Men’s Lacrosse places nine on 2023 All-Liberty League Team
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ROCHESTER, NY — Nine members from RIT men’s lacrosse team were named to the 2023 Liberty League Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference team announced Tuesday, May 9. Senior Luke Pilcher was named the Offensive Player of the Year and graduate student Taylor Jensen was the Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Jake Coon and his coaching staff were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year for the third straight season.
Jensen, Pilcher, seniors John Mozrall and Sean Traynor, junior Michael Grace and sophomore Clifford Gaston were first team selections. Graduate student Noah Bruno was a second team pick, while senior Zach Gagnon and junior Seth Grottenthaler were honorable mention picks.
Jensen is tied for third in the league with 30 caused turnovers, averaging 1.58 per game. The 2022 Liberty League Co-Defensive Player of the Year leads the team and is seventh in the league with 73 ground balls, averaging 3.84 per contest. He caused eight turnovers, grabbed nine ground balls and scored a goal and an assist in last weekend’s Liberty League Tournament earning Most Outstanding Player honors for the second straight year. Jensen had a season-high seven ground balls at Stevenson and Vassar.
Pilcher leads the Liberty League in points (81) and goals (55) and is fifth in the league in assists (24). He leads the conference averaging 4.26 points and 2.93 goals per game and is tied for fourth, averaging 1.56 assists per contest. A two-time All-Liberty League selection, Pilcher tallied a league-best 36 points, 23 goals and 13 assists in conference play, including a career-high nine goals against St. Lawrence on April 29.
Gaston is third on the team and eighth in the Liberty League with 53 points. The 2022 Liberty League Rookie of the Year is third in the league with 41 goals, and tenth in the league with 14 points in conference play, including 11 goals. He scored a season-high six goals three times, including six versus St. Lawrence in last Friday’s Liberty League Semifinal.
Grace is tied third in the Liberty League and tied for first on the team with 30 caused turnovers. He is third on the team with a career-best 57 ground balls to go along six goals and six assists. A two-time Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week, Grace caused nine turnovers in conference play, grabbing a season-best 10 ground balls against St. John Fisher.
Mozrall is third on the team with a career-best 59 points, and leads the Liberty League with 41 assists. He scored a career-high six points on three goals and three assists in last Friday’s Liberty League Semifinal against St. Lawrence. A co-captain, Mozrall handed out a league-best 13 assists in conference play, tying his season-high with four assists against Union in Sunday’s Liberty League Championship.
Traynor has caused eight turnovers, scooped up 26 ground balls and has six goals and nine points, all career-bests. He had a season-high five ground balls at Clarkson and caused a career-high three turnovers against St. Lawrence on April 29. The senior co-captain scored twice at Union and recorded a goal and an assist against Ithaca. Traynor grabbed three ground balls and scored two goals in last weekend’s Liberty League Tournament.
Bruno has 19 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers to go along with two goals and two assists. A co-captain, Bruno is fourth on the team in caused turnovers, including a season-high three against RPI. Bruno tallied a goal and an assist against St. Lawrence on April 29, and had 10 ground balls and caused eight turnovers in conference play.
Grottenthaler is sixth on the team in scoring with career-highs in points (37), goals (15) and assists (22). The junior midfielder is third on the team and tied for eighth in the league in assists. Grottenthaler had nine assists and 14 points in conference play, including a season-high four assists and five points against St. Lawrence in the regular season finale on April 29.
Gagnon is fifth on the team with 11 caused turnovers and 37 ground balls. The senior co-captain had 17 ground balls and caused four turnovers in conference play, causing a season-best two turnovers against Nazareth and Vassar. Gagnon scooped up four ground balls against Skidmore.
Coon and assistant coaches Shawn Wilkins and Donny Moss and volunteer coaches Austin Fox, Beau Riley and Nate Farrell have led RIT to an impressive 18-1 record including wins over six ranked opponents. It is the fifth time since joining the Liberty League in 2012 that Coon and his coaching staff have been honored as coaching staff of the year. Coon is a three-time USILA Division III Coach of the Year (2021, 2012, 2011) and 2013 MCLA Division III Coach of the Year.
The two-time defending NCAA Division III Champion, RIT received a first-round bye in the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship and will face the winner between New England College and Western Connecticut in the second round on Saturday (May 13) at 12:00 p.m.
