Four NE10 Student-Athletes Earn Major Awards and 22 Named All-Americans
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) released its major award winners and All-America selections on Thursday, and the Northeast-10 Conference won four of the eight major awards while 22 student-athletes were selected as All-Americans.
Le Moyne senior Matt Hutchings was honored as the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year while Pace's Dan Lewis was selected as the William C. Schmeisser Defensive Player of the Year. CJ Hart of Saint Anselm was named the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie, while Connor Baughan was a co-honoree as the Short Stick Defensive Midfielder of the Year.
The four also earned First-Team All-America honors, along with Le Moyne's Nate Arnold and Ben McCreary. The NE10's six First-Team selections was the most of any conference as were their 22 total All-America honorees. This marks the third straight year the NE10 has claimed Player of the Year honors while it is the fourth consecutive year the National Defensive Player of the Year has been from the NE10.
Hutchings was named the North Region Player of the Year earlier this month and has backed it up in the NCAA Tournament with five goals and nine assists in leading to the Dolphins to a pair of victories and a berth in the NCAA Championship Game. This season he has appeared in ten games, registering 43 points on 26 assists and 17 goals. His the fifth Le Moyne Dolphin to earn National Player of the Year honors.
Lewis ranked second in the country in caused turnovers (36), while also leading the Setters in ground balls with 37. Lewis was anointed both the NE10 and USILA North Region's Defensive Player of the Year. He recorded at least one caused turnover in each game, including a career-high eight against top-ranked Le Moyne. Following the season opener, Lewis collected ground balls in each contest as well with a season-high seven against seventh-ranked Adelphi. He also recorded a pair of goals this season.
Hart finished his season with a 13-2 record and is the NCAA Division II leader in goals-against average (6.45) and save percentage (.627). This year he delivered first-half shutouts in three games this season and logged four double-digit save totals, including a career-high 21 stops against No. 1 Le Moyne in the NE10 Title game on May 8.
Baughan is Bentley's first First-Team All-America selection since 2002 as the team captain finished second on the team with 36 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Defensively, he helped the team earn an 8.94 GAA and 6-3 overall record. He was also a First-Team All-Region selection.
Earning Second-Team All-America honors for the NE10 were Justin Napolitano (Adelphi), Sean McGovern (Adelphi) and Anthony Caputo (Pace). The following were selected to the Third Team: Nichola Racalbuto (Adelphi), Lawrence Galizia (Adelphi), John Arciadiacono (Adelphi), Ross Filtch (Le Moyne), Griffin Shoemaker (Saint Anelm) and John Galimi (Le Moyne). Seven more NE10 student-athletes were named honorable mention.
ABOUT THE NE10
Currently in its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
