Four named All-New England selections
BULLDOGS PLACE FOUR ON NEILA ALL-NEW ENGLAND TEAMS; MASSA NAMED NEILA DIVISION I ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – On the back of arguably the best season in Bryant University men's lacrosse history, four Bulldogs earned All-New England Team selections in 2012, highlighted by NEILA First Team choice Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.) and NEILA Division I Rookie of the Year Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.).
Poli marks the only first teamer for the 2012 Northeast Conference Tournament Champion Bulldogs, repeating the honor after a 2011 first team selection. Massa, who was also named the NEILA Second Team pick at faceoff specialist, is joined on the second team by midfielders Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) and Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.).
Now a two-time First Team choice by both the NEILA and the Northeast Conference, Poli represented the top offensive threat of any longpole in the nation this season, posting 25 points off 19 goals and six helpers. The junior's goal total was good for fifth most on the team, and Poli was named a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist in 2012 for his play on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Poli picked up 11 caused turnovers and 44 ground balls on the year while firing 41 shots in 17 games played.
Bryant, which finished the season ranked 19th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and receiving votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll, owes much of its success this season to the outstanding play of Massa at the faceoff X. The 2012 NEC and now NEILA Rookie of the Year, the frosh posted a .639 faceoff winning percentage (257-402), having taken all but nine restarts on the 2012 campaign. Massa, who ranks third among all DI players and tops among freshmen in faceoff winning percentage, led the Bulldogs and the Northeast Conference both at the X and in the ground ball game, where he picked up 137 on the year to rank fourth nationally at 7.61 per game. An eight-time NEC Rookie of the Week pick and NEC First Team and All-Rookie Team selection, Massa finished his freshman campaign with 11 points, scoring twice while dishing out nine assists.
A Northeast Conference All-Tournament Team selection after netting five goals and seven points in wins over Quinnipiac and Mount St. Mary's to lead his team to the tournament title, Dunster caps off his breakout sophomore season with another postseason honor. The second-year sharpshooter joins Massa as an NEILA Second Team pick after leading the Black and Gold in both goals (36) and points (50) in 2012, as well as earning an All-NEC First Team nod. Dunster's six man-up tallies led the Bulldogs and ranked fifth on the league circuit, while his 2.00 goals per game were good for fourth in the conference.
Weisenberg, a senior captain, rounds out Bryant's All-New England picks, earning his third-straight NEILA postseason honor. Also a three-time all-conference honoree and 2012 NEC Second Team selection, the midfielder capped off his stellar Bulldog career in 2012, finishing third on the team in points with 33 on the back of 19 goals and 14 helpers as a leading force behind Bryant's 14-4 season. An 18-game starter this season, Weisenberg graduates ranked in the top 10 of multiple program records and recorded at least one point in 15 of his 18 contests in 2012.
The 2012 All-New England Teams and major award winners were selected by vote of each Division's head coaches. NCAA tournament qualifier UMass took home the remaining major honors, with attack Will Manny earning NEILA Player of the Year accolades and head coach Greg Cannella named the NEILA Division I Coach of the Year.
Yale, another NCAA tournament squad, saw six players named All-New England selections, while five Minutemen walked away NEILA honors. Bryant, along with Harvard and Fairfield, earned four picks while players from Brown (3), the University of Hartford (2), Quinnipiac (1) and Dartmouth (1) were also mentioned among the region's best.