Pair of Falcons Earn All-GWLL Accolades
5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
May 1, 2008
USAFA, Colo. - A pair of Air Force players were honored as members of the Great Western Lacrosse League's 2008 all-league team. Juniors Griffin Nevitt (Charlotte, N.C.) and Dan Gnazzo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) each earned first-team All-GWLL honors. Ohio State led the way with eight all-conference selections, including four on the first team. Notre Dame (four first-team picks) and Denver (two first-team selections) each added six all-league honorees. Air Force placed two players on the all-conference squad, while Quinnipiac and Bellarmine each had one second-team selection.
Nevitt receives the third all-conference honors of his career, earning second-team recognition at midfield in 2006 and first-team accolades in 2007. This season, Nevitt led the Falcons with 24 points on the year, recording a team-best 18 goals and six assists. The team's leading scorer for the second-straight season and the leading goal scorer for the third straight season, Nevitt has tallied at least one goal or assist in 38 out of 40 games in his career. He was also named to the Pioneer Face-Off Classic team for the third-consecutive season and was one of two Falcons to score a man-down goal this year. In addition, Nevitt finished the season ranked second on the team with 45 ground balls.
Gnazzo, a three-year starter at the long-stick midfield position, receives the second all-conference recognition of his career after being named a second-team selection in 2007. This year, Gnazzo led the Falcons with 64 ground balls, ranking among the top 10 in the nation in that category with 5.33 per game, while also registering 23 caused turnovers on the season. Named to the all-tournament team at the Pioneer Face-Off Classic for a second straight year, Gnazzo also gave the team an offensive boost, scoring his first career goal against Brown before finishing the year with three goals and four assists.
In addition to announcing the all-league first and second teams, the GWLL's individual awards (Newcomer of the Year, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year) were released Thursday as well. Player of the Year honors went to Ohio State's Kevin Buchanan, a senior attack who led the league in scoring with 63 points (second in the NCAA). The conference's Newcomer of the Year award went to the Denver attackman Jamie Lincoln, the leading freshman scorer in the nation. Meanwhile, Quinnipiac's Eric Fekete was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Bobcats to an 8-4 overall record and berth in the first GWLL Tournament.
