The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the 2018 Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference’s coaches. In addition, the Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year have been selected.
It marks the first time in Empire 8 men’s lacrosse history that one institution has swept all four major awards. In 2002, Ithaca College swept the awards but there were only three awards voted on at the time.
Player of the Year: Max Bailey, Stevens Institute of Technology
Junior attackman Max Bailey is the third Duck in program-history to earn the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year award after guiding nationally-ranked Stevens to its second conference championship in program-history. He has started all 18 games he has played in, posting a team and conference high 91 points on 25 goals and 66 assists. His 3.67 assists per game currently ranks third in Division III. Bailey recorded a career-high 10 assists on Apri 7 which tied the Empire 8 single game record.
Goalie of the Year: Carson White, Stevens Institute of Technology
Carson White has started all 18 games he has played in for the Ducks in 2018 and has a current 16-2 record. He has had 11 games in which he produced double-digit save totals, including a season-high of 16 against Springfield. Overall he has played 935:44 minutes to date in goal and has made 164 saves. He has allowed 7.95 goals against average and has registred a .569 save percentage.
It is the fourth time a Stevens player has been awarded the Goalie of the Year.
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Gebhardt, Stevens Institute of Technology
Ryan Gebhardt was named the Rookie of the Year after a seamless transition into the college game. Gebhardt has appeared in all 19 games to date for the Ducks, making five starts. He ranks first on the team and in the conference in goals scored with 51, while his 63 points ranks third in the league and second on the team. He scored at least one goal in 17 games, including 10 games with three or more goals.
Coach of the Year: Gene Peluso, Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens head coach Gene Peluso has been named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He was previously honored in 2004 when he was the head coach at RIT and then earned the honor in 2012 at the helm of the Ducks. In his ninth year at Stevens, Peluso has guided his team to a current 17-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 league mark. The Ducks earned the No. 1 seed in the Conference Tournament for the third time in program history and won the E8 title for the second time. Stevens earned the automatic NCAA bid and will make its fourth national appearance under Peluso.
Sportmanship Team
In addition to the yearly awards and all-conference teams, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2018 Men’s Lacrosse Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Empire 8 2018 Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year: Max Bailey, Stevens Institute of Technology
Goalkeeper of the Year: Carson White, Stevens Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Gebhardt, Stevens Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year: Gene Peluso, Stevens Institute of Technology