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POUGHKEEPSIE — Led by Co-Offensive Player of the Year Connor Kearnan, a total of six Canisius student-athletes were honored as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced its annual men’s lacrosse awards on Thursday.
A junior attackman from Courtice, Ontario, Kearnan also earned All-MAAC First Team accolades. He was joined on the first team by senior midfielder Jeff Edwards and sophomore defender Logan Monroe.
Kearnan becomes just the second Canisius player to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining Kevin Ross, who was recognized during the 2006 season. The trio of first-team selections for the Griffs also marks the first time in program history that Canisius has had three All-MAAC First Team selections in the same season.
Junior attackman Steven Coss and junior long-stick midfielder Marcus Willock were All-MAAC Second Team selections. Freshman long-stick midfielder Reece Eddy was named to the league’s all-rookie team.
The MAAC also revealed its All-Academic Team, honoring student-athletes who have completed at least two semesters at their current institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Canisius had a total of 19 student-athletes recognized, matching Detroit Mercy for the most among the league’s seven schools.
Kearnan has put together one of the better individual seasons in school history during the 2017 campaign, leading the Griffs in goals (32), assists (23) and points (55). He enters the MAAC Tournament first on the circuit in points per game (3.93) and also ranks in the top three in assists (1.64/2nd) and goals (2.29/3rd) per contest.
With his 55 points, Kearnan has already made his way into the top 10 of the program’s single season points list. The three-time MAAC Offensive Player of the Week selection begins the MAAC Championship needing just four points to match Ned Franz (1996) for eighth place.
A repeat all-conference first team selection, Edwards was recognized for a senior campaign that has seen the Jamesville, N.Y., native rank second on the team in both assists (18) and points (32). The MAAC Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Edwards registered multiple points on six occasions during the regular season, highlighted by a season-high seven points in a 17-7 victory at Cleveland State on March 4.
Monroe garnered all-league first team accolades one season after earning MAAC All-Rookie Team distinction. A native of Holt, Mich., Monroe was second on the team with 14 caused turnovers while also recording 17 ground balls. He contributed on the offensive end of the field as well for the Griffs, pitching in two goals.
A product of Canton, Ohio, Coss was an All-MAAC Second Team pick after tallying 27 points on 18 goals and nine assists to finish the regular season tied for third on the team in scoring. One of six Canisius players to start all 14 games, Coss also pitched in 22 ground balls and was 22-of-60 (.417) at the faceoff X.
Willock garnered all-conference honors for the first time in his career after appearing all 14 games during the regular season and ranking third on the team with 31 ground balls. The Arthur, Ontario, native also recorded seven caused turnovers and pitched in two assists.
In his first season with the program, Eddy made an immediate impact in the Canisius lineup, appearing in all 14 regular season games. The Skaneateles, N.Y., product led the squad and ranked fifth in the league in ground balls per contest (3.50) while also pacing the team with 15 caused turnovers.
Second-seeded Canisius opens the 2017 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Friday with a semifinal contest against third-seeded Marist. Opening faceoff between the Griffs and the Red Foxes is set for 7 p.m. at Marist’s Tenney Stadium.
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