FREELAND, Mich.-- Six members of the Trine men's lacrosse team have been named the 2016 All-MIAA Men's Lacrosse Team, the conference announced Thursday.
Defender Jordan Backer (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville), midfielder Chris Ward (Oak Lawn, Ill. / St. Rita) and goalkeeper Travis Lores (Kildeer, Ill. / Lake Zurich) were named to the All-MIAA First Team. Nick Maher (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt), Colin O'Keefe (Gurnee, Ill. / Warren Township) and Colin Lelito (West Chicago, Ill. / West Chicago) earned Second Team recognition. The six players led the Thunder to an 8-5 overall record. Trine placed third in the MIAA and earned the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament with a program-best 5-2 mark in league action.
Backer became the first player in program history to earn all-conference honors all four years of his collegiate career. The senior earned First Team honors for the third-straight year. Backer was once again a disruptive force in Trine's defensive corps, causing a team-high 25 turnovers. His 14 caused turnovers in league play tied for third in conference. Backer was part of a defensive unit that helped lead the Thunder to the 10th-best goals-against average in the nation. He also got into the act offensively to contribute two goals and two assists.
Ward earned All-MIAA First Team honors for the third time in his career to join Backer as the only two players to accomplish that feat in team history. Ward finished second on the team in scoring with 20 goals and three assists. He served as the team's top scoring option in man-up situations with three goals on the man-advantage. Ward entered tonight's semifinal contest against Alma needing one goal to reach 100 career tallies.
Lores backed the strong Thunder defensive unit this season, leading the MIAA and ranking seventh in the nation with a 6.39 goals-against average. The sophomore's stingy 5.26 goals-against average in conference play was two goals better than the second-lowest mark. Lores notched a .581 save percentage to rank 32nd nationally, including a stout .634 save percentage in conference play.
Maher earned the first all-conference nod of his career after leading the Thunder in scoring. The sophomore scored a team-high 27 goals and added 10 assists in a breakout campaign. Maher scored 12 of those goals and dished out seven assists in conference play. Maher's top performance this season came with a five-goal effort in a victory over Kalamazoo.
O'Keefe earned All-MIAA Second Team honors for the second-straight year. The senior caused 13 turnovers to rank third on the team in that category. O'Keefe also contributed offensively, scoring a career-high three goals and adding an assist. He earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors after scoring goals in victories over Kean and Southwestern (Tex.).
Lelito rounded out Trine's All-MIAA performers with his first all-conference selection. The sophomore tied for fifth in the MIAA with 13 caused turnovers in conference play. Lelito caused 18 turnovers on the season, second-most on the team. He also finished second on the team with a career-high 38 ground balls.
The complete MIAA award-winners and all-conference teams are listed below.
2016 MIAA Men's Lacrosse Defensive MVP: Kyle DeCamp, Albion
2016 MIAA Men's Lacrosse Offensive MVP: Jared Nycz, Alma
2016 MIAA Men's Lacrosse Rookie of the Year: Jared Nycz, Alma
2016 MIAA Men's Lacrosse First Team
Jared Nyvz, Alma
Cameron Braun, Albion
Gunnar Elder, Hope
Jordan Backer, Trine
Dave Brown, Albion
Sam Korbel, Alma
Travis Lores, Trine
Dylan Neal, Albion
Chris Ward, Trine
Logan Krieger, Olivet
Kyle DeCamp, Albion
Cody Schmitt, Adrian
Nicholas Dimaggio, Albion
2016 MIAA Men's Lacrosse Second Team
David Dirado, Albion
Nino Munaudo, Olivet
Nick Maher, Trine
Matt Lowes, Albion
Colin O'Keefe, Trine
Justin Saxman, Alma
Brad Bogus, Albion
Zach Hubbell, Albion
Jake Waldrip, Adrian
Jake Ellens, Alma
Tanner Diment, Alma
Colin Lelito, Trine
Noah Nedd, Calvin
