Iannello named to Lowe's Second Team
Senior men's lax captain gets nod on 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award All-America Second Team
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Lowe's Senior CLASS Finalist and two-time men's lacrosse captain Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.y.) has been named to the award program's 2011 All-America Second Team after being one of 10 nationwide finalists for the distinguished honor.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The award, announced at the May 28 NCAA tournament semifinals in Baltimore, was won by Villanova's Brian Karalunas.
Iannello was the only player out of the Northeast Conference nominated for the honor, and he joined fellow second-team selections Stefan Bauer (Lafayette), Grant Catalino (Maryland), Johnathan Falcone (Yale) and Tom Montelli (Duke). The first team consisted of the five remaining finalists: Kevin Crowley (Stony Brook), Ryan Flanagan (North Carolina), John Galloway (Syracuse), winner Brian Karalunas (Villanova) and Jonathan Stumpf (Lehigh).
A two-time captain and 2010 Northeast Conference First Team selection, Iannello is the first Bryant men's lacrosse player to be named a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalist. He collected a number of 2011 preseason accolades, including an Inside Lacrosse preseason All-Northeast Conference selection and an NEILA Preseason Team pick. The senior longstick midfielder also earned an All-New England nod in 2010 following a junior campaign that saw him cause 16 turnovers and pick up 46 ground balls while helping to anchor the nation's top defense, allowing just 6.59 goals per game.
This season in his final campaign as a Bulldog, Iannello again lived up to his leadership expectations and skills despite fighting off injury throughout the year. A mainstay in the Bryant defensive midfield, he picked up 31 ground balls, good for fifth on the team, and forced 13 caused turnovers, good for third, desipte missing four games due to injury.
Iannello graduates ranked in the program's career top-10 in caused turnovers (59, 2nd) and ground balls (170, 8th), as well as ground balls per game, caused turnovers per game and caused turnovers in a season. But his attitude and leadership speak even louder than his stats, and the Long Island native has also played a major role in guiding the Bulldogs through the transition to Division I and has been key to Bryant's success in its first three seasons at the DI level. Bryant has gone 30-19 since playing its first Division I game in 2009.
Off the field, Iannello was a 2010 Northeast Conference Academic Honor Roll selection who has earned Dean's List honors five semesters as a communications major at Bryant. While devoted to his studies, he was also extremely active both in and around the Bryant community in his time on campus. A Special Olympics volunteer, Iannello headed his team's work with The Tomorrow Fund's Adopt-a-Family program, collecting funds and organizing efforts to purchase and deliver gifts for children with cancer. Within the campus community, Iannello was a member of the Bryant Senior Advisory Council, a group of students from across the university which meets with the University President and top administrators on current issues and proposals. He also served as a volunteer blogger for NCAA.com throughout the 2009 season.