April 24, 2019
Men’s Lacrosse
All-Sunshine State Conference
Kingsbury Appointed Coach of the Year; Lynn Men’s Lacrosse Garners Program-Best Nine All-SSC Awards
Melbourne, Fla. – Lynn University’s men’s lacrosse team hauled in a program-record nine accolades on Wednesday with the announcement of the 2019 All-Sunshine State Conference teams, highlighted by Brian Kingsbury’s second career SSC Coach of the Year award. Two Fighting Knights landed on the All-SSC First Team, five were tabbed to the Second Team and one player was named to the Freshman Team.
In addition to Kingsbury’s award, Dryden Brous and Xander Cosenza were both selected to the All-SSC First Team, Nick McCabe, Evan P. Kalish, Greg Morissette, Collin McClelland and Daniel Luette all earned All-SSC Second Team honors with Caleb Wells claiming All-SSC Freshman Team laurels. The nine All-SSC awards are the most-ever in a season for the Lynn men’s lacrosse program.
The first and only head coach in Lynn men’s lacrosse history, Kingsbury earns his second SSC Coach of the Year plaudit in his six seasons at the helm. The skipper guided the Fighting Knights to the program’s first-ever double-digit win season (11-3), the SSC Regular Season Championship and a current No. 15 national ranking in the USILA Coaches Poll.
Kingsbury also claimed the label in 2015 following the program’s second season of competition.
Brous remains as the only player in program history to repeat on the All-SSC First Team, earning the high honor in all three season at Lynn. In 2017, Brous was named the SSC Freshman of the Year, marking the program’s first individual athlete major award winner.
On the season, Brous currently ranks fifth in the country in ground balls per game (11.14) and sixth in faceoff winning percentage (73.7%). He picked up three more SSC Player of the Week awards this year, giving him 11 in his three-year career, breaking the Lynn University record for most-ever weekly awards from the league.
Following a spot on the All-Freshman Team a year ago, Cosenza bumps up to the first team this season. The sophomore has tallied 31 goals and 13 assists so far this season, leading the team in the scoring department for the second consecutive year. He has logged six hat tricks, including a five-goal outburst in the season opener.
McCabe’s knack for game-winning goals and distribution efforts landed the redshirt-sophomore on the second team. The offensive midfielder has tallied back-to-back game-winning goals to close out the regular season and currently ranks sixth in the league in assists per game (1.64). His team-high 23 helpers are one shy of tying Mikey Urso’s single-season program record, set last year.
Kalish, a graduate transfer from Bellarmine University, has been Lynn’s most consistent force on close defense. He ranks seventh in the SSC in caused turnovers per game (1.29) while his 18 total CTs on the year rank him third in Lynn’s single-season record book. Kalish has also scooped up the third-most ground balls on the squad (36), led by a six-game stretch in the middle of the season with three GBs or more in each contest.
Morissette has been all over the field in 2019 as the senior winger/defender is having a career season. The Canadian workhorse ranks second on the team in both ground balls (55) and caused turnovers (14) while adding three goals offensively on eight shots. He also became the first defender in program history to surpass over 100 career ground balls and closed out the regular season with his first career SSC Player of the Week award.
McClelland has been a force in between the pipes during his junior campaign, leading the SSC in goals-against average (8.89) and ranking second in the league in save percentage (52.7%). The third-year netminder became the first Lynn goalie to notch double-digit wins in a season and took over as the program’s all-time leader in career saves (344). McClelland also picked up three SSC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, bringing his career total to four.
Luette made major strides in his second season as a short-stick defensive midfielder for the Blue and White. He has appeared in all 14 games, logging one goal, two assists, 18 ground balls and six caused turnovers.
Wells rounds out Lynn’s long list of honorees following a stellar inaugural campaign. The scrappy Canadian ranks third on the team in goals (20) and fourth in total points (23), while scoring on 42.6% of his shot attempts (third best on the team). Wells made a splash in his collegiate debut, Lynn’s 19-5 thrashing over No. 7 NYIT in the season opener, scoring five goals on six shot attempts, becoming the third Lynn freshman to ever score five or more goals in a game.
Shortly after becoming the NCAA Division II leader in career goals, the University of Tampa’s Andrew Kew has been voted SSC Player of the Year by conference coaches. In 15 games for the Spartans, Kew tallied 81 points from 50 goals and 31 assists with a .365 shooting percentage. The senior attackman from Oakville, Ontario is the SSC leader in goals per game (3.33) and points per game (5.40) and is second in assists per game (2.07) and shots per game (9.13). Kew becomes the second Tampa athlete to be named league Player of the Year.
Gunner Gebelein from Palm Beach Atlantic University is awarded Freshman of the Year honors after starting in 16 games for the Sailfish this season. The Huntingtown, Maryland product shone brightly on the defensive end for PBA, ranking first in conference caused turnovers per game (2.44) and eighth in ground balls per game (5.25). Gebelein is the first male athlete from PBA to be named Freshman of the Year in the SSC, the first Sailfish to earn an individual award in lacrosse, and the first freshman defensive player to earn First Team All-SSC honors.
About the Fighting Knights
Lynn University’s national champion Fighting Knights compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. The university’s 19 intercollegiate teams are home to nearly 300 student athletes. Lynn is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II institution and winner of 24 national championships and 38 Sunshine State Conference titles. Representing spirit, service and strength, the Fighting Knights strive for greatness through athletic performance and academic excellence. For more information, visit: lynnfightingknights.com.
