Abladian named NEC Rookie of the Year, six named All-NEC
SOMERSET, N.J. – Bryant University men's lacrosse freshman Bennett Abladian has been named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Friday as part of its annual awards.
Abladian becomes the fifth rookie of the year in program history and is one of six Bulldogs to earn All-NEC honors. Zach Coffey was named to the first team, Logan McGovern and Marc O'Rourke earned second team honors and Abladian, Mason Drouin and Aidan Goltz were all named to the all-rookie team.
A Londonderry, N.H., native, Abladian enters Saturday's NEC Championship fifth nationally among freshmen with a team-high 27 goals. He's added eight assists for 35 points, the second-most on the team. Abladian has been on a roll lately, scoring 14 goals in the last three games. He scored four goals in a win at Sacred Heart and has scored five times in each of the last two. Abladian has four five-point games and has scored at least one point in all but one game this year.
Coffey picks up All-NEC honors for the third-straight year and is a first-team honoree for the second time in his career. He's one of the most dangerous offensive long poles in the league, posting six points (5g, 1a). Coffey's also got it done on the defensive side, posting 23 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
McGovern earns All-NEC honors after leading the Black and Gold in scoring for the majority of the season. He has posted 16 goals and 23 assists for a team-high 39 points. McGovern ranks second in the NEC in points per game (4.11) and third in assists per game (2.33). He finished the regular season with back-to-back eight-point games and has two hat tricks on the year.
O'Rourke earns all-league honors for the third time despite playing in just two regular season games. After missing the first eight games of the year, O'Rourke returned to record seven points (6g, 1a) against Sacred Heart and LIU to help the Black and Gold secure the No. 3 seed in the NEC Tournament.
Bryant's three all-rookie selections represent a huge part of the Bulldogs' success this year. The Black and Gold have received 42 percent (63-of-150) of their scoring from true freshmen this year. Drouin has been one of the best nationally on the man-up, registering six goals. He enters the title game with 11 goals and four assists. Goltz helped push Bryant into the title game with a hat trick against Hobart in the semis. He has scored 13 goals, including four in over Merrimack earlier this year.
Bryant will face top-seeded Saint Joseph's in the NEC Championship on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Faceoff is set for 1:00 p.m.