Castle & Craven Earn Major GNAC Honors Highlighting Eight All-Conference Picks for Men’s Lacrosse
BOSTON, Mass. – Senior goalie Randy Castle (Boxford, Mass.) and Head Coach Trevor Craven have been named the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men’s lacrosse Goalkeeper and Head Coach of the Year, highlighting eight selections to this year’s All-Conference squad for the Saints.
BOSTON, Mass. – Senior goalie Randy Castle (Boxford, Mass.) and Head Coach Trevor Craven have been named the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's lacrosse Goalkeeper and Head Coach of the Year, highlighting eight selections to this year's All-Conference squad for the Saints.
Along with these major honors, Emmanuel received three First Team picks with senior Derek DelVecchio (Saugus, Mass.) at short-stick midfield and first year Cole Cloney (Medfield, Mass.) at midfield as well as Castle at goalie. Senior Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.) and senior Mason Colwell (Needham, Mass.) picked up Second Team honors at attack and defense while junior Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) and senior Riley Cranson (Newport, R.I.) nabbed Third Team honors at attack and defense. Cloney was also named to the GNAC All-Rookie squad while first year Ryan Etzo (Bedford, N.H.) represented EC on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Craven earns GNAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Saints to the program's fourth GNAC Championship and first since 2016. The squad posted a 9-1 mark in GNAC play during the regular-season to earn the top seed and hosting rights in the 2023 tourney. The Saints made the home-field advantage count, winning all three games in the tournament including a 16-8 win in the GNAC Championship over University of Saint Joseph (CT). EC enters the NCAA tournament with a 15-5 overall record matching the single-season wins mark from 2014.
Ra. Castle has enjoyed one of the best seasons in goal in the program's history to earn GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team honors. He led the conference while ranking second nationally with a .648 save percentage and posted a league-best 7.89 goals against average, good for 10th in the NCAA among D-III goalies. Castle enters the NCAA tournament with 241 saves on the year, a single-season Emmanuel record and has posted a 15-3 mark between the pipes, tying the single-season record for wins.
Over his career, Castle has recorded 506 saves to rank second all-time at Emmanuel. He also ranks second all-time in career wins (20) and save percentage (.582) and third in goals against average, minutes and career appearances.
DelVecchio earns his second straight nod as the GNAC's short-stick middie (SSO) first team rep after a masterful campaign in the midfield. He led the Saints with 80 groundballs on the year to rank seventh overall in the GNAC and first among non-faceoff midfielders. The captain started all but one of EC's 20 contests and enters the NCAA tourney with eight points on four goals and four assists. The Saints went 7-0 in games when he registered a point in this campaign.
The Saugus, Mass. native has played in 50 games during his EC tenure, starting 45 and has accumulated 181 groundballs to rank fourth all-time. He's tallied 36 career points on 20 goals and 16 assists and caused 62 turnovers in a Blue & Gold uniform.
Cloney earns First Team and All-Rookie honors following a brilliant rookie campaign. He's registered 59 points which ranks fourth all-time in a single-season while his 52 goals is a new Emmanuel single-season record. He's scored in every game he's dressed for and led the Saints while ranking tied for sixth in the GNAC in man-up scores with eight. Cloney was named the GNAC Rookie of the Week three times during the season to share the league-lead and enters the national tournament with 25 groundballs and 13 caused turnovers.
Ry. Castle makes his third straight GNAC All-Conference appearance, earning Second Team honors after a pair of Third Team selections in 2021 and 2022. The senior attacker is enjoying his most productive collegiate campaign, setting Emmanuel's single-season record for points at 72 on 50 goals and 22 assists. His 50 goals rank second in a single-season only behind Cloney's current mark of 52. He set the single-game point record on April 25 vs. New England College with 10 on six goals and four assists. EC posted a 14-0 record in games when the Boxford, Mass. native scored at least two goals this season.
Over his career, Ry. Castle has played in and started 50 games amassing 168 points on 127 goals and 41 assists to rank tied for second all-time in goals, third in points and tied for fifth in assists. He has 19 career man-up goals, one shy of tying the EC record.
Colwell picked up a Second Team nod after playing in and starting all 20 contests in the Saints defensive unit. The senior was a big part of the defensive success that saw Emmanuel rank first in the GNAC with 6.01 goals against average during regular-season conference play. He registered 20 caused turnovers and grabbed 21 groundballs during the championship campaign.
During his EC tenure, Colwell has played in 48 games with 44 starts. He's registered 43 groundballs and caused 31 turnovers.
Quigley makes his first appearance on the GNAC All-Conference squad with a productive junior campaign that saw 64 points on 35 goals and 29 assists, all career-bests. He broke his own single-season assists record in the GNAC Championship win with his 29th helper of the year and his 64 points currently rank third-most for points in a season at Emmanuel. EC posted a 9-0 record in games when Quigley dished out multiple assists this season.
In his three collegiate campaigns with the Saints, Quigley has racked up 139 career points on 69 goals and 70 assists. He ranks fifth all-time in points, eighth in goals and is the career leader in assists with another season of eligibility remaining.
Cranson was tabbed to the Third Team after a standout defensive campaign for the Saints. The Rhode Island native registered 36 groundballs and caused 20 turnovers. He helped the Saints defensive unit to a 7.95 goals against average on the year, one of only three teams in the GNAC to post a sub-8.00 GAA. He was also a big part of EC's success in clearing, as the Saints led the GNAC with 411 success clear attempts this season. He also added two assists for his first two career points this campaign.
Over his EC tenure, Cranson played in 49 games, earning 23 starts and recorded 68 groundballs while causing 40 turnovers.
The Saints will look to keep their season going on Wednesday, May 10 when they head to Castine, Maine to face Maine Maritime Academy in the Opening Round of the 2023 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.