Trio named All-New England selections
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior midfielder Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.) and sophomore defenseman Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.) headline a trio of Bryant University men's lacrosse players tabbed as 2011 All-New England selections, as announced Wednesday afternoon.
Weisenberg and Poli were each named NEILA All-New England First Teamers, while Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Year Gary Crowley (Scituate, Mass.) earned a second-team bid for his senior year efforts.
This is the second-straight season Weisenberg had received a first team nod from the coaches in New England, and he earns the honor again after a junior campaign that saw him start all 17 contests and finish the season third on the team in points (34) and second in both goals (21) and assists (13). Weisenberg boasted a .344 shot percentage, scoring his 21 tallies on just 61 total shots (38 shots on goal). He picked up 27 ground balls and caused six turnovers to compliment a season in which he scored a trio of hat tricks and registered a point in all but one game. The junior netted the game winner over rival Brown on April 5 to earn the Bulldogs the Ocean State Cup and added a pair of goals in the NEC Tournament semifinal against top-seeded Mount St. Mary's. Also a Northeast Conference First Team choice, Weisenberg's six man-up tallies paced the Bulldogs on the year.
Poli stood out as arguably Bryant's top player throughout the 2011 season, the program's first with Division I postseason eligibility. A longpole who made his presence felt in the offensive third as well as on defense, Poli finished the year with eight scores, including two in the NEC Tournament Semifinal. A two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week pick, he scored the Bulldogs' only man-down tally of the year. The first team all-conference selection and 2011 all-tournament team pick wrapped up his sophomore campaign with a team-best 34 caused turnovers – his 2.00 per game tie him for ninth in the nation – and picked up 64 ground balls, good for second on the team.
Crowley adds a second-team all-New England honor to his trophy case after being named an NEC First Team selection and the league's Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, leading Bryant with 28 goals in his senior season. Crowley's 35 points were good for second on the team, and the starting midfielder netted a trio of man-up goals with four hat tricks and a point in all but two of the Bulldogs' 17 contests. He scooped up 19 ground balls with nine caused turnovers, and was an integral part of the Bryant offense throughout the season and throughout his impressive four-year career. Crowley graduates with 76 career goals, good for sixth all-time, and 104 career points, ranked eighth on the all-time list.