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Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s lacrosse regular season champion and defending NEC Tournament champion Hobart claimed a pair of major individual awards and placed eight student-athletes on All-NEC and All-Rookie teams, it was revealed Wednesday evening at the annual pre-tournament banquet in Geneva, NY. Hobart senior attacker Frank Brown (Red House, NY/Silver Creek) took home both the NEC Player of the Year and NEC Offensive Player of the Year awards.
 
Sacred Heart senior Ryan O’Donoghue (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Robert Morris freshman Ryan Smith (Burlington, Ontario/Nelson) collected NEC Rookie of the Year honors and Colonials’ head coach Drew McMinn was voted NEC Coach of the Year by his peers.
 
The banquet was held on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva and it brought together all four teams – Hobart, Bryant, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart – participating in the 2017 NEC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament for an evening to recognize the best-of-the-best from around the conference.
 
Brown became the first Hobart student-athlete to earn the NEC Player of the Year award and also the first Statesman to win NEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The senior captain leads Hobart with 30 goals and 46 points. He ranks fourth in the NEC with 2.14 goals per game and 3.29 points per outing. Brown, a second team honoree last season, was a two-time NEC Player of the Week this spring. The South Setauket, NY native paces a Hobart offense that ranks 13th nationally in scoring (12.29).
 
The first player in Sacred Heart annals to win the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award, O’Donoghue currently leads the nation with 3.14 caused turnovers per game. Likewise, he anchors a stingy Pioneer defense that ranks first in DI with 10.50 caused turnovers per game. The senior defender and two-time All-NEC first-teamer also ranks second on the Pioneers with 45 ground balls to help Sacred Heart achieve an NEC-high and top-15 national ranking in ground balls per game (31.36). O’Donoghue helped the postseason-bound Pioneers improve their overall win total by seven and NEC win total by four this year.
 
Smith earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors after he ranked third on the Colonials in goals (20) and fourth in points (28) during the regular season. A dual NEC Player and Rookie of the Week honoree back on March 27, he scored two game-winning goals and added eight assists for RMU. Smith is the first Colonial to win NEC Rookie of the Year laurels.
 
McMinn earned his second NEC Coach of the Year award after leading the Colonials to nine wins - the most for the program since 2012 - and the team’s second consecutive NEC Tournament appearance.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

Hobart led the way with program-record eight total honorees named to All-NEC and All-Rookie teams. Robert Morris had seven award recipients, while Bryant and Sacred Heart finished with six honorees apiece. For SHU, the six award winners represented the most in school history.
 
Bryant senior attacker Tucker James (Essex Fells, NJ/Bergen Catholic) earned his third All-NEC accolade. The All-NEC first teamer led the NEC in assists per game (1.73) and points per game (4.00) during the regular season. Classmate Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, CA/La Costa Canyon) also made his third appearance for the Bulldogs on the All-NEC first team. The stout defender finished the regular season with 21 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers for second-seeded Bryant.
 
Sacred Heart senior defender Chase Godfrey (Glenville, NY/Burnt-Hills Ballston Lake) earned his third All-NEC second team honor and currently ranks 15th nationally with 1.64 caused turnovers per game.
 
Saint Joseph’s netminder T.J. Jones (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) made his second consecutive All-NEC appearance after ranking third amongst league leaders in saves per game (11.50) and fourth in save percentage (.544) in regular season play. Jones was the 2016 NEC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Wagner sophomore attackman Andrew Streilein (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) landed on the All-NEC second team after being named an All-Rookie honoree last season. The sophomore led the Seahawks in goals (28), assists (15) and points (43) this year.
 
Bryant junior faceoff specialist Kenny Massa (Huntington, NY/Elwood John Glenn) was tabbed to the All-NEC first team, boosting the Massa family to five first team honors. His brother, Kevin, was a four-time first teamer and a three-time NEC Player of the Year for the Bulldogs from 2013-15.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 36th 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 (#22), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-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.