CURTIS, HEFFERNAN NAMED GNAC PLAYERS OF THE YEAR, SIX OTHERS ALL-GNAC

WINTHROP, MASS. – For the second straight year, Emmanuel College senior midfielder Chris Curtis has been selected as the GNAC Men's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

Curtis, along with four other All-GNAC First Team selections from Emmanuel, helped lead the Saints to their third consecutive unbeaten regular-season in conference play, along with their third straight GNAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Ashland, Mass. native finished the conference playoffs ranked third among league leaders in goals (46) and points (63), and was also named the GNAC Tournament MVP this past weekend after scoring five times in the title game, a thrilling 14-13 victory over second-seeded Lasell College.

Curtis' classmate Pat Heffernan also collected GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the third straight season, as Emmanuel allowed just 50 goals in its eight GNAC games, all victories. He also has 35 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers through 19 games, as the Saints prepare to take on defending national champion Tufts University in the 2016 NCAA First Round.

Emmanuel attacker Tony Cibelli, long stick midfielder Nick Delmonaco and defensemen Chris Baglivi joined teammates Curtis and Heffernan on the GNAC First Team. Entering NCAA play, Cibelli has 36 goals and 15 assists for 51 points.

Sean Reilly and Austin Rosenberg represented the Saints on the GNAC Second Team, while Brendan Gallagher earned Third Team honors and Tony Marcella was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

The 2016 Goalkeeper of the Year was also a repeat winner from last year, as Johnson & Wales University sophomore JC Guido was awarded with the honor. Last season's Rookie of the Year followed up that campaign by posting a 9.57 goals-against average and .559 save percentage for the Wildcats, who went 5-3 in the league and nearly upset eventual GNAC champion Emmanuel in the tournament semifinals.

Anna Maria College freshman goalkeeper Paul Schwarz was voted the Rookie of the Year by the league's nine head coaches, as the rookie led the GNAC in saves (297) and was second in save percentage (.582). His 297 saves were 76 more than the next highest total across the conference, as he maintained his stellar save rate all season despite seeing a bevy of shots from opponents.

Norwich University eighth-year head coach Neal Anderson was voted the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year, marking the third time he was received the honor. He also won the award in 2012 and 2013. His Cadets finished tied for second place in the GNAC standings, narrowly missing out on a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Their 6-2 league record marked a two-game improvement from Norwich's 4-4 showing and fifth-place finish last spring.

Also earning First Team accolades were Johnson & Wales attacker Max Stone, Norwich University Ryan McCarthy, Mount Ida College midfielder Chad Coehlo, Rivier University midfielder Kyle Graham, Norwich shortstick midfielder Jack Dwyer and Norwich defender Zach Alder.

Stone ranks fourth in goals (43) and second in points (64) among GNAC category leaders, as his Wildcats get set for an ECAC Tournament matchup. McCarthy was also among the top-five in the conference in both goals (40) and points (62), while Coelho and Graham ranked second and third in the league in assists with 33 and 28, respectively.

Anna Maria was awarded with the GNAC Men's Lacrosse Institutional Sportsmanship Award, while the conference also announced each team's All-Sportsmanship selections. For the complete list of All-Conference honorees, please see below.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

First Team
A – Tony Cibelli, Emmanuel (Mass.)
A – Max Stone, Johnson & Wales (RI)
A – Ryan McCarthy, Norwich
M – Chris Curtis, Emmanuel (Mass.)
M – Chad Coehlo, Mount Ida
M – Kyle Graham, Rivier
LSM – Nick Delmonaco, Emmanuel (Mass.)
SSM – Jack Dwyer, Norwich
D – Chris Baglivi, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D – Pat Heffernan, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D – Zach Adler, Norwich
GK – JC Guido, Johnson & Wales (RI)

Second Team
A – Lucas Stralka, Mount Ida
A – Colby Larsen, Rivier
A – Liam Ryan, Rivier
M – Ryan Madden, Lasell
M – Matt Flaherty, Norwich
M – Jake O'Brien, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
LSM – Pete Soonthornprapuet, Norwich
SSM – Sean Reilly, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D – Julian Bandereck, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D – Mike Pino, Lasell
D – Ken Whittier, Rivier
GK – Austin Rosenberg, Emmanuel (Mass.)

Third Team
A – Greg Buck, Albertus Magnus
A – Pat Egan, Lasell
A – Casey Sullivan, Lasell
M – Ben Farrell, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M – Austin Tomasetti, Lasell
M – Jon Berry, Mount Ida
LSM – Jake Guerin, Johnson & Wales (RI)
SSM – Connor Johnson, Lasell
D – Brendan Gallagher, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D – Steve Koziski, Mount Ida
D – James Connors, Norwich
GK – Ian Kriger, Norwich

Offensive Player of the Year – Chris Curtis, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Defensive Player of the Year – Pat Heffernan, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – JC Guido, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Rookie of the Year – Paul Schwarz, Anna Maria
Coach of the Year – Neal Anderson, Norwich
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Anna Maria College

All-Sportsmanship Team
Justin Bennet, Albertus Magnus
Tim Austin, Anna Maria
Tony Marcella, Emmanuel
Ryan Fabiano, Johnson & Wales
Chris Thomas-Ikier, Lasell
Aaron Schuck, Mount Ida
Ryan Dart, Norwich
Joe Kelland, Rivier
Eddie Donnell Jr., Saint Joseph's Maine

~RELEASE COURTESY OF THE GNAC~