NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - A dominant regular season has led to the Wilmington University men's lacrosse team dominating the 2022 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference All-Conference Teams as the team earned four Major Award winners and 10 All-CACC performers, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Sophomore Giovanni Marino becomes the program's first ever CACC Player of the Year while graduate student Connor Graser earned the program's first ever Defensive Player of the Year award as well. Junior netminder Jason Roland was voted as the CACC Goalkeeper of the Year as well, again for the first time in program history. Head coach Christian Zwickert was named the CACC Coach of the Year for the second season in a row.
The three Major Award winners were also voted First Team All-CACC by the league's head coaches and were joined on the First Team with sophomore Logan Stinson, sophomore Jacob Herman, and sophomore John Greene.
Four other Wildcats were picked Second Team All-CACC, as sophomore Jimmy Cava, graduate student Nick Bruhn, sophomore Keeshawn Bell, and sophomore Tucker Plasse were all voted All-Conference as well.
Giovanni Marino (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway) led the CACC with 47 goals, ranking fourth overall with 56 points. He scored a program record nine goals and added an assist for 10 points at Saint Anselm. He had a stretch of five games where he scored 28 goals and amassed 32 points while leading the Wildcats to a 5-0 record. His 27 goals in CACC play led the conference as well. He ranks eighth in NCAA Division II with 3.62 goals per game this season.
Connor Graser (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) leads a defensive unit that leads the CACC with a 9.45 goals against average, allowing only 123 goals on the year. In CACC games only, the number goes down even more, averaging 7.32 goals against per game, allowing a league low 44 goals. He s 12 caused turnovers on the year while scooping up 28 ground balls. He has also added three goals in transition this season.
Jason Roland (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) anchored the defense that leads the CACC with a 9.45 goals against average overall and just a 7.32 GAA in CACC games only. The Wildcats have a CACC best .645 save percentage in CACC games as well. Roland has made 148 saves this season and ranks second with a 9.75 GAA. He also carries a .561 save percentage into the postseason. He had a season high 17 saves against Georgian Court on April 2.
Logan Stinson (Lafayette, La./St. Thomas More) was the CACC Rookie of the Year last season and backs up his freshman season with another great year in 2022. He leads the team and is third in the CACC with 58 points, scoring 37 goals while adding 21 assists. He is also third on the team with 12 caused turnovers while scooping up a team second best 46 ground balls. He's had a season best seven points twice this year, first with seven goals at Lake Erie and then again with four goals and three assists against No. 12 Saint Anselm. He is sixth in NCAA Division II with 5.27 points per game.
Jacob Herman (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) leads the CACC with 36 assists and is fifth in NCAA Division II in dishing out 2.77 assists per game. He's also added 10 goals on the year for 46 points, ranking 11th in the CACC. He set a new single game program record with five assists twice this year, first in a win over No. 12 Saint Anselm and again in a 17-16 overtime win against Chestnut Hill. He's had a season high six points twice, first against Saint Michael's with three goals and three assists and against Saint Anselm with a goal and five assists.
John Greene (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) repeats as a First Team All-CACC performer as a long-stick midfielder. He is second on the team and 13th in the CACC with 13 caused turnovers while also seventh on the team with 29 ground balls. He's also moved the ball up field a lot this season, scoring twice while adding two assists as a defender. He's had a season high three caused turnovers against Chowan and against Georgian Court.
Jimmy Cava (Camden, Del./Caesar Rodney) has made a living in the middle of the offensive zone this season, scoring 22 goals while adding 11 assists for 33 points. He had a season high six points against Felician, scoring three goals while adding three assists.
Nick Bruhn (Burke, Va./Lake Broaddock) has been another stalwart on the defensive line for the Wildcats. He leads the team and is tied for sixth in the CACC with 17 caused turnovers. His 36 ground balls are third on the team outside of face-offs, leading the defensive players as well. He is tied for 13th overall in ground balls. He's had a season's best three caused turnovers against Felician and Chestnut Hill.
Keeshawn Bell (Roseville, Calif./Woodcreek) is an imposing defender, earning Second Team All-CACC as a short stick defensive midfielder. He's scored nine goals and added four assists on the year, adding three caused turnovers and 15 ground balls as well. He scored a season's best three goals against Chowan.
Tucker Plasse (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) came on strong down the home stretch of the regular season for the Wildcats. He finished the regular season in second with 76 face-offs won in CACC play, going 76-for-129 in CACC games, winning nearly 59 percent of his face-offs. Overall, he has gone 108-for-211 on the season, winning 51.18 percent of his attempts. He is also third on the team with 37 ground balls. He won a season's best 23 face-offs at Caldwell on March 26, finishing 23-for-30.
The only Major Award the Wildcats didn't receive was the CACC Rookie of the Year, as Chestnut Hill's Liam McCann took home that award with 42 goals and 12 assists. Caldwell was voted the Team Sportsmanship Award as well.
AGATE
2022 CACC Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams
First Team:
GK Jason Roland (Wilmington University)
A Maurice Kelly (Chestnut Hill College)
A Giovanni Marino (Wilmington University)
A Logan Stinson (Wilmington University)
M Daniel Burnham (Georgian Court University)
M Jacob Herman (Wilmington University)
M Ben Revak (Chestnut Hill College)
D Kyle Gartenmayer (Chestnut Hill College)
D Connor Graser (Wilmington University)
D Bryan O'Loughlin (Dominican College)
LSM John Greene (Wilmington University)
SSDM Billy Germana (Georgian Court University)
SPECIALIST Tajae McLean-Byrd (Felician University)
Second Team:
GK Austin Jones (Chestnut Hill College)
A Devin Bell (Georgian Court University)
A Robert Grasso (Felician University)
A J.R. Howell (Chestnut Hill College)
M Jimmy Cava (Wilmington University)
M Braedan Lockyer (Post University)
M Michael Ventresca (Georgian Court University)
D Nick Bruhn (Wilmington University)
D Cody Hildebrand (Felician University)
D Connor O'Donnell (Chestnut Hill College)
LSM Chase Snyder (Chestnut Hill College)
SSDM Keeshawn Bell (Wilmington University)
SPECIALIST Tucker Plasse (Wilmington University)
2022 CACC Player of the Year: Giovanni Marino (Wilmington University)
2022 CACC Rookie of the Year: Liam McCann (Chestnut Hill College)
2022 CACC Defensive Player of the Year: Connor Graser (Wilmington University)
2022 CACC Goalkeeper of the Year: Jason Roland (Wilmington University)
2022 CACC Coach of the Year: Christian Zwickert (Wilmington University)
2022 CACC Team Sportsmanship Award: Caldwell University