SU Dominates BIG EAST Lacrosse Awards

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2011 men's lacrosse major award winners and all-conference teams on Wednesday, May 11 and Syracuse was once again the league's most honored team. The Orange garnered three of the five major awards with seniors Stephen Keogh and John Galloway being selected as the BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year and BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, and head coach John Desko winning BIG EAST Coach of the Year.

In addition to winning three of the league's top individual awards, Syracuse had 11 players named to either the All-BIG EAST First or Second Team, and the Orange's six first-team selections led the league.

Senior LSM Joel White and senior defenseman John Lade joined Keogh and Galloway as unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team honorees. Midfielders Jovan Miller and Jeremy Thompson were also picked to the all-conference first team for the second year in a row.

Senior Josh Amidon, redshirt junior Tim Desko, junior Kevin Drew and sophomores JoJo Marasco and Brian Megill all received second-team recognition.

Voting for the individual awards and all-conference teams was conducted by the league's seven head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

John Desko guided the Orange to a 14-1 regular-season and a second straight BIG EAST regular-season title. Since the league formed in 2010, Syracuse has yet to lose a conference game, fashioning a 12-0 mark all-time in BIG EAST play. During the course of the 2011 season, the Orange posted victories over eight ranked opponents and held the nation's No. 1 ranking in the USILA Coaches Poll for nine weeks. In addition, the Orange received the top seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Desko is the winningest active coach by percentage in Division I lacrosse and ranks fifth in career winning percentage (.782).

Keogh leads the Orange with 39 points and 32 goals. He is tops in the BIG EAST with six game-winning goals and tied for the conference lead in goals per game (2.5) and points per game (3.0) in BIG EAST play. For his career, Keogh has 132 goals, tied with Mike Leveille for ninth on SU's all-time list.

Galloway won the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year award unanimously for the second straight season. He is fifth nationally in goals-against average (6.95) and 11th in save percentage (.563). He has 129 saves on the year and owns a 14-1 record. For his career, Galloway is the NCAA's all-time winningest netminder with 58 victories. His 7.41 career goals-against average is eighth in NCAA history.

White is the linchpin of an Orange unit that ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense (7.2 goals allowed per game). He leads the team with 69 ground balls and ranks second in the BIG EAST in ground balls per game (4.6). He also has four goals, two assists and 23 caused turnovers.

Lade has 26 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers in 13 games. Against Notre Dame, Lade tied the SU record with six caused turnovers on his way to BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors. He's shut down some of the nation's best attackmen this season, including Army's Jeremy Boltus and Villanova's Kevin Cunningham.

Miller has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He notched a career-best four-point (2g, 2a) against Duke on April 3 at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.

Thompson leads all Syracuse midfielders in points (28), goals (16) and assists (12). He also has 36 ground balls and is the team's top faceoff man (60-115, .522).

Amidon is the third member of the Orange's first midfield, along with Miller and Thompson. Amidon has 25 points, including 14 goals on the year. He tallied a career-best five points (3g, 2a) in an 11-6 loss to Cornell on April 12.

Tim Desko has racked up 16 goals and 19 total points in just nine games this season. He set a career high for goals scored with five in the Orange's 12-10 win against Virginia on March 4. Despite missing the last six game due to injury, Desko's 16 goals are still tied for the third-most on the team.

Drew is one of the Orange's primary short-stick defenders. He has 30 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers on the season. He's also contributed offensively with six goals and one assist.

Marasco ranks second on the team in points (36), goals (19) and leads the Orange with 17 assists. Earlier this season, he was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after tallying five points (3g, 2a) in an 11-9 win against Army.

Megill has started all 15 games on close defense. He leads Syracuse in caused turnovers (24) and has more ground balls (31) than any other close defenseman on the team.

Syracuse begins its quest for its 12th NCAA Championship on Sunday, May 15. The top-seeded Orange will host Siena in the first round of the NCAA playoffs at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

2011 BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Awards

BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year

Stephen Keogh, Syracuse

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year

Brian Karalunas, Villanova

BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year

* David Earl, Notre Dame

BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year

* John Galloway, Syracuse

BIG EAST Coach of the Year

John Desko, Syracuse

All-BIG EAST First Team ^

Barney Ehrmann, Georgetown, GS, D

Sam Barnes, Notre Dame, Sr., D

Zach Brenneman, Notre Dame, Sr., M

*David Earl, Notre Dame, Sr., M

*Kevin Ridgway, Notre Dame, Sr., D

Chris Mattes, Rutgers, Sr., SP

*John Galloway, Syracuse, Sr., G

*Stephen Keogh, Syracuse, Sr., A

*John Lade, Syracuse, Sr., D

Jovan Miller, Syracuse, Sr., M

Jeremy Thompson, Syracuse, Sr., M

*Joel White, Syracuse, Sr., LSM

*Kevin Cunningham, Villanova, Jr., A

Brian Karalunas, Villanova, Sr., LSM

Jack Rice, Villanova, So., A

All-BIG EAST Second Team ^

Travis Comeau, Georgetown, So., A

David Emala, Georgetown, So., A

Dan Hostetler, Georgetown, Jr., D

Rickey Mirabito, Georgetown, GS, A

Max Seligmann, Georgetown, Sr., M

Andrew Irving, Notre Dame, Sr., LSM

John Kemp, Notre Dame, So., G

Scott Klimchak, Rutgers, R-Fr., A

Josh Amidon, Syracuse, Sr., M

Tim Desko, Syracuse, R-Jr., A

Kevin Drew, Syracuse, Jr., SP

JoJo Marasco, Syracuse, So., A

Brian Megill, Syracuse, So., D

Matt Bell, Villanova, Jr., A

Chris Creighton, Villanova, Jr., D

* - unanimous selection

^ - additional members due to ties in voting

Syracuse University Athletics

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