Four NESCAC Players Earn USILA All-America Honors

Courtesy Tufts/Colby/Connecticut College Sports Information

HADLEY, Mass. – Four men's lacrosse players have been selected to the 2010 edition of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America Teams. NESCAC Player of the Year DJ Hessler of Tufts was honored on the Second Team, while teammate Eytan Saperstein, Colby's Craig Bunker, and Connecticut College's Pete Crisafulli were named to the Third Team.

Hessler (Monkton, Md.), the New England and NESCAC Player of the Year, is on the second team for the second-straight season. He is currently the leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament with 14 points on six goals and eight assists. He leads Tufts and the NESCAC in overall scoring with 86 points (36 goals, 50 assists). The 50 assists are a Tufts single-season record, and Hessler is also the Jumbo program's career leader with 120 assists. He set the NESCAC Championship record with six assists against Williams in the quarterfinals on May 2. While entering the NCAA final two points shy of his own single-season points record at Tufts (89 on 42g, 27a in 2009), Hessler's 221 career points (101g, 120a) are second all-time at Tufts, behind Bryan Griffin's (2002-05) 235 points (134g, 101a). With Hessler as the leading point scorer, Tufts is the top scoring team in the conference with 259 goals, an average of 12.95 per game. He scored the go-ahead goal in Tufts' NESCAC Championship win over Middlebury on May 9. Hessler is tied for team-lead with five man-up goals.

Saperstein (Hewlett, N.Y.), a tri-captain, was an honorable mention as a junior in 2009. An All-NESCAC and All-New England First Teamer in 2010, his 81 ground balls (4.05 per game) are the most among non-face-off men in the NESCAC. He had 10 ground balls in a win over Trinity on April 10 and scored his only goal of the season during a tight 14-13 overtime victory against Bowdoin on April 30. The NESCAC Player of the Week on May 10 after Tufts won conference title, Saperstein is a calm, smooth defender who is good with the ball. He was All-NESCAC First Team and All-New England Second Team in 2009.

Bunker (Topsfield, Mass.), who was an honorable mention All-American last year, was on the third team this season as a short-stick specialist. He is the first Colby men's lacrosse player to earn two All-American honors and will have a chance for a third next year as a senior. Bunker led the NESCAC in face-offs won (212), face-off percentage (212-for-293, .724), ground balls per game (7.56), and is second in total groundballs (121). Bunker ranks third nationally in face-off percentage after leading the country for most of the year and is 16th in groundballs per game. The Colby team leads NCAA Division III in face-off percentage (.713).

Chrisafulli (Garden City, N.Y.) was part of a record-setting season for the Camels during his final year in New London. After going 1-8 in league play last spring, the Camels opened 2010 with a program-record 13-game winning streak and went on to record the most victories in school history with 14 as they finished atop the conference standings with an 8-1 record. Connecticut College participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever this spring. Chrisafulli started all 17 games for the Camels, scooping eight ground balls.

Ten individuals from the NESCAC were recognized as Honorable Mention for All-America. On attack were Steve Dachille of Connecticut College, Whit McCarthy of Colby, and Peter Smith of Middlebury. At midfield were David Hild from the Panthers, Evan Redwood of Amherst, Owen Smith of Bowdoin, and Matt Witko of Tufts. Wesleyan's Gabe Kelley and Middlebury's Matt Rayner were recognized on defense, and Williams' Steven Vrla earned a spot at goaltender.