Men's LAX Has Six Honored by NECC
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Mitchell College took home two major awards and had five players earn all-conference status from the New England Collegiate Conference on Tuesday as the league announced its annual men's lacrosse honors.
Senior Desmond Knowles was named NECC Co-Defensive Player of the Year while freshman Aidan Messuri was tabbed NECC Rookie of the Year. It marked the first time a Mitchell player earned the league's top defensive award, as well as the fourth time the program produced the conference's top newcomer.
Knowles also landed one of 12 spots on the all-conference team. Joining him were senior James Giovanniello, senior Ethan LePain, junior Estid Guzman and freshman John Grieco. All five Mariners earned all-conference honors for the first time in their careers.
Knowles led the NECC with 31 caused turnovers, 11 of which came in conference play. He scooped up a career-high 92 ground balls and won 58 face-offs, both of which led the Mariners and ranked second in the league. He also contributed on the offensive end with a career-high eight goals, two of which came in NECC play.
Messuri, Mitchell's first ROY selection since 2015, made an immediate impact in his debut season. The attackman led the NECC with 139 shots and 85 shots on goal, and he ranked among the top five in the league in both goals (29) and points (33). He was also a three-time NECC Rookie of the Week selection during the regular season.
Giovanniello posted career best totals in his final season at Mitchell. The co-captain ranked second on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points, and he recorded a point in 13 of 15 games while notching five multi-goal games.
Despite playing in only 10 games due to injury, LePain racked up 13 goals and a team-high 18 assists for 31 points from the midfield. He also recorded his 100th career point during the season and will graduate as the program's all-time assists leader with 69 in 36 games.
Guzman, a co-captain, made 13 starts in the defensive end for the Mariners. He caused seven turnovers and scooped up 17 ground balls.
Grieco saw action in 11 games while making five starts in the cage. He led the team in goals-against average (12.38) and save percentage (.507) and picked up his first collegiate win in a shutout against Eastern Nazarene College on the final day of the regular season.
Freshman Ian Falconi rounded out Mitchell's award recipients by being named to the Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team. The rookie defender played in 10 games and made one start, notching his first career point with a goal against Eastern Nazarene.
Mitchell (4-11 overall, 2-2 NECC) is the second seed in the 2022 NECC Championship and will play at top-seeded New England College on Saturday, May 7 at 2:00 p.m.
2022 NECC Men's Lacrosse Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Lucas Ferreira, New England Col.
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Desmond Knowles, Mitchell
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Quint Bartush, New England Col.
Rookie of the Year: Aidan Messuri, Mitchell
Coach of the Year: Jedd Brown, New England Col.
All-Conference Team
A – James Giovanniello, Mitchell (Sr., Staten Island, N.Y.)
A – Sam Crary, New England Col. (Jr., Newburyport, Mass.)
A – Lucas Ferreira, New England Col. (So., Brampton, Ontario)
M – Ethan LePain, Mitchell (Sr., Coventry, R.I.)
M – Thomas Doe, New England Col. (So., Windham, N.H.)
M – Josh Owen, New England Col. (Sr., Concord, N.H.)
LSM – Joseph Pricken, New England Col. (Sr., Wanaque, N.J.)
D – Xavier Depina, Eastern Nazarene (So., Whitman, Mass.)
D – Estid Guzman, Mitchell (Jr., New Bedford, Mass.)
D – Desmond Knowles, Mitchell (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.)
FOS – Quint Bartush, New England Col. (Sr., Norwalk, Conn.)
GK – John Grieco, Mitchell (Fr., North Branford, Conn.)
Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team
Paulin Sano, Eastern Nazarene (Sr., Portland, Maine)
Ian Falconi, Mitchell (Fr., Littleton, Mass.)
TJ Nong, New England Col. (Sr., Baltimore, Md.)