Men's Lacrosse Announces Team Awards
June 4, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse
BOSTON - Head men's lacrosse coach Ryan Polley announced the team's end-of-season awards on Thursday afternoon.
The Terriers improved mightily in their second varsity season, finishing 6-8 and coming within a game of qualifying for the Patriot League tournament. They made history in March by defeating eventual Patriot League champion and then-No. 18 Colgate, 18-11, to earn the program's first win over a ranked opponent and enter the Cascade/Maverik Inside Lacrosse poll after a mere 20 Division I games.
Two Terriers won multiple awards, including sophomore Cal Dearth, who was both the Team MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year. Dearth led the Terriers with 23 assists and 42 points in addition to also scoring 19 goals. He also gathered 25 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.
Freshman Conor Okmin was named the Most Improved Player in addition to sharing the Fitness Award with sophomore Madison Palms. Okmin appeared in seven games and played his best lacrosse at the end of the season. He finished with nine ground balls, including seven in a two-game stretch against Harvard and then-No. 19 Loyola Maryland. Both Okmin and Palms showed an outstanding work ethic in the strength and conditioning room.
Dearth is one of three repeat winners, as he was Offensive Player of the Year last season. Sophomore Jake Dansey once again won the Terrier Award, which recognizes the player who best exemplifies excellence in academics, athletics and community. Dansey was terrific on the field as a close defender and also led the team with a 3.71 grade-point average while majoring in computer engineering.
Classmate Chad Bell earned the Terrier Community Service Award thanks to his hard work off the field. He was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which organizes most of the student-athlete community service initiatives during the year. Bell also helped spearhead the effort to screen the One Love Foundation's short film "Escalation" on campus.
Sophomore Greg Wozniak was selected as the Defensive MVP thanks to his work as a long-stick midfielder. He gathered 52 ground balls, more than any other Terrier other than faceoff specialist Sam Talkow. Wozniak also led the team with 23 caused turnovers and also tallied five points on three goals and two assists, becoming the first long pole to score a goal in program history.
Rookie sensation Ryan Hilburn won the Best Newcomer Award after he scored 25 goals and added 15 assists for 40 points. Two of his 25 markers were game-winners and he also gathered 20 ground balls and caused one turnover. Hilburn notched a point in all 14 games.
