MEN’S LACROSSE LANDS SEVERAL ON GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE SQUAD

BOSTON, Mass. – Several members from the Emmanuel College men's lacrosse team landed spots on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference teams, it was announced by the Conference office last week. Eight Saints were recognized by the conference as All-Stars, seven earning First Team accolades. Head Coach Brendan McWilliams was tabbed the GNAC Coach of the Year while sophomore defenseman Pat Heffernan (Pembroke, Mass.) was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. Rookie defenseman Chris Baglivi (Mattituck, N.Y.) also earned a major honor as the GNAC Rookie of the Year.

In his third season at the helm, McWilliams took the program to a new level in 2014, leading Emmanuel to the program's first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship in just their third season of varsity competition. After the Saints dropped their first three games of the year, EC would go on a 15-game winning streak including a 10-0 mark during the regular season in GNAC play in which Emmanuel outscored GNAC opponents by a gaudy 113-36 margin..

Earning the other major GNAC honors, Heffernan and Baglivi were a pivotal part in the Saints defensive unit that heading into the NCAA tournament, ranked second in the nation, allowing just 5.0 goals per game. Heffernan started all 19 games on the year, collecting 39 groundballs and causing 31 turnovers. Baglivi grabbed 63 groundballs and caused 45 turnovers. Joining the duo on the GNAC First Team was freshman Brendan Gallagher (Solon, Ohio) who grabbed 28 groundballs and caused 24 turnovers.

Junior goalie Austin Lauzier (Bedford, N.H.) earns First Team honors after his strongest campaign in between the pipes. Lauzier led the GNAC with a 6.31 goals against average, posting a conference-best 15 wins this year, which is also the EC single-season record. The Bedford, N.H. native made 153 saves and allowed just 84 goals heading into the NCAA tourney and was named the MVP of the GNAC Tournament.

Junior middie Jake Pickett (Stratham, N.H.) and sophomore middie Nick DelMonaco (Billerica, Mass.) were both named to the GNAC First Team in the specialist spots. Pickett earned the Short Stick Specialist honors as the Saints main face-off man, winning a team-high 158 face-offs on the year to go along with a team-best 94 groundballs. Pickett also registered three points, scoring two goals to go along with an assist including the program's first-ever NCAA tournament tally. DelMonaco earns Long Stick Specialist honors after playing in and starting all 19 games and grabbing 33 groundballs while causing 25 turnovers. DelMonaco was a big part of the midfield success for the Saints and plays much bigger than his size (5'7/180).

Sophomore Chris Curtis (Ashland, Mass.) earned First Team midfield honors after a stellar year for the Saints in which he registered a team-high 45 points to rank ninth overall in the GNAC. Curtis scored 31 goals to share the team lead while ranking ninth in the conference and also dished out 14 assists. The sophomore registered at least two points in 16 of the Saints 19 games and also notched 33 groundballs on the year.

Sophomore middie Michael Rogers (New Haven, Conn.) earns GNAC Second Team honors for the second consecutive season following another strong campaign. Rogers posted 36 points on the year including 30 goals to rank third on the team and 13^th in the conference in scores. The sophomore registered at least one point in 17 of the Saints 19 games this year and capped the year with 66 groundballs to rank second on the team and 13^th in the GNAC.

The Men's Lacrosse historic season wrapped up on May 7 following their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance against Tuft University. The Saints ended the year with a 15-4 overall record which included a 10-0 mark in GNAC play and a 15-game winning streak. EC will lose its lone senior, Brian O'Regan (Milton, Mass.) to graduation but return the rest of the roster in 2015.