Lacrosse Team Has 11 Players Honored by America East

Eleven members of the University of Hartford men’s lacrosse team were recognized with conference postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon, as announced by the America East Conference.

Four Hawks landed spots on the America East All-Conference First Team. Juniors Aidan Genik and Scott Bement joined seniors Conor Flynn and Tim Fallon on the list. The four first-team selections are the most in a single season in the program’s history and the most since the 2002 season.

Carter Bender, Dan Gillespie, Ben Knapton and Brendan Marlow earned spots on the America East All-Conference Second Team while Tate Klidonas and Alex Matarazzo garnered all-rookie honors, which are chosen regardless of position. Ryan Compitello and Genik, a pair of juniors, wrapped up the Hartford accolades, earning two of 10 spots on the America East All-Academic Team. The Hawks have been represented on the all-academic squad in each of the last six years.

All four first team honorees earned all-conference honors for the third time in their respective careers. Genik has paced the Hawks’ attack during America East Conference play with 13 of his 22 goals coming in league games. A second-team pick in 2010 and an all-rookie team selection in 2009, the Toronto, Ontario native is fourth on the team with 31 points this season. Genik leads all active Hawks with 110 career points thus far, which ranks him as the 10th-best scorer in program history. In addition, his 82 goals are eighth-best in Hartford history.

Flynn, who landed second-team honors in both 2009 and 2010 as a defender, made 14 starts while seeing time in all 15 games this season. A senior from Corning, N.Y., he has notched career-best numbers this season ranking second on the team in ground balls (66) while leading the team in caused turnovers (35). Averaging 2.33 caused turnovers per game this year, Flynn leads the America East in that category and ranks sixth in the NCAA Division I statistics.

For the second-straight season, Fallon, a senior, landed a spot on the America East All-Conference First Team as the face-off specialist. A Division I United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American in 2010, Fallon started and played in every game this season and is ranked among the NCAA leaders in ground balls (8.73; second) and face-off percentage (62.1-percent; eighth). The Lowell, Mass. native engraved his name in the Hartford career record book, matching the all-time record in ground balls in a single season with 131. Additionally, he needs just 14 more ground balls to become the program’s all-time leader.

After earning second-team accolades in 2009 and 2010, Bement picked up first-team goalie honors this season. The junior manned the cage in six games this season and has led the Hawks to two wins in league play in 2011. The Canandaigua, N.Y. native grabbed America East Player of the Week honors after matching a season-best performance with 14 saves to lead the Hawks to a pivotal 10-6 win over UMBC last Saturday. After missing nine games due to an injury, Bement has returned to post an 8.24 goals-against average and a .568 save percentage.

Bender, a first-team pick last season and an all-rookie team selection in 2009, landed a spot on the second-team midfield unit. The junior played in 14 games this season and leads the team in goals (27) and points (44). In addition, Bender is among league leaders in scoring ranking second in points (3.14 per game), and seventh in assists (1.21 per game) and goals (1.93 per game). The midfielder has notched at least one point in all but one game of his collegiate career, which included a 39-game scoring streak, and has recorded 107 career points, 12th most in program history.

Knapton and Marlow, a pair of midfielders, and defender Dan Gillespie garner postseason accolades for the first time in their careers. In his final season in the scarlet and white, Marlow earned his nod to the America East All-Conference Second Team as a short-stick midfielder. This year, the Weston, Mass. native has produced career-best numbers with 33 ground balls, third-most on the team, and four caused turnovers while earning starts in 10 of the last 11 games. Knapton, a junior, filled the long-stick midfield spot on the second-team ballot. Logging time in 14 games with 12 starts this season, the Canandaigua, N.Y. native has collected 23 ground balls and ranks third on the team with nine caused turnovers. A senior out of Malvern, Pa., Gillespie grabbed one of three available defensive spots on the second team after recording 17 ground balls and seven caused turnovers, both career-best numbers.

Klidonas and Matarazzo made an instant impact in 2011 as members of Hartford’s midfield and defense. Klidonas netted 11 goals and tacked on five assists for 16 points during his freshman season. A native of Emmaus, Pa., the midfielder leads the Hawks with four man-up scores and ranks fifth on the team with 27 ground balls. Klidonas was tabbed the America East Rookie of the Week for the week on March 28 after combining for three points and six ground balls in Hartford’s wins over Sacred Heart and Wagner.

Matarazzo has logged time in all 15 games this season while seeing two starts in the Hawks’ back line. The New Fairfield, Conn. native has forced his opponents into 10 turnovers, second most on the team, while collecting 15 ground balls. Matarazzo notched his first points as a collegian on an assist in Hartford’s 12-7 win at Holy Cross earlier this season.

The America East All-Academic Team is selected based on student-athletes’ academic and athletic accomplishments. Academic achievement for consideration requires student-athletes to have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 entering the season. Genik holds a 3.33 GPA with a major of health sciences/physical therapy while Compitello, a management major, owns the second-best GPA on the all-academic team, checking in at 3.88. A junior from Hauppauge, N.Y., the attackman has started and played in all 15 games this season and is second on the team in scoring with 39 points, including 16 goals and a team-high 23 assists.