Lyle Thompson AE Player of the Year, Scott Marr AE Co-Coach of the Year to Highlight League Honors
2014 America East All-Conference Teams (America East Release)
STONY BROOK, N.Y. – After UAlbany ran the table in conference play, Lyle Thompson was named the 2014 America East Player of the Year and Scott Marr was selected as the league Co-Coach of the Year, released at the conference yearly banquet on Wednesday.
Thompson, a unanimous selection, becomes the first two-time America East Player of the Year, earning the honor last season, since UMBC’s Brendan Mundorf in 2005 and 2006. Just one other player, Delaware’s Anthony DiMarzo in 1993 and 1994, has won it twice.
Marr becomes the second four-time America East Coach of the Year, having earned the honor in 2002, 2007 and 2013. He shares the honor with Bob Shillinglaw of Delaware (1992-94, 1999).
In addition, UAlbany led the league with five All-America East First Team players and seven total all-conference selections. Lyle Thompson, Miles Thompson, Ryan Feuerstein, Doug Eich and Blaze Riorden earned First Team status. UAlbany’s five matches the most amount of All-AE First Team players in school history in 2005 and 2007. Ty Thompson and Cody Futia earned a place on the Second Team.
Also, Bennett Drake and Adam Osika were placed on the All-Rookie Team, while Futia and John Maloney were honored on the All-Academic Team.
Lyle Thompson, a Tewaaraton nominee, earns his second-straight America East Player of the Year honor and all-conference first team selection after being the leading-point scorer in all of Division I. Earning at least four points in all 14 games played, the junior attack has earned a Division I-best 61 assists and 37 goals, standing just two points away from being the first Division I player ever to earn two 100-point seasons. He also added 13 caused turnovers on the ride and 37 ground balls.
For the second-consecutive year and fourth year overall, Scott Marr is honored as an America East Coach of the Year. He coached UAlbany to a second-consecutive undefeated league season and America East regular season title with the top scoring offense in all of lacrosse. In conference play, the Great Danes averaged five more goals a game, 18.2 per contest, than the next team, UMBC, at 13.2.
Miles Thompson, also a Tewaaraton nominee, earns All-AE First Team standing after being the top goal-scorer in all of Division I. The senior attack has tallied 60 goals and 30 assists for 90 points, the second-strongest mark in DI, adding 22 ground balls and six caused turnovers. He earned at least four points in 13 of 14 games and earned America East Player of the Week honors four times, the most for any player in the conference this season. This is his second-straight First Team all-conference selection and third-straight all-league selection.
Ryan Feuerstein earns All-America East First Team honors, his second all-conference selection in two years, after being one of the top two-way senior midfielders in the league. He has 17 goals and six assists on the offensive end and 30 ground balls and eight caused turnovers the other way. Some of his best games were in conference play, including a three-goal game in the win over Vermont and a five-point contest, including four assists, in the victory over Stony Brook.
Doug Eich, the UAlbany defensive captain, earns his first all-conference selection by getting on the First Team. The senior close defenseman tallied 20 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers, also adding a pair of assists in a win over UMBC, where he also caused three turnovers, his second such game in the season. Eich’s defense helped such players as Hartford’s Kevin O’Shea and Stony Brook’s Brody Eastwood, their respective teams’ top scorers, to no points.
Blaze Riorden was named All-America East First Team, his second all-conference selection, after leading the conference, and for a while all of Division I, in saves per game and save percentage. Compiling a 9-5 record, the sophomore has a 56.3% save percentage, with 13.64 saves per game, and allows 11.13 goals per game. He had at least 15 saves in a game five times. He also caused seven turnovers and scored a goal with a short stick.
Ty Thompson earns all-conference second team for the second year in row after being one of the top shooters in the league. Through 14 games, the senior attack has 32 goals and 11 assists, adding 15 ground balls. He scored in every game for UAlbany this year, including five-goal performances against Syracuse and UMass and five points against UMBC.
Cody Futia is an All-America East Second Team player for the third season in a row for UAlbany. The senior close defenseman caused 13 turnovers and scooped 16 ground balls for the Great Danes, leading UAlbany in the latter category. His strongest game came against Siena, where he had three ground balls and three caused turnovers. He also earned All-Academic status for the second-straight year, having a 3.73 GPA in business administration.
Bennett Drake placed on the All-Rookie Team after being a strong offensive player in man-up situations. The freshman attack leads the America East with 10 man-up goals, totaling 13 goals and two assists this year. Drake scored in every league game, starting with a three-goal performance against Vermont, and has earned goals in his last seven contests.
Adam Osika also was named to the All-Rookie Team as a two-way midfielder. The freshman finished the regular season with two goals, an assist and six ground balls, often leading a defensive midfield unit. He earned points in some of UAlbany’s biggest victories against Harvard and UMass.
John Maloney is a member of the All-Academic Team, earning a 3.51 GPA in biology. On the field, the sophomore is the top-scoring midfielder for UAlbany with 20 goals, including five in man-up situations, and 12 ground balls. He had four points against Syracuse and scored five points, including four goals, in the victory over UMass.
Marr shared America East Coach of the Year honors with Binghamton’s Scott Nelson, while Vermont’s Ian MacKay was named the conference Rookie of the Year.
