Six Falcons Earn GWLL Accolades
4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 30, 2009
USAFA, Colo. -
Six Air Force players were honored as members of the Great Western Lacrosse League's 2009 all-league team, as announced by the conference today. Three Falcons earned first-team honors, while three others were named second-team All-GWLL selections. In addition, freshman Dayton Gilbreath (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) was honored as the Newcomer of the Year. Air Force's six all-conference selections are the most in program history, while the three first-team honorees match an all-time best (the Falcons had three first-team selections in 2006).
Earning first team honors this season were seniors Griffin Nevitt (Charlotte, N.C.) and Dan Gnazzo (Eden Prairie, Minn.), along with Gilbreath. Nevitt was named an all-conference honoree at the midfield position for the fourth-straight season, including first-team selections in each of the past three years. Nevitt, the Falcons' top all-around player, has started all 13 games this season at both midfield and attack. A two-time preseason honorable mention All-American, the team captain is currently third on the team in total points (26) and second in assists (12). He also ranks tied for fourth on the team in ground balls with 34. He has scored in 10 of 13 games this season, with multiple points in eight games. Nevitt now has 119 points (77g, 42a) in his career, becoming just the second Air Force player in the past 10 years to reach 100 career points.
Gnazzo, chosen as the league's top long-stick midfielder, is a three-time All-GWLL pick, also earning first-team honors in 2008. The team's top LSM for the past four seasons and a preseason honorable mention All-American, Gnazzo is also a threat to score with 11 points (5g, 6a) on the season. He currently leads the team in ground balls with 50 and averaged five ground balls per game is conference play. In addition, he ranks second on the team in caused turnovers with 14. This season, Gnazzo has also seen some time between the pipes, starting a pair of games in goal, including the win over Quinnipiac. In his two games as the Falcons' goalkeeper, Gnazzo recorded a 7.70 GAA and .531 save percentage.
Gilbreath was named a first-team defenseman after a strong freshman campaign in which he has helped anchor an Air Force defense which has allowed under nine goals per game and just 7.6 goals in conference competition. The Falcons' best cover man, Gilbreath is often tasked with the challenge of shutting down the opponents' top scorer. He ranks third on the team in caused turnovers with 12 and has also scored two points (1g, 1a) on the year, including the gamewinner versus Quinnipiac.
Meanwhile, three more Air Force players earned all-conference honors for the first time. Junior Ridge Flick (Plano, Texas) was named to the second team on attack, sophomore Bryan Gilbreath (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) earned second-team honors as a long-stick midfielder, and senior David Mackintosh (Manlius, N.Y.) was a second-team defender.
In his first year as a starter on attack, Flick is the team's leading scorer on the year with 34 points and a team-high 18 assists. Entering the year wih just nine career points (7g, 2a), Flick has scored at least one point in 12 of 13 contests this season, recording multiple points in 10 of those 12 games. Flick has recorded a career-high five points in wins over Quinnipiac, Ohio State and Denver, including a career-best four assists against Denver. In GWLL action this season, Flick has averaged four points per contest.
Bryan Gilbreath is one of the most talented long poles in the nation, contributing on both offense and defense. He leads the nation in scoring by an LSM/defenseman, registering 13 points on the season (11g, 2a). He scored two points against both Towson and Sacred Heart, earning a spot on the Pioneer Face-off Classic all-tournament, while also scoring two points in wins over Quinnipiac and Denver. In addition, he ranks third on the team in ground balls with 44.
Mackintosh, one of the Falcons' team captains, is a three-year starter on defense, playing in and starting 36 games over the past three seasons. Air Force's leader on defense, Mackintosh has helped the Falcons hold opponents to less than nine goals per contest for the season and 7.6 goals per game in the league. He also ranks fourth on the team in caused turnovers with 11.
In addition to announcing the all-league first and second teams, the GWLL's individual awards were released Thursday as well. While Dayton Gilbreath claimed honors as the league's top newcomer, Notre Dame claimed the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, awarded to Scott Rodgers and Kevin Corrigan, respectively. Rodgers, a senior goalkeeper who leads the nation in goals against average, and Corrigan helped lead the second-ranked Fighting Irish to an unblemished 13-0 overall record. Notre Dame remains the lone undefeated Division I team in the nation, while also claiming its 12th regular-season GWLL title in the league's 16-year history with a 5-0 conference mark.
The GWLL Tournament, featuring Notre Dame, Air Force, Ohio State and Quinnipiac, kicks off tomorrow at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Mich. Top-seed Notre Dame and fourth-seed Quinnipiac will face off in the first semi-final, slated for a 5:00 p.m. (ET) start time, while second-seed Air Force will take on third-seed Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the championship game, which will determine the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, will take place Sunday, May 3, at noon.
