With Yale winning the national title and bringing it to New England, there were plenty of choices to represent New England in the first New England Lacrosse Journal men’s Division 1 lacrosse first team. Players from New England or playing for local college teams were eligible.
Attack: Ben Reeves, Yale
The Tewaaraton winner is an easy choice to headline the list. The senior led the Bulldogs to their first ever national championship in the Division 1 era. With 115 points, Reeves broke out to lead the nation in points.
Attack: Connor Kelly, Maryland (Easton, Connecticut)
Kelly was drafted second overall into Major League Lacrosse and capped off a tremendous career with Maryland. He won a national title the year before leading the Terps back to Final Four weekend this season. His 82 points were the ninth most in the nation.
Attack: Chris Gray, Boston University
Gray led the Terriers in points and broke the program’s single-season points record as just a freshman. He led the team back to the Patriot League semi final where they led Loyola by a goal at the half. With 71 points, he had the 14th most in the country.
Midfield: Jay Drapeau, Loyola (Westford, Massachusetts)
Drapeau stepped up to lead the Loyola first midfield line this season, helping bring the Greyhounds back to the NCAA quarterfinals as the Patriot League champions. His 41 goals were the 17th most in the nation.
Midfield: Jeff Trainor, UMass
UMass surprised everyone this season, and the Billerica native was the leader from the midfield. The sophomore tallied 49 points, 28 of them goals, and was the Minutemen’s offensive spark all season.
Midfield: Max Tuttle, Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart came out of nowhere at the start of the year, and Tuttle was a big part of the Pioneers surprisingly good season. His 46 goals went unnoticed nationally despite being the ninth most in the country, and he totaled 64 points.
Midfield: Griffin Feiner, Hartford
Like Tuttle, Feiner may have gone unnoticed with a Hawks team that missed out on the postseason. But he led his team in points and was 17th in the country with 38 goals out of the midfield.
Defense: Chris Fake, Yale
As just a freshman, Fake surprised the lacrosse world as a lockdown defender, helping lead the Bulldogs defensive unit to a strong gameplan against Duke in the national championship game.
Defense: John Sexton, Notre Dame (Sudbury, Massachusetts)
In his final season with the Irish, Sexton led them to the postseason where they fell to Denver in the first round. Sexton was named an All-American for his fourth year with Notre Dame.
Goalie: Nick Washuta, Vermont
Vermont had a tremendous season, going undefeated until the Albany game, and Washuta was stellar in net. With 182 saves, his 61 percent save percentage led all qualified goalies.
