Philadelphia, PA - Top-seeded and Northeast Men’s Lacrosse Conference Tournament host Saint Joseph’s University took home two of the five major conference awards and placed 11 student-athletes on the all-conference teams, it was revealed Wednesday evening at the NEC Men’s Lacrosse pre-tournament banquet in Philadelphia, Pa. For the second consecutive year it was Bryant face-off specialist Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y./Elwood John Glenn) took home the NEC Player of the award while teammate Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J./Bergen Catholic) took home the NEC Rookie of the Year award.
 
Saint Joseph’s University redshirt junior attacker Ryan McGee (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) was named the NEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring, and Bryant goalkeeper Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md./Saint Paul’s School) earned the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award. Saint Joseph’s University head coach Taylor Wray was voted as coach of the year by his peers after leading the Hawks to an undefeated conference record and the top-seed in the Northeast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.
 
The pre-tournament banquet was held on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University and it brought together all four teams – Saint Joseph’s, Bryant, Sacred Heart and Hobart – participating in the 2014 NEC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament for an evening to recognize all-conference accolades.
 
Massa earned his second consecutive NEC Player of the Year award and third consecutive major award in as many years. The maestro of the faceoff X once again, Massa led the conference and nation with a .705 faceoff winning percentage. The junior helped to lead the Bulldogs to their highest national ranking in program history this season by winning 237 of his 336-faceoff attempts, the Huntington, N.Y. native also scooped up a league leading 172 ground balls this season. Massa was also named a 2014 Tewaaraton Award nominee on Friday and earned a spot on the All-NEC First Team Specialist honors for the third consecutive season.
 
McGee had an outstanding offensive season after leading the league with 53 points and 33 goals, the redshirt junior also ranked third in the NEC in assists per game with 1.43. The four-time NEC Player of the Week honoree helped to lead the Hawks to an undefeated 6-0 record in their first season as a member of the NEC. The White Plains, N.Y. native also earned a spot on the All-NEC First Team.
 
Waldt was another big reason for the success of the Bulldogs this season as he led the league in; goals against average (7.58), save percentage (.606) and saves per game (11.60). Also named as a 2014 Tewaaraton Award nominee, the Freeland, Md. native ranked fourth nationally in save percentage and fifth in goals against average.
 
James was the third Bulldog to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors in as many years after ranking third on his team in goals with 22 and tied for second in points with 35. The New Jersey native and five-time NEC Rookie of the Week picked up 51 ground balls – good for second on the team after Massa – and recorded a trio of hat tricks this spring. James's six points against nationally ranked Drexel and again in the regular-season finale against Wagner were career bests, and the rookie netted the game-winning goal on the road against then-No. 13 Albany March 15.
 
 
Overall, 26 student-athletes were recognized on the All-NEC First and Second Teams.
 
Bryant’s Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa./Episcopal Academy) returned to the All-NEC First Team for the second time in 2014 and ranked third in the league with just under two goals per game. Joining Morrell in earning All-NEC First Team accolades was teammate Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, CT/Greenwich) who ranked second on the team's scoring charts with 35 points, coming off 27 goals and eight assists.
 
Two more Bulldogs earned first team honors, MLL draftee Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Comsewogue) dished out a team high 22 assists and ranked third on the team in ground balls with 43. Matt MacGrotty (New Westminster, B.C./Taft School) helped the Bryant defense allow just 7.56 goals per game, which led the conference.
 
 
Sacred Heart ‘s Cody Marquis (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) is second on the team in points with 41, scoring 23 goals with 18 assists. Two more Pioneers earned All-NEC First Team accolades, Andrew Newbold (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) led Sacred Heart with 25 cause turnovers and has 40 ground balls and Alex Miller (Ridgewood, N.J./Bergen Catholic) ranked second on the team with 41 points on 23 goals and 18 assists.
 
For the Hawks, John Winchell (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) averaged 2.5 ground balls in conference play.and teammate Will Farrell (Jamison, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep.) caused 26 turnovers and scooped up 39 ground balls.
 
Eric Rankel (Downington, Pa./Downington West) rounded out the first team as he earned his second-straight All-NEC First Team honor leading the Colonials in assists with 14 and points with 35.
 
The All-NEC Second Team was highlighted by Mike Dougherty (Malvern, Pa./Malvern Prep.), who tallied 29 points on 17 goals and 12 assists. Hobart attacker Cam Stone (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) led the league with just over 1.5 assists per game.
 
Taylor Graves (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad) notched 15 goals and 8 assists for the Colonials as he earned second team honors.
 
T.J. Jones (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) earned the All-NEC Second Team goalkeeper nod after boasting a .550 save percentage and helping the Hawks to an undefeated record in conference play.
 
Ten players made up the All-NEC Rookie team this year.
 
For Bryant, Cody O’Donnell (Smithfield, RI/LaSalle Academy) scored nine goals and grabbed 25 ground balls on the year. Another Bulldog earning All-NEC Rookie honors was Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, CA/La Costa Canyon) who caused nine turnovers and scooped up 15 ground balls.
 
For the Hawks, Michael Rastivo (South Setauket, N.Y./Choate Rosemary Hall) ranked second on his team in goals with 22. Anthony Joaquim (Guelph, Ontario/The Hill Academy) caused 13 turnovers this year while grabbing 35 ground balls. Ray Vandegrift (Jenkintown, Pa./William Penn Charter) led the NEC with four game-winning goals and tallied 15 total points during the regular season.    
                                                           
For the Colonials, JonPatrik Kealey (Ottawa, Ontario/South Carleton) led his team with 23 goals and finished fourth with 30 points during the regular season.
 
Sacred Heart freshman Brian Masi (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) scored 18 goals to go along with eight assists this season, good for 26 total points.
 
Rounding out the NEC All-Rookie team is Wagner College’s Patrick McMenamin (Longport, N.Y./St. Augustine Prep) who led the team with 29 total points during the regular season and ranked second in the league with 6.14 ground balls per game.