ROYAL OAK, MICH.-- Four members of the Trine men's lacrosse team have earned All-MIAA honors, the conference announced Saturday.
Midfielder Chris Ward (Oak Lawn, Ill./St. Rita) and defender Jordan Backer (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) each earned First-Team All-MIAA honors, while attacker G.T. Youpel (Chicago Ridge, Ill./St. Rita) and faceoff specialist Rob Brzezinski (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) were named to the second-team. Brzezinski and Backer were each named to the All-MIAA teams for the second time in their Trine careers, while Ward and Youpel picked up honors for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Ward led the Thunder with 35 goals, which is tied for the second-highest total in a single-season in school-history. His 17 goals in MIAA-play ranked seventh in the conference. The sophomore was an explosive scorer for the Thunder with six efforts of three or more goals. He also notched 26 ground balls.
Backer anchored the Trine defensive unit and receives First-Team honors for the first time in his Trine career. He was recognized as a member of the second-team last year. Backer's long reach helped him cause 22 turnovers, the 10th-highest mark in the league. The sophomore also picked up 47 ground balls, the third-highest total on the team. He started all 16 games.
Youpel picks up second-team honors for the first time in his Trine career. The sophomore proved to be a valuable weapon in extra-man opportunities, scoring six man-up goals to tie for fourth in the conference in that category. Overall, Youpel scored 23 goals and added four assists to rank second on the team in scoring.
Brzezinski earned second-team honors after being a first-team honoree last season. The senior tied for the MIAA-lead with 108 ground balls to become the school's all-time career leader. Brzezinski won more faceoffs than any other player in the conference, winning 187-of-317 attempts for a league-best .590 faceoff-win percentage.
The complete All-MIAA teams and award-winners are listed below.
Most Valuable Offensive Player: Eric Fannell, Adrian
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Brandon Parnham, Adrian
All-MIAA First Team
Attack- Eric Fannell, Adrian- Fr.
Attack- Tim Urso, Albion- Jr.
Attack- Cameron Braun, Albion- So.
Midfield Offense- Drake Dailey-Chawlibog, Adrian- Sr.
Midfield Offense- Dylan Neal, Albion- So.
Midfield Offense- Chris Ward, Trine- So.
Faceoff Specialist- Michael Schofield, Hope- Sr.
Midfield Long Stick- Joe Silvestri, Albion- Jr.
Midfield Short Stick- Nick Frontczak, Adrian- Sr.
Defense- Brandon Pamham, Adrian- Jr.
Defense- Carl Pressprich, Albion- Sr.
Defense- Jordan Backer, Trine- So.
Goalie- Kyle Formanczyk, Albion- Jr.
All-MIAA Second Team
Attack- Mitch Burgin, Adrian- Jr.
Attack- Gunnar Elder, Hope- Fr.
Attack- G.T. Youpel, Trine- So.
Midfield Offense- Tom Thielman, Adrian- Sr.
Midfield Offense- Alexander Dziewit, Albion- Jr.
Midfield Offense- Cameron Bazin, Olivet- So.
Faceoff Specialist- Rob Brzezinski, Trine- Sr.
Midfield Long Stick- Cody Schmitt, Adrian- Fr.
Midfield Short Stick- Kevin Riley, Albion- Sr.
Defense- Max Groves, Adrian- Fr.
Defense- Cameron Smyk, Albion- So.
Defense- Kyle Borek, Olivet- Sr.
Goalie- Kevin Lerg, Adrian- Sr.