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For Immediate Release May 2, 2018

Sacred Heart’s Max Tuttle Becomes True Pioneer As NEC Recognizes It’s Men’s Elite

Somerset, NJ -- Junior midfielderMax Tuttle (Castle Rock, CO/Castle View) has made Sacred Heart history.

The nation’s third-leading goal scorer became the first SHU Pioneer to win either the Northeast Conference Player award or the NEC Offensive Player of the Year honor. Tuttle, who leads the circuit in scoring, won both at the league’s annual pre- tournament banquet on Wednesday evening in Philadelphia.

Robert Morris senior defenseman Zachary Bryant (Oshawa, Ontario/Monsignor John Pereyma) earned the NEC Defensive Player of the Year accolade and Bryant freshman attackman Marc O’Rourke (Hingham, MA/Hingham) garnered NEC Rookie of the Year honors.

Reclaiming an honor that he had earned on three prior occasions, Saint Joseph’s head coach Taylor Wray won the vote for the NEC Coach of the Year award. Under his guidance, SJU enters the postseason on a 10-game win streak that includes a perfect 6-0 record against conference foes.

The banquet was held on the campus of tournament host Saint Joseph’s, bringing together the four conference rivals that are poised for battle in the 2018 NEC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. In addition to the names of the five major awards winners, the league unveiled two all-conference teams and an all-rookie squad. All honorees were determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches.

Robert Morris and NEC regular season champion Saint Joseph’s each placed a league-high nine student-athletes on the All- NEC and All-Rookie Teams.

Tuttle leads the NEC with 44 goals and 62 points while ranking third nationally in goals per game average (3.14). The junior also has the opportunity to become NEC’s all-time leading scorer when he leads the Pioneers into Thursday’s in the NEC Tournament semifinal round. He is only four points shy of the current leader, former Mount St. Mary’s attackman Andrew Scalley, who set the record with 66 points in 2013. The first team selection is Tuttle’s second, as he also collected the honor as a sophomore.

Zach Bryant became RMU’s second-ever NEC Defensive Player of the Year honoree after leading a unit that allowed the sev- enth-fewest goals per game nationally (7.93). Additionally, his 2.43 caused turnovers per game top the NEC and are third most in the entire NCAA. The Ontario native has moved up to No. 2 on the Colonials’ all-time career caused turnovers list with 74.

(Sacred Heart’s Max Tuttle Becomes True Pioneer As NEC Recognizes It’s Men’s Lacrosse Elite • Page 1-of-3)

Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • O’Rourke burst onto the scene with five points in his first collegiate contest and has only gained momentum from there, total- ing 30 goals and 15 assists during the regular season. He opened up conference play with 11 goals in two games to collect Player & Rookie of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks. He earned the conference weekly rookie award thrice this spring.

Wray’s fourth Coach of the Year award in five seasons comes following a perfect run through the NEC schedule. The Hawks have benefited from a balanced unit this spring. They own the NEC’s best defense in terms of goals-against average (7.85), ranking sixth amongst national leaders in that category. On the offensive end, they average double-digit goal totals. SJU also commits the fewest turnovers in the NEC (11.46/g).

NEC-toids

RMU’s Alex Heger (Carmel, IN/Carmel) was voted as the NEC’s top goaltender after accumulating a .598 save percentage, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. He joins Zach Bryant (Oshawa, Ontario/Monsignor John Pereyma), Tyson Gibson (Maple, Ontario/St. Michael’s College School) and Zac Christianson (Victoria, British Columbia/Claremont Secondary) as the four Colonials on the first team. This is the second first team appearance for Gibson, Heger and Bryant while Christianson takes home his first.

Bryant tied Robert Morris for the most first team selections with four - O’Rourke,Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, NY/Farming- dale), Kenny Massa (Huntington, NY/Elwood John Glenn) and Anthony Johnson (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Prep). Kennedy adds his accolade to his closet full of them with an All-Rookie, All-second team and now two first team awards. Massa returns to the first team for a second consecutive year to give the Massa family a total of six combined.

SJU’s Chris Blewitt (Lincoln Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic) garnered first team honors after a season where he totaled 22 goals and 21 assists. He adds a second first team nod to a resume that also includes a NEC Rookie of the Year award. Kyle Cain (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) and Austin Smith (Olney, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel) joined Blewitt as the three Hawks return- ing to the All-NEC first team.

SHU’s Joe Saggese (Saint James, NY/Smithtown East (Drexel)) joined Tuttle in tearing through opposing defenses and landed on the first team as a result. Saggese finished the regular season with 39 goals and 20 assists, as both he and his fel- low classmate rank first and second, respectively, amongst the NEC goals leaders.

Mike Adler (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Saint Thomas Aquinas) received a second team nod for Saint Joseph’s after finishing the regular season with a .606 save percentage and an average of 12.17 saves per game - good for No. 2 and No. 6 in the nation, respectively.

All of the NEC’s student athletes that were recently drafted into the MLL – Kennedy, Johnson, Massa and Bryant – were all granted first team All Conference.

All members of the All-NEC first team are from the four qualifying teams in the NEC Tournament.

About The Northeast Conference Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the - only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.

(Sacred Heart’s Max Tuttle Becomes True Pioneer As NEC Recognizes It’s Men’s Lacrosse Elite • Page 2-of-3) 2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Award Winners

Player of the Year Max Tuttle Sacred Heart MF Jr. Castle Rock, CO/Castle View

Offensive Player of the Year Max Tuttle Sacred Heart MF Jr. Castle Rock, CO/Castle View

Midfielder of the Year Zachary Bryant Robert Morris D Sr. Oshawa, Ontario/Monsignor John Pereyma

Rookie of the Year Marc O’Rourke Bryant A Fr. Hingham, MA/Hingham

Coach of the Year Taylor Wray Saint Joseph’s

2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Lacrosse First Team All-Conference

Name School Pos Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) Chris Blewitt Saint Joseph’s A Sr. Lincoln Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic Marc O’Rourke Bryant A Fr. Hingham, MA/Hingham Joe Saggese Sacred Heart A R-Jr. Saint James, NY/Smithtown East (Drexel) Kyle Cain Saint Joseph’s MF Sr. Wantagh, NY/Wantagh Tyson Gibson Robert Morris MF Jr. Maple, Ontario/St. Michael’s College School Tom Kennedy Bryant MF Sr. Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale Max Tuttle Sacred Heart MF Jr. Castle Rock, CO/Castle View Zachary Bryant Robert Morris D Sr. Oshawa, Ontario/Monsignor John Pereyma Zac Christianson Robert Morris D Sr. Victoria, British Columbia/Claremont Secondary Anthony Johnson Bryant D Sr. Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Prep Austin Smith Saint Joseph’s LSM Sr. Olney, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel Kenny Massa Bryant FOS Gr. Huntington, NY/Elwood John Glenn Alex Heger Robert Morris GK Jr. Carmel, IN/Carmel

2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Second Team All-Conference

Name School Pos Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) Jimmy Perkins Robert Morris A R-Jr. Pittsburgh, PA/Quaker Valley Mike Rastivo Saint Joseph’s A Gr. South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville (Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)) Matt Schmidt Robert Morris A R-Jr. Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East Ryan Archer Hobart MF Fr. Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt Hayes McGinley Saint Joseph’s MF Sr. Bentleyville, OH/University School (Syracuse) Ryan Smith Robert Morris MF So. Burlington, Ontario/Nelson Trevor Weingarten Bryant MF So. Allendale, NJ/Bergen Catholic Matt Caracappa Sacred Heart D Sr. Massapequa Park, NY/Massapequa Zach Coffey Bryant D So. West Newbury, MA/The Governor’s Academy Chas South Bryant D Gr. Ridgefield, CT/Taft School Jack Toomb Robert Morris LSM Jr. Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller Matt Pedicine Hobart FOS Jr. Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson Mike Adler Saint Joseph’s GK R-Fr. Fort Lauderdale, FL/Saint Thomas Aquinas

2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Lacrosse All-Rookie Team

Name School Pos Yr Hometown/High School (Previous School) Mike Adler Saint Joseph’s GK R-Fr. Fort Lauderdale, FL/Saint Thomas Aquinas Ryan Archer Hobart A Fr. Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt Shane Fable Saint Joseph’s A Fr. Old Tappan, NJ/Bergen Catholic Henry Berg Mount St. Mary’s MF Fr. Berwyn, PA/Conestoga Corson Kealey Robert Morris A Fr. Ottawa, Ontario/Everest Academy Logan Liljeberg Sacred Heart A Fr. Wrentham, MA/LaSalle Academy (RI) Bryan McIntosh Mount St. Mary’s MF Fr. Jamison, PA/Central Bucks East Marc O’Rourke Bryant A Fr. Hingham, MA/Hingham Sam Stephan Mount St. Mary’s FOS Fr. Millstone, NJ/Notre Dame Nick Vernacchio Saint Joseph’s MF R-Fr. Dresher, PA/Upper Dublin