Air Force Lacrosse Announces 2010 Team Awards
5/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
May 18, 2010
USAFA, Colo. -
Several members of the Air Force lacrosse team were honored Monday evening at the Falcons' annual awards banquet. Earning the team's top award as most valuable player was senior captain Ridge Flick.
Flick, a native of Plano, Texas, has represented the Falcons well both on and off the field. A starting attackman for the past two seasons, Flick led the team in points (38) and assists (22) in 2009 and was second in both categories (27 pts., 12 assists) in 2010. In addition, Flick has been a standout in the classroom, holding the team's highest GPA as an aeronautical engineering major, and was tabbed one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Flick was also one of two recipients of the Iron Bolt Award, given to the player(s) who demonstrate the most commitment to the strength and conditioning program, in terms of attitude, effort and leadership.
Earning offensive MVP honors for Air Force was junior captain Vinny Sandtorv. A midfielder from Centereach, N.Y., Sandtorv, a second-team All-ECAC selection, finished second for the Falcons with 19 goals, despite often drawing one of the opponents' top defenders. He was also fourth on the team in total points with 24, registering a career-high five assists, while tying for the team lead in man-up goals on the season with four. In addition, he shared the Iron Bolt Award with his co-captain, Flick.
Meanwhile, sophomore Dayton Gilbreath, a native of Bainbridge Island, Wash., was named the Falcons' defensive MVP. Air Force's lone first-team all-conference selection this season, Dayton was responsible for covering the opponents' top offensive players. A starter in all 14 games in 2010, Dayton finished second on the team in caused turnovers with 16, while also being credited with 25 ground balls.
Junior midfielder Zack Carroll, a native of Freehold Township, N.J., was the recipient of this year's Most Improved Award. Carroll, who has been one of the Falcons' top face-off midfielders for the past two seasons, emerged as an offensive threat as well in 2010. After entering the year with just one career point, Carroll opened the season with a six-point performance versus St. John's. He went on to end the year as Air Force's top scorer, registering a team-high 21 goals and 31 points.
The Ground Ball Award, given to the player who picks up the most ground balls over the course of the season, was earned by junior Bryan Gilbreath. Bryan, a second-team All-ECAC honoree as a specialist, picked up a team-best and career-high 71 ground balls on the year, ranking tied for 16th nationally in ground balls per game (5.07). Splitting his duties between the long-stick midfield position and close defense this year, Bryan was also credited with a team-best 28 caused turnovers on the year, ranking ninth in the nation and first in the ECAC with 2.0 per contest.
Finally, sophomore John DeBonis (Sayville, N.Y.) was honored with a pair of awards. For the second-straight season, DeBonis was the recipient of the Unsung Hero Award, which is granted to the player who contributes most to the team's success without getting the recognition. DeBonis, a short-stick defensive midfielder, has played in every game over the past two years, and has proven himself as one of the Falcons' top defenders. Also taking many of the face-offs for Air Force this year, DeBonis finished the season with 32 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers and two assists.
DeBonis was also honored with the Pace Weber Award, which is presented yearly as a tribute to C1C Pace Weber, who perished along with his instructor in a T-3 flight training accident here at the Academy. Voted on by members of the team, the recipient is an individual who most exemplifies the characteristics by which Pace Weber lived his life.
2010 Air Force Lacrosse Awards
MVP: Ridge Flick
MVP Offense: Vinny Sandtorv
MVP Defense: Dayton Gilbreath
Most Improved: Zack Carroll
Iron Bolt Award: Ridge Flick, Vinny Sandtorv
Ground Ball Award: Bryan Gilbreath
Unsung Hero Award: John DeBonis
Pace Weber Award: John DeBonis
