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2011 GNAC SPRING ALL-CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED
MEN'S LAX
Following a 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship for the Mount Ida College men’s lacrosse team in their first season as a member of the GNAC, Mustang senior attacker Matthew Savage (Peabody, MA/Peabody) and junior netminder Jimmy McAllister (Smithfield, RI/LaSalle Academy) were honored with two very prestigious awards to conclude an outstanding year. Savage, who finished his career as the fifth member of the men’s lacrosse 200 point club, was selected as the league’s Offensive Player-of-the-Year while McAllister added a Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection to his shelf.
Mount Ida ninth year Head Coach Andrew Fink, who led the Mustangs to six consecutive North Atlantic Conference (NAC) title’s from 2004-2009, was honored as Coach-of-the-Year in the inaugural season of men’s lacrosse in the GNAC. From 2003 to the present, Fink has only lost one regular season league bid throughout his career as head coach with the Mustangs.
Along with his Offensive Player-of-the-Year selection, Savage was also named to the 2011 GNAC first team All-Conference with four other Mustangs. In 17 games played this year, Savage scored 34 goals and dished out 11 assists good for 45 total points leading the Mustangs in scoring for the year. Savage finished 2011 ranked sixth overall in goals per game (1.93) in the GNAC good for a .400 shooting percentage. His best outing of the season came against Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a six point performance (6 goals, 1 assist). Savage was the key offensive component to Mount Ida’s success this season. Out of the 17 contest’s he played in 11 of them were double digit goal performances. Savage ended his Mount Ida career with 203 total points and became the fifth member to join the 200 point club.
McAllister, who was fifth overall nationally in save percentage (.649) and ranked 12th in the nation for saves per game (14.17), was honored with a first team all-conference selection as well as a GNAC all-tournament team selection. McAllister was impressive in the 14 contests he saw between the pipes with three 20 plus save games including two with 25 or more coming against non-conference Western Connecticut State University (25) and in a 7-6 GNAC regular season victory over visiting rival Lasell College for a career high 26 stops. McAllister went 4-0 in GNAC conference play and was a key part in the 2011 championship run.
Sophomore defender Nick Maurais (Peabody, MA/Peabody) and junior defender Carl Grimo (Bristol, RI/LaSalle Academy) were both honored with first team all-conference honors. This was Grimo’s second all-conference selection through the past two seasons and his first as a first team honoree. Maurais collects his first all-conference recognition for his career. Maurais finished the season first overall on the team with 65 groundballs and 25 caused turnovers, while Grimo was right behind with 49 groundballs and 18 caused turnovers. Grimo was also named to the all-tournament team following the championship victory.
Sophomore midfielder Nick Yacuzzi (Worcester, MA/St. John’s-Shrewsbury) collected his first all-conference selection of his career. Yacuzzi scored 27 goals this season good for second on the team behind Savage while dishing out 13 assists good for 40 points on the year. Yacuzzi’s best game came against St. Joseph’s College (ME) during the regular season where he scored three goals adding two assists.
Senior captain and attacker Dan Harrington (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) was the only Mount Ida player to be selected to the GNAC second team all-conference. Harrington scored 15 goals while dishing out 13 assists for the year. Harrington became the 10th member of the Mount Ida College men’s lacrosse 100 point club after notching his second goal of the game in the quarterfinals of the conference post-season tournament against visiting St. Joseph’s College (ME). Harrington, who tallied two goals and two assists in a 9-6 conference title victory over rival Lasell College, was named the GNAC tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
SOFTBALL
Freshman infielder Kirsten Gurrero (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) had a solid first year adding a GNAC third team all-conference selection to her shelf. Kirsten, who played in every inning of all 38 contests in 2011, finished the year with a .390 batting percentage good for best on the team from any starter. Kristen had 46 hits, 33 runs batted in, seven doubles, and four home runs leading the team in round trippers for the year. Guerrero had an on base percentage of .419 and a slugging percentage of .551 also for tops on the team and in the conference statistical leaders.
Sophomore utility player and pitcher Devan Meeker (Bantam, CT/Litchfield) was also named to third team all-conference; this was her second consecutive season to receive this honor. Meeker finished the year with a .360 batting average, 41 hits, 16 runs batted in, 13 doubles and a home run. Her 13 doubles was good for second in the GNAC. Meeker also was the ace of the pitching staff for the second year in a row for the Mustangs. Meeker compiled an earned run average of 4.58 with a strikeout to walk ration of 88 to 37. Meeker was the do-it-all player for the Mustangs that awarded her with a team Most Valuable Player at the Athletic Banquet.
WOMEN’S LAX
Four Mount Ida College women’s lacrosse players were named to all-conference teams. Junior attacker and leading goal scorer Jen Thompson (Easton, MD/Easton) captured her second GNAC first team all-conference selection for the second straight year tallying 65 goals and two assists for 67 points. She was ranked 36th nationally for goals scored (65) and 48th in the country for goals per game (3.61). In the GNAC, Thompson was fourth overall in scoring, ninth in points per game (3.72), and number one overall in game winning goals (4).
Mount Ida junior defender Jeileen Rivera (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) received her first ever all-conference honor selected to the first team as a defender. Rivera was impressive all year and it showed statistically leading the team in caused turnovers (70) which was good for second nationally. She was impressive in the ground ball game scooping up 91 for the year also landing her seventh in the country in the category. She was number one overall in both caused turnovers and groundballs throughout the GNAC statistics.
Freshman attacker Ebony Mills (Harrison, ME/Oxford) turned in an impressive first season as a Mustang honored with a GNAC first team all-conference selection as a newcomer. Mills, who was second behind Thompson in goals scored, chalked up 53 goals and five assists good for 58 on the year. Mills led the Mustangs in draw controls (50) and was second on the team in groundballs good for 41st nationally.
Senior captain and attacker Danielle Chuba (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional) was selected as a GNAC second team all-conference player. This was the second year in a row Chuba has been named to an all-conference team. Chuba was third on the squad in goals scored (36) adding 15 assists for 51 points along with 35 groundballs and 28 draw controls. She led Mount Ida in the middle circle going 80-158 in face-offs. She landed ninth in the GNAC statistics for assists as well.
