POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – In conjunction with its alumni game this weekend, the Marist men's lacrosse team and Head Coach Keegan Wilkinson handed out its 2014 team awards in a banquet prior to the game Oct. 25.
Junior Joseph Radin (Long Beach, N.Y.) was named the 2014 MVP. Former Marist men's lacrosse captain Nick Armstrong '11 presented him with the honor. Radin finished last season with 46 points for second best on the team, starting all 15 games on Marist's attack unit. He netted the game-winning goals in the Red Foxes' wins over Marquette on March 1 and Canisius on April 26. His six goals against Marquette set a career high and tied for eighth in program history for goals in a single game. In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, he ranked second in goals per game (2.53) and fifth in points per game (3.07) before being selected to the All-MAAC First Team.
The Paul Cleary Award, given to the athlete who best exemplifies the game of lacrosse through hard work and dedication to his team and the sport, was presented to junior Dominic Montemurro (Kings Park, N.Y.) by Matt Francis '10. As Marist's primary face-off specialist, Montemurro won 196-of-356 faceoffs taken for a 55.1 winning percentage. He led the Red Foxes in ground balls, collecting 72 including a season-high 10 against Marquette on March 1. The midfielder ranked fifth in the MAAC with an average of 4.8 ground balls per game and third in faceoff winning percentage.
The Coaches' Award was presented by former assistant coach Dan Lang '09 to Mike Linehan '14. This honor is given to the student-athlete who has played the game of lacrosse to the best of his ability and who has, by example, inspired or led his teammates both on and off the field and who, above all, has consistently demonstrated the qualities of unselfishness and loyalties to his team and Marist College. Linehan was selected by his teammates as a captain for the 2014 season and played four games in net during his Marist career. He was honored by the team to wear no. 34 in memory of his best friend and former teammate Edward Coombs on Senior Night against Canisius on April 26. Linehan's inspiration that night lifted Marist to a 13-7 win that gave it the second seed in the MAAC Tournament.
After leading the Red Foxes with 48 points in 2014, sophomore J.D. Recor (Lancaster, N.Y.) was named the 2014 Edward Coombs Outstanding Freshman. Marist two-time All-MAAC Team selection Jack Doherty '13 presented Recor with the award. Recor's 31 assists were a team-high and best in the nation among freshmen. In a 13-8 victory over Quinnipiac on March 22, the attackman had a career-high eight points on a career-high four goals and four assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Marist's 11-9 comeback victory over Detroit in the MAAC Semifinals. At the season's end, he was a four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, ranked second in the MAAC for assists per game (2.07), and had the third-most points per game (3.2) in the conference. He ranked second in the MAAC and 11th in the nation by averaging 2.07 assists per game. InsideLacrosse.com named Recor the 15th best freshman in the nation at the conclusion of the season.
Through his effort on the field and in the classroom, Gannon Osborn '14 received the Scholar Athlete Award from the team's faculty mentor, Brother Frank Kelly. Osborn was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team and MAAC All-Academic Team during his final season at Marist. He appeared in all 15 games for the Red Foxes, making four starts at midfield. He scooped up 38 ground balls for fourth highest on the team and recorded eight caused turnovers. Osborn graduated with an environmental sciences degree with an English minor and a 3.86 cumulative grade point average.
Marist recognized its six members of the 2014 All- MAAC Team led by senior Patrick Eaker (Redding, Conn.), who was also named the conference's Co-Long Stick Midfielder of the Year. Along with Radin and Eaker, seniors Mike Begley (Brookeville, Md.) and Drew Nesmith (Montclair, N.J.) were First Team All-MAAC selections. Recor was named to both the Second Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Rookie Team, while sophomore Jimmy Murphy (Horsham, Pa.) was a MAAC All-Rookie selection. Senior Dave Scarcello (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Osborn were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team following Marist's loss to Siena in the MAAC Championship game.
The Red Foxes also honored five student athletes who were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. To be eligible, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale. Montemurro, Osborn, Scarcello, junior Dillon Walker (Wawa, Pa.) and junior Dylan Woods (Essex, Conn.) were selected to the MAAC All-Academic Team in April.
Marist finished 6-9 overall in 2014, including 3-3 in MAAC play. The Red Foxes qualified for the MAAC Tournament for the fifth straight season before defeating Detroit in the semifinals.
