
Williams |
Sr. |
Excelsior, Minn. |
| M |
Dylan Park |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Charlottesville, Va. |
| D |
Ryan Cassidy |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Wellesley, Mass. |
| D |
Dylan Lahey |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Barnstable, Mass. |
| D |
Cal Williams |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Wayland, Mass. |
| FO |
Conor Helfrich |
Tufts |
Jr. |
North Andover, Mass. |
| LSM |
Riley Hoffman |
Williams |
So. |
Darien, Conn. |
| SSM |
Joey Zelkowitz |
Middlebury |
So. |
Westport, Conn. |
| GK |
Cody Tranbarger |
Amherst |
So. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-NESCAC |
| Position |
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
| A |
Jack Allard |
Bates |
Jr. |
Ridgewood, N.J. |
| A |
Cole Bailey |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Millersville, Md. |
| A |
Jon Broome |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Mountain Lakes, N.J. |
| A |
Matt Prezioso |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Southington, Conn. |
| M |
Joel Blockowicz |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Potomac, Md. |
| M |
Garrett Clarke |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Ridgewood, N.J. |
| M |
Austin Sayre |
Colby |
So. |
Summit, N.J. |
| D |
Mac Caputi |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Brunswick, Maine |
| D |
Ryan Hamilton |
Williams |
Jr. |
Ridgewood, N.J. |
| D |
Matt Virgilio |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Bay Shore, N.Y. |
| FO |
Ben Parens |
Conn. College |
Fy. |
Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. |
| LSM |
Rob Butko |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Summit, N.J. |
| SSM |
Matt Killian |
Amherst |
So. |
Summit, N.J. |
| GK |
Alex Salazar |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Summit, N.J. |
|
Player of the Year
Quinn Moroney, Amherst |
Rookie of the Year
Harry Stanton, Wesleyan |
Co-Coach of the Year
Peter Lasagna, Bates |
Co-Coach of the Year
Jon Thompson, Amherst
|
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