ANGOLA, IND. -- Six members of the Trine University men's lacrosse team were selected to the 2018 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Teams for their individual efforts this season. In addition, the Thunder also had a player tabbed "Rookie of the Year."
Senior Nick Maher (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) and juniors Neil Orr (Lombard, Ill./Montini Catholic) and Alex Jamieson (Hartland, Wisc./Arrowhead) were selected first-team. Sophomore Justin Gearig (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg), junior Conner Putman (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) and senior Kevan Barissi (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) were named second-team. Freshman Dave Keptner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow) was tabbed the MIAA "Rookie of the Year."
Maher earns his second all-conference award and his first first-team accolade. He was a second-team pick in 2016. This season, Maher leads the team in goals (30) assists (30) and points (60). His 30 assists also rank first in the MIAA and also ranks second in points and fifth in goals. He has had eight multi-goal games this season that included a career-tying high five goal effort in a win against Concordia-Chicago in which he ended the game with eight overall points (five goals and three assists). Maher also had a career-high 11-point game against Mount St. Joseph in the second game of the season in which he scored four goals and added seven assists. His 11 points ranked second most in a single game in program history and his seven helpers were a single-game record. For his career, Maher has scored 95 goals which ties him for the program all-time lead and he currently has 148 total points (95 goals and 53 assists) which puts him second all-time. In addition this season, Maher has tallied 30 ground balls and caused 12 turnovers.
Orr has had a standout season with individual career highs in goals (29), assists (nine) and points (38) for his first All-MIAA selection. His 29 goals this season puts him in a tie for second most on the team and in a tie for sixth in the conference. Orr has recorded eight multi-goal games that included a pair of career-high four goal efforts in wins against MSJ and Kalamazoo. He finished both games with six total points (four goals and two assists) which were also career highs. Orr leads the team in shots with 92 and is tied for second in "man-up" goals with five. In addition, Orr has tallied 20 ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Jamieson joins Maher as a two-time All-MIAA pick after receiving second-team recognition last season. Jamieson is part of a defensive squad that allows 5.55 goals per game which ranks second in the MIAA and fifth in NCAA Division III. Jamieson is amongst the team leaders in ground balls with 26 and leads the team in caused turnovers with 15. He posted a season-high five ground balls in a win against Kalamazoo and had seven games this season with two or more ground balls.
Gearig, Putman and Barissi all earn their first All-MIAA awards. Gearig currently ranks second on the team in total points with 40 having scored 20 goals, including a team-best six man-advantage markers, and 20 assists. His 20 assists are also second most on the team and his 20 goals are fifth highest. Gearig has scored a career-best three goals in a game on four occasions this season and had an all-time high six points (three goals and three assists) in a win against Calvin. He has also posted three games with five points on the year. To go along with his goal and assist totals, Gearig has accounted for 24 ground balls and caused four turnovers. Amongst MIAA opponents, Gearig is second in "man-up" goals (six), sixth in assists (20) and seventh in points (40).
Putman has also posted a career season with all-time highs of 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points. His 14 assists are third most on the team and his 21 goals are fourth highest. He has taken 67 shots for a .313 shooting percentage and is tied for second in "man-up" goals with five. He recorded five multi-goal games this season, including a career-high five goals in a win against Olivet and also finished with a career-best six total points (five goals and one assist). In addition, Putman has recorded 10 ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.
Barissi has recorded nine goals so far this season with most of those coming in a win against Olivet in which he scored seven goals. He has also assisted on another goal for a career-best 10 points. Barissi has taken 28 shots for a .321 shot percentage while being amongst the team leaders in ground balls with 26 to go along with five cause turnovers.
Keptner becomes the first Trine player to earn "Rookie of the Year" honors after a season that saw him score a goal and an assist from his defensive position. He is third on the team in ground balls with 29 and is second in caused turnovers with 14. Keptner recorded nine games with two or more ground balls, including a season-high six ground balls against Olivet. He joins Jamieson as part of a defensive squad that allows 5.55 goals per game which ranks second in the MIAA and fifth in NCAA Division III.
Trine has secured the number three seed in this year's MIAA Tournament that will begin on Wednesday, May 2. The Thunder will travel to Albion, Mich. to take on second-seeded Albion College. The start time is 8 p.m.