Nine from Men's Lacrosse Earn USILA All-America Nods
Nine student-athletes from the Empire 8 men's lacrosse teams have been named to the
United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America Team.
Nazareth senior face-off specialist Drew Simoneau headlined the list of honorees as he was named a first-team All-American by the USILA.
Nazareth junior attackman Luke Wooters and Ithaca senior defenseman Eli Gobrecht were second team selections. Nazareth senior defenseman Jerry Chastenn was named to the third team, while Ithaca's Scott Sidnam and Jack Shumway, Nazareth junior Troy Haefele and sophomore Luke Longo and Stevens Institute of Technology Michael Maroon were honorable mention honorees.
Simoneau, of Manchester, N.H., has earned an array of honors for the Golden Flyers over the course of his four-year career. He earned third-team All-American honors in 2014 and honorable mention in 2013. In 2015, he became the first player to be named Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year three times and was a first-team all-conference selection four times.
Statistically speaking, Simoneau shattered all of Nazareth's records for face-offs and ground balls. He ranked among the national leaders in both categories in 2015 as he won 285 of 419 draws (.680) and scooped up 202 ground balls. He won 1,038 career face-offs and had 779 ground balls. Academically, Simoneau has a 3.36 grade-point average as a Physical Therapy major.
Wooters, of White Plains, N.Y., is a two-time first-team all-conference selection who earned honorable mention All-American honors in 2013. He led the Golden Flyers in scoring for 2015 with 101 points on 50 goals and 51 assists. With 141 career goals, Wooters needs just two goals to break Nazareth's all-time career record of 142 goals, held by Marty Kelly since 1992. His 111 career assists rank third all-time.
Gobrecht recorded All-America recognition for the second consecutive season. He commanded Ithaca's defense as a junior with 52 caused turnovers to tie a career-high. He headed the conference and ranked 15th nationally across Division III lacrosse in that category. Starting all 18 games for Ithaca, Gobrecht also collected 72 groundballs, registered seven goals and dished out three assists.
Chasteen, of St. James, N.Y., also is a four-time Empire 8 Conference all-star and a first-team selection in 2013 and 2015. His career stats include 155 ground balls and 84 caused turnovers.
A goalkeeper, Sidnam, led the Bombers with 150 saves over 18 games, to rank second in the Empire 8 in that category. Sidnam held a 7.44 goals-against-average to place third overall in the conference and went 13-4 on the season. Sidnam also earned Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2015; marking the second time in his career he has been awarded that honor.
Shumway
, an attackman, was Ithaca's leading scorer as sophomore, recording 42 goals and 29 assists on 18 starts. Shumway ranked third in the Empire 8 with 71 points. He also scooped 35 groundballs and logged eight caused turnovers throughout the 2015 season.
Haefele, of Greene, Maine, enjoyed a prolific season as a goal scorer for the Golden Flyers in 2015 as he finished second on the team with 78 points on 47 goals and 31 assists.A three-time first-team Empire 8 Conference all-star, Haefele also led the team with 11 man-up goals in 2015 and has 33 for his career.
Longo, of Syracuse, N.Y., excelled for the Golden Flyers in 2015 as a short-stick defensive specialist who also earned first-team E8 all-star honors. He contributed five goals and 11 assists and finished second on the team with 54 ground balls in 2015.
Maroon played a crucial role in the Ducks attack this season, finishing third on the team with 22 goals will tallying a team-high 16 assists in 12 starts. The senior also scooped-up 33 ground balls while forcing 11 turnovers for the 9-8 Ducks.