Army West Point Athletics
Grabher Inks Major Award; Five Earn All-League
April 24, 2017 | Men's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army West Point men's lacrosse team had a host of players earn postseason recognition from the Patriot League as the conference announced its all-league squads and major awards.
Dan Grabher led the way for the Black Knights with being named the Patriot League's Faceoff Specialist of the Year and also garnering All-Patriot League First Team honors.
Other joining Grabher on the first team was Cole Johnson, David Symmes and Johnny Surdick. Reaves Klipstein was the lone Black Knight on the All-Patriot League Second Team as he earned postseason accolades for the first time in his career.
In the second year of its existence, the Faceoff Specialist of the Year was once again a tight race. Grabher receives this year's award after winning 149-of-235 faceoffs taken for the Black Knights.
The senior ranks fifth in the nation with a 0.637 faceoff winning percentage and also ranks seventh among NCAA DI players with 7.58 ground balls per game. He has helped Army rank fifth as a team with a 0.617 faceoff winning percentage and fourth with 34.23 ground balls per game. After playing in just three games as a freshman and taking zero faceoffs, Grabher now ranks 10th in Patriot League history for most faceoff wins in a career, surpassing former teammate Alex Daly.
He's proved to play a crucial role for the Cadets over the years, including this season as they upended then-No. 6 Syracuse, 14-13, on Feb. 25. He won 17-of-29 faceoffs, which included an 11-of-15 performance in the first half. In addition to his play the X, Grabher has scored six goals this season and notched four assists. He earned the League's weekly honor of faceoff specialist three times this season.
Johnson was a first team selection for the second time in his career and earns postseason honors for the third time in his time at West Point. David Symmes and Johnny Surdick were top team choices for the first time in their careers.
The All-League teams are made of 15 student athletes on each the first team and the second team. Of the 30 players that made the team, 16 are seniors, six are juniors, and eight are sophomores. While Army West Point led the way with the most first team selections at four, Loyola and Boston U. tied for the most overall total of six student-athletes on the All-League teams. Army totaled five honorees, Bucknell and Navy each had four, and Lehigh had three. Colgate and Holy Cross rounded out the group with one apiece.
Two players, Loyola's Brian Sherlock and Navy's Brady Dove, were named all-league selections for a fourth time in their collegiate careers. Sherlock is the fourth player in League history to earn first team honors in all four years, while Dove is the first Navy player and first faceoff specialist to be named to the all-league team all four years.
The Major Awards and All-League teams were voted on by the nine Patriot League head coaches who could not vote for their student-athletes and selves.
The 2017 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Championship starts Tuesday with two quarterfinal contests that will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. No. 4 seed Navy hosts No. 5 Holy Cross in a 6 p.m. contest and No. 3 Boston University will host No. 6 Lehigh shortly after at 7 p.m. The winners advance to Friday's semifinal round at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Md. Both semifinal games and the Patriot League Championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
2017 Men's Lacrosse All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Pat Spencer, Loyola Maryland*
Defensive Player of the Year – Chris Fennell, Navy
Faceoff Specialist of the Year – Dan Grabher, Army West Point
Goalkeeper of the Year – Christian Carson-Banister, Boston University*
Rookie of the Year – Griffin Brown, Colgate
The William Lawson Coach of the Year – Ryan Polley, Boston University
First Team
Cole Johnson, Army West Point, Sr., A*
Cal Dearth, Boston University, Sr., A*
Will Sands, Bucknell, Jr., A*
Pat Spencer, Loyola Maryland, So., A*
David Symmes, Army West Point, Jr., M
Sean O'Brien, Bucknell, Jr., M
Brian Sherlock, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Greyson Torain, Navy, So., M*
Johnny Surdick, Army West Point, So., D
Dominick Calisto, Boston University, Sr., D
Craig Chick, Lehigh, So., D
Chris Fennell, Navy, Sr., D*
Dan Grabher, Army West Point, Sr., FO
Matt Rees, Navy, Sr., LSM
Christian Carson-Banister, Boston University, Sr., GK*
* Denotes unanimous selection
Second Team
Jack Wilson, Boston University, Jr., A
Andrew Pettit, Lehigh, So., A
Alex McGovern, Loyola Maryland, So., A
Brendan Homire, Boston University, So., M
Kevin Lux, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Romar Dennis, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Reaves Klipstein, Army West Point, Sr., D
Matt Gilray, Bucknell, Jr., D
Eddie Bouhall, Lehigh, So., D
Jack Carrigan, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Brady Dove, Navy, Sr., FO
Greg Wozniak, Boston University, Sr., LSM
Brian Begley, Loyola Maryland, Jr., SSDM
Christian Klipstein, Bucknell, So., GK
Brandon Burke, Colgate, Sr., GK
Dan Grabher led the way for the Black Knights with being named the Patriot League's Faceoff Specialist of the Year and also garnering All-Patriot League First Team honors.
Other joining Grabher on the first team was Cole Johnson, David Symmes and Johnny Surdick. Reaves Klipstein was the lone Black Knight on the All-Patriot League Second Team as he earned postseason accolades for the first time in his career.
In the second year of its existence, the Faceoff Specialist of the Year was once again a tight race. Grabher receives this year's award after winning 149-of-235 faceoffs taken for the Black Knights.
The senior ranks fifth in the nation with a 0.637 faceoff winning percentage and also ranks seventh among NCAA DI players with 7.58 ground balls per game. He has helped Army rank fifth as a team with a 0.617 faceoff winning percentage and fourth with 34.23 ground balls per game. After playing in just three games as a freshman and taking zero faceoffs, Grabher now ranks 10th in Patriot League history for most faceoff wins in a career, surpassing former teammate Alex Daly.
He's proved to play a crucial role for the Cadets over the years, including this season as they upended then-No. 6 Syracuse, 14-13, on Feb. 25. He won 17-of-29 faceoffs, which included an 11-of-15 performance in the first half. In addition to his play the X, Grabher has scored six goals this season and notched four assists. He earned the League's weekly honor of faceoff specialist three times this season.
Johnson was a first team selection for the second time in his career and earns postseason honors for the third time in his time at West Point. David Symmes and Johnny Surdick were top team choices for the first time in their careers.
The All-League teams are made of 15 student athletes on each the first team and the second team. Of the 30 players that made the team, 16 are seniors, six are juniors, and eight are sophomores. While Army West Point led the way with the most first team selections at four, Loyola and Boston U. tied for the most overall total of six student-athletes on the All-League teams. Army totaled five honorees, Bucknell and Navy each had four, and Lehigh had three. Colgate and Holy Cross rounded out the group with one apiece.
Two players, Loyola's Brian Sherlock and Navy's Brady Dove, were named all-league selections for a fourth time in their collegiate careers. Sherlock is the fourth player in League history to earn first team honors in all four years, while Dove is the first Navy player and first faceoff specialist to be named to the all-league team all four years.
The Major Awards and All-League teams were voted on by the nine Patriot League head coaches who could not vote for their student-athletes and selves.
The 2017 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Championship starts Tuesday with two quarterfinal contests that will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network. No. 4 seed Navy hosts No. 5 Holy Cross in a 6 p.m. contest and No. 3 Boston University will host No. 6 Lehigh shortly after at 7 p.m. The winners advance to Friday's semifinal round at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Md. Both semifinal games and the Patriot League Championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
2017 Men's Lacrosse All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Pat Spencer, Loyola Maryland*
Defensive Player of the Year – Chris Fennell, Navy
Faceoff Specialist of the Year – Dan Grabher, Army West Point
Goalkeeper of the Year – Christian Carson-Banister, Boston University*
Rookie of the Year – Griffin Brown, Colgate
The William Lawson Coach of the Year – Ryan Polley, Boston University
First Team
Cole Johnson, Army West Point, Sr., A*
Cal Dearth, Boston University, Sr., A*
Will Sands, Bucknell, Jr., A*
Pat Spencer, Loyola Maryland, So., A*
David Symmes, Army West Point, Jr., M
Sean O'Brien, Bucknell, Jr., M
Brian Sherlock, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Greyson Torain, Navy, So., M*
Johnny Surdick, Army West Point, So., D
Dominick Calisto, Boston University, Sr., D
Craig Chick, Lehigh, So., D
Chris Fennell, Navy, Sr., D*
Dan Grabher, Army West Point, Sr., FO
Matt Rees, Navy, Sr., LSM
Christian Carson-Banister, Boston University, Sr., GK*
* Denotes unanimous selection
Second Team
Jack Wilson, Boston University, Jr., A
Andrew Pettit, Lehigh, So., A
Alex McGovern, Loyola Maryland, So., A
Brendan Homire, Boston University, So., M
Kevin Lux, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Romar Dennis, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Reaves Klipstein, Army West Point, Sr., D
Matt Gilray, Bucknell, Jr., D
Eddie Bouhall, Lehigh, So., D
Jack Carrigan, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Brady Dove, Navy, Sr., FO
Greg Wozniak, Boston University, Sr., LSM
Brian Begley, Loyola Maryland, Jr., SSDM
Christian Klipstein, Bucknell, So., GK
Brandon Burke, Colgate, Sr., GK
Players Mentioned
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