Eight Named All-America in Men's Lacrosse by USILA

Courtesy Colby/Middlebury/Trinity/Tufts Sports Information

HADLEY, Mass. – A total of eight men's lacrosse players representing four different NESCAC squads were honored as All-America by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), it was announced on Tuesday. Of the eight, three individuals were selected to the First Team, including two-time NESCAC Player of the Year DJ Hessler.

Seniors Hessler (Monkton, Md.) and Matt Witko (Chappaqua, NY) are on the USILA First Team at attack and midfield, respectively, from the 2011 NESCAC Champion Jumbos. With 36 goals and 54 assists for 90 points in 20 games, Hessler ranks fifth nationally with 2.7 assists per game and is 12th in scoring with 4.5 points per game. Witko has been stellar in the post-season and brings a stat line of 31 goals and 12 assists for 43 points into Sunday's national championship game against Salisbury.

Also on the USILA First Team was Colby senior Craig Bunker (Topsfield, Mass.). Bunker became the first player in program history to earn three All-American honors and also is the only Mule to ever be named to the USILA First Team. Bunker earned second team honors as a junior and was named an honorable mention All-American after his sophomore season. Bunker was selected to the first team as a short-stick specialist for his face-off and groundball abilities.

Bunker finished the year ranked fourth nationally in face-off percentage (.714, 205-for-287) and 17th in groundballs per game (7.69). Bunker finished first in the NESCAC in face-off percentage, first in groundballs (123 total), and first in groundballs per game.

Hessler and Bunker were also singled out by the USILA, as they were named the most outstanding players in the nation at their positions this season.

On the USILA Second Team were the Middlebury tandem of David Hild (West Hartford, Conn.) and Matt Rayner (Andover, Mass.) along with Tufts senior Alec Bialosky (Moreland Hills, Ohio).

Hild led the Panthers with 47 goals and 67 points this season, to go along with his 20 assists and five man-up goals. His 2.61 goals were third in the NESCAC, while his 3.72 points/game placed him second among his NESCAC peers. The senior attackman was also second in the league with five game-winners. Hild scored 15 goals in the first three games of the season, finding the back of the net in 15 of 18 games. He ends his career with 114 goals and 38 assists for 152 points in 56 games.

Rayner, the anchor of the Panther defense, was steady all season long, with Middlebury allowing just 8.68 goals/game in 2011. Rayner picked up 45 ground balls this season, placing him fourth among his teammates. He earned a season-high seven ground balls in the NESCAC Quarterfinal win over Colby. Rayner now owns two goals and two assists with 159 groundballs in 52 games.

Bialosky's 81 ground balls lead Tufts defenders, and he's added 11 goals with six assists for 17 points offensively.

The USILA Third Team featured Jumbo juniors Sean Kirwan (Boonton Township, N.J.) and Kevin McCormick (Laytonsville, Md.) along with Trinity senior Ted Bascom (Sudbury, Mass.). Kirwan is one of the top 10 goal-scorers in the country with a single-season record of 65 goals to date, an average of 3.25 per game. McCormick is second on the team with 40 goals, adding 10 assists for 50 points. An excellent take-away defender, Bascom helped lead a Bantam defensive unit that averaged 8.27 goals against per game this season while ranking second for Trinity in ground balls with 40.

In addition to the eight players honored by the USILA as All-America, nine individuals from the NESCAC garnered Honorable Mention.