Massa repeats as NEC Player of the Year, Bulldogs take home three major awards, 10 all-conference honors

PHILADELPHIA – Headlined by three major award winners – repeat NEC Player of the Year Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), NEC Defensive Player of the Year Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) and NEC Rookie of the Year Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) – the No. 20 Bryant University men's lacrosse team saw nine different players collect all-conference honors, as announced by the league on the eve of the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs saw six named to the All-NEC First Team, the most of any program, and added one more to the all-league second team, while a trio of Bryant frosh found a home on the All-NEC Rookie Team following a stellar season that saw the team earn its highest national ranking in program history.

Massa and Waldt added All-NEC First Team honors to their major award recognitions and were joined on the top team by sophomore attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.), senior midfielders Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) and Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.), and senior defenseman Matt MacGrotty (New Westminster, British Columbia). James added an All-NEC Second Team pick to his Rookie of the Year honor, and the freshman joined redshirt-frosh LSM Cody O'Donnell (Smithfield, R.I.) and freshman defenseman Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, Calif.) as NEC All-Rookie Team selections.

"I think the selections today mirrored the terrific regular season that our team enjoyed here in 2014," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "Going 12-4 overall and 5-1 in conference with three signature wins over Bucknell, Drexel and Albany, I couldn't be more happy for our recipients tonight."

A Tewaaraton Award semifinalist and Preseason Second Team All-American, Massa repeats as the NEC Player of the Year in 2014 after once again leading the nation in faceoff winning percentage, finding success at the X more than 70 percent of the time. Averaging 10.75 ground balls per game, Massa ranks second nationally in the category and leads the NEC, boasting 172 ground balls entering the 2014 NEC Tournament. The junior has also contributed on offense, tallying four points on the season with a trio of goals and one helper, including scoring the game winner at Robert Morris on April 19. The owner of a 237-of-336 (.705) record at the faceoff X this spring, the New York native is now a three-time All-NEC First Team selection.

"It's tough to argue when you are the No. 1 player at your position in the country, forget the conference," said Pressler. "Kevin is very, very deserving of this honor once again this year."

Waldt has put up arguably the finest season of any goalie in the NCAA this spring, entering Thursday's NEC Tournament Semifinal ranked in the national top 10 in save percentage (fourth, .606), goals against average (fifth, 7.58) and saves per game (seventh, 11.60). The anchor of the nation's fifth-ranked defense (7.56 goals allowed per game) and third-ranked man-down unit (.780), Waldt has made 174 saves in 15 games and boasts an 11-4 record on his sophomore campaign. The second of Bryant's two Tewaaraton Award nominees and one of just two goalies to be named a national player of the year semifinalist, Waldt also adds 38 ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers on the year and was named a Midseason All-American by both Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine.

One of just two freshmen to make the all-conference cut, James keeps the NEC Rookie of the Year accolade with the Bulldogs for the third-straight season (Shane Morrell, 2013; Kevin Massa, 2012) after leading all rookie scorers with 35 points on the year, good for second most on the team. One of just two true freshmen to start all 16 games for the Black and Gold, James tallied 22 markers and added 13 assists on the year, pacing the team with six man-up goals and netting the Bulldogs' only man-down score of the season. The New Jersey native and five-time NEC Rookie of the Week picked up 51 ground balls – good for second on the team after Massa – and recorded a trio of hat tricks this spring. James's six points against nationally ranked Drexel and again in the regular-season finale against Wagner were career bests, and the rookie netted the game-winning goal on the road against then-No. 13 Albany March 15.

After earning NEC Rookie of the Year honors last season, Morrell returns to the All-NEC First Team for the second time in 2014, showing no signs of a sophomore slump this spring. The team's top offensive weapon, Morrell ranks third on the league circuit in goals per game and fourth in points per outing, averaging just under two and three, respectively, each time out. The Pennsylvania native also ranks in the league's top 10 in assists per contest and shot percentage and is the Bulldog leader in points (46) and goals (31). He has five man-up markers on the year with a pair of game winners.

Now a three-time All-NEC First Teamer, Dunster has posted yet another stellar campaign to help lead the nationally ranked Bulldogs in 2014. The senior first line midfielder and Major League Lacrosse draftee is second on the team's scoring charts with 35 points, coming off 27 goals and eight assists. Dunster has tallied at least one point in all but a single contest this season and has five hat tricks on the year. He has five man-up scores this spring, posting the game winner against Wagner in the regular-season finale.

Bryant's second MLL draftee out of the senior class, Zomerfeld also repeats as an All-NEC First Team honoree in 2014 following a regular-season that saw him involved in every aspect of the Bulldogs' game. One of the league's top two-way players, Zomerfeld scored 35 points this spring, dishing out a team-best 22 assists to complement 13 scores. He ranks fourth in the conference (49th nationally) in assists per game, and the New York native also ranks third on the team in ground balls (43) and has eight caused turnovers on the season.

A cornerstone of the backline, MacGrotty earns his second-consecutive All-NEC First Team nod in 2014 after captaining a conference-leading defense that lets up just 7.56 goals per game. A 16-game starter at close defense, MacGrotty leads the Bulldogs with 17 caused turnovers, adding 38 ground balls. The Bulldog defense is ranked fifth nationally and includes the third-best man-down defensive unit in the NCAA (.708).

O'Donnell lands on the NEC All-Rookie Team after a stellar rookie campaign that saw him post one of the top longpole scoring performances in the nation. With nine goals and four helpers, O'Donnell was a significant contributor on offense, particularly in transition, but was just as effective on defense, where he picked up 25 ground balls and caused six turnovers.

The second of two true rookies to start all 16 games, Mummau wraps up the Bulldogs' all-conference accolades, earning an all-rookie team nod after a regular-season that saw him provide a consistent force on the Bulldog defense, picking up 15 ground balls while causing nine turnovers.

The 20th-ranked and second-seeded Bulldogs (12-4) will begin their journey for a third-straight NEC Tournament title and second-straight trip to the NCAA tournament Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., when Bryant takes on Sacred Heart in the second of two semifinal matchups at Sweeney Field on the campus of Saint Joseph's University.

The Black and Gold won the first showdown between these two teams, 14-5, on the road in Fairfield back on April 2 behind four goals from Dunster and Morrell with seven Bulldogs in total getting on the board. Sacred Heart saw single tallies from all-conference selections Alex Miller (First Team), Cody Marquis (First Team), Alex Dodge (Second Team) and Brian Masi (All-Rookie Team), as well as senior attack Matt Gannon in the outing, while Ryan Hughes was strong between the pipes with 14 saves.

"What we did in conference and the result of this matchup a few weeks ago is and remains absolutely meaningless tomorrow at 7:30," said Pressler.

The third-seeded Pioneers (6-8) will be looking to avenge that regular-season loss by handing the Bulldogs just their second league tournament defeat in four years. Bryant enters Thursday's matchup with a 5-1 all-time record in NEC postseason play.

"We are all very aware of the finality of all this," said Pressler. "In a short week for all four teams, I don't think we could be more prepared. We know each other very well, and we just hope to use our experience, having been in this situation before over the last four years, to our advantage."

Both NEC Tournament Semifinals can be watched free-of-charge on NECFrontRow.com.