Men’s Lacrosse All-Ivy, Postseason Awards Announced

PRINCETON, N.J. – The 2017 Ivy League Champion Yale claimed two of the three postseason awards.

Yale junior attack Ben Reeves (Macedon, N.Y.) took home Player of the Year, while his coach Andy Shay was unanimously named Coach of the Year. Princeton freshman standout Michael Sowers (Dresher, Pa.) was unanimously selected Rookie of the Year. 

Reeves has played an instrumental role in Yale’s offense this season, helping the Bulldogs to an Ivy League regular season championship with a 5-1 record. Reeves has registered a team-high 32 goals and 63 points over the last 11 contests. He netted a career-high five goals and 10 points against Brown to clinch the 2017 Ivy League Championship. Reeves, who has a 31-game point streak, ranks fifth in the nation with 5.25 points per outing, while his 2.58 assists average is sixth. The junior is quickly climbing up the ranks in the Yale Lacrosse record book and currently ranks second in career points with 184.

Sowers has turned in one of the most storied rookie campaigns in Ivy League history and he isn’t done yet. Earlier this season, the Dresher, Pa., native set the Ivy League record for points in a season by a freshman with 70 (33G, 37A) and became the fourth Princeton player ever to reach 70 points in a season. With 77 points (37G, 40A), Sowers is just one point away from tying the program single-season record of 78 points, set in 2015 by Mike MacDonald and two goals away from tying the all-time Ivy League freshman goal record set by Cornell’s Sean Greenhalgh in 2002. Sowers leads the Ivy League in points and assists, which rank third and fourth in the nation, respectively.

Andy Shay guided the 2017 Bulldogs to an 8-5 regular season record and a 5-1 Ivy record and a regular-season Ivy title. Yale came within a goal of their first perfect Ivy campaign since 1956, but fell to Harvard in the regular season finale. Yale is currently ranked No. 16 in the USILA National Poll, the highest of any team in the Ivy League and No. 17 in the Media Poll. The Bulldogs will host the 2017 Ivy League Tournament as the top seed. 

Princeton led the way with four players on the first team, highlighted by senior Zach Currier (Peterborough, Ont.), who was unanimously selected to the first team. Joining Sowers on the first team is Currier who has turned in 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points, 17 caused turnovers and 114 ground balls this season. Currier is the only player in program history with at least 50 points and 100 ground balls in a season.

Senior defender Bear Goldstein (Dallas) and junior goalie Tyler Blaisdell (Hanover, Mass.) also earned first-team All-Ivy nods for the Tigers.

Goldstein totaled 30 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers en route to his third All-Ivy honor an first as a member of the first team. Blaisdell ranks fourth in the nation in saves per game (12.34) and 15th in save percentage (.544). Blaisdell, who earns his first career All-Ivy award, is 9-5 on the year with 174 saves.

Yale placed three on the first team, including two unanimous selections. Joining Reeves as a unanimous first-team All-Ivy honoree is senior midfielder Eric Scott (Basking Ridge, N.J.). Scott ranks second on the team with 35 points and third with 22 total goals. Scott is also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award.  Conor Mackie (Glen Rock, N.J.) earned first-team All-Ivy after playing a crucial role for the Bulldogs at the face-off X. Mackie has won 60.7 percent of his attempts, which ranks 12th in the nation and second in the Ivy League.

Brown and Penn each placed two on the first team. Brown finished 9-5 overall and 4-2 in Ancient Eight action thanks in large part to the contributions of senior attack Dylan Molloy (Setauket, N.Y.) and senior defenseman Alec Tulett (Toronto)

A two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, Molloy is the nation’s fifth-leading scorer with 3.17 goals per game and is fifth nationally with 5.25 points per game. The senior’s 191 career goals are a Brown record and ranks fifth in NCAA Lacrosse history, while his 310 career points are seventh in the NCAA record book.

Tulett earned his second first team All-Ivy nod after anchoring the Bears’ defense, totaling 16 caused turnovers, 38 ground balls, four assists and two goals this season. Tulett’s 32 career points rank sixth in NCAA all-time long pole scoring.

Gayhardt, a unanimous first-team selection on defense, tallied 22 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. Keating, a long-stick midfielder, picked up 50 ground balls while forcing four turnovers. Keating also chipped in 10 goals and one assist for 11 points.

Harvard was represented on the first team by junior midfielder Joe Lang (Mill Valley, Calif.). Lang, a unanimous selection, contributed 25 ground balls, 19 goals and 10 assists as the Crimson finished 6-7 overall and 2-4 in Ancient Eight action. 

Cornell placed five on the All-Ivy teams, including two second-team honorees – freshman standout Jeff Teat (Brampton, Ont.) and junior defenseman Jake Pulver (Manlius, N.Y.). Dartmouth junior Jack Korzelius (Purchase, N.Y.) earned second-team All-Ivy recognition, his second career nod after earning honorable mention a season ago.

The 2017 Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse Tournament gets underway Friday, May 5 at Reese Stadium. No. 2 Princeton takes on No. 3 Brown in the first semifinal at 3:30 p.m., followed by top-seeded Yale versus No. 4 Penn at 6 pm. All three games will be broadcasted live on ESPNU. 

Player of the Year
Ben Reeves, Yale (Jr., A – Macedon, N.Y.)

Rookie of the Year
*Michael Sowers, Princeton (Fr., A – Dresher, Pa.) 

Coach of the Year
*Andy Shay, Yale

First Team All-Ivy
*Dylan Molloy, Brown (Sr., A – Setauket, N.Y.)
*Ben Reeves, Yale (Jr., A – Macedon, N.Y.)
Michael Sowers, Princeton (Fr., A – Dresher, Pa.)
*Joe Lang, Harvard (Jr., M – Mill Valley, Calif.)
*Zach Currier, Princeton (Sr., M – Peterborough, Ont.)
*Eric Scott, Yale (Sr., M – Basking Ridge, N.J.)
*Kevin Gayhardt, Penn (Sr., D – Bryn Mawr, Pa.)
Alec Tulett, Brown (Sr., D – Toronto)
Bear Goldstein, Princeton (Sr., D – Dallas, Texas)
Connor Keating, Penn (Jr., LSM – Gladwyne, Pa.)
Conor Mackie, Yale (Sr., FO – Glen Rock, N.J.)
Tyler Blaisdell, Princeton (Jr., G – Hanover, Mass.)

Second Team All-Ivy
Jeff Teat, Cornell (Fr., A – Brampton, Ont.)
Morgan Cheek, Harvard (Jr., A – Wellesley, Mass.)
Simon Mathias, Penn (So., A – Ridgefield, Conn.)
Jack Korzelius, Dartmouth (Jr., M – Purchase, N.Y.)
Austin Sims, Princeton (Jr., M – Fairfield, Conn.)
Matt Graham, Brown (Sr., M – Amityville, N.Y.)
Jake Pulver, Cornell (Jr., D – Manlius, N.Y.)
Aidan Hynes, Yale (Fr., D – Mahopac, N.Y.)
Jonathan Butler, Harvard (So., D – Summit, N.J.)
Larken Kemp, Brown (Sr., LSM – Greenwich, Conn.)
Ted Ottens, Brown (Jr., FO – Wilton, Conn.)
Rob Shaw, Harvard (Jr., G – Canton, Mass.)

Honorable Mention
Gavin McBride, Princeton (Sr., A – Bryn Mawr, Pa.)
Kevin McGeary, Penn (Jr., M – Newtown Square, Pa.)
Stephen Hudak, Brown (Jr., M – Rydal, Pa.)
Joseph Sessa, Yale (So., A/M – Slate Hill, N.Y.)
Clarke Petterson, Cornell (So., M – Toronto, Ont.)
Tyler Dunn, Penn (So., A – Manhasset, N.Y.)
Austin Meachem, Dartmouth (So., D – West Harrison, N.Y.)
Eric Persky, Penn (Sr., D – New Canaan, Conn.)
Arman Medghalchi, Princeton (Fr., D – Baltimore, Md.)
JJ Ntshaykolo, Brown (Jr., D – San Francisco, Calif.)
Marshall Peters, Cornell (Sr., LSM – Vienna, Va.)
Christian Knight, Cornell (Sr., G – Baltimore, Md.) 

*Unanimous selection