Seven Belmont Abbey men's lacrosse players have earned all-conference honors, as attackman Michael Brown, midfielder Dave DiLuigi and defender Tristan Keas were named to the first team, defender Damon DeLuca was named to the second team, and attackman Jedd Gardner and goalkeeper Tony Kikola were named to the third team. Attackman Austin Whitesell was named the Freshman of the Year.
Brown earned a spot on the first team for the second-straight year after leading the Abbey with 64 points on 36 goals and 28 assists. He is currently ranked sixth nationally in points per game, eighth in assists and 15th in goals per game. He leads the conference in all of those categories and has registered at least one point in all 11 games.
DiLuigi, one of the top face off men in the Conference, is ranked ninth nationally in that category with a 60 percent winning percentage. He is also ranked nationally in goals per game (31st), ground balls per game (52nd) and points per game (63rd). He is third on the team in points with 25, posting 21 goals and four assists.
Keas, a second-team selection last year, earns a spot on the first team for the first time after leading a defense that leads the league in caused turnovers and is ranked eighth nationally in ground balls. He is ranked 40th nationally in ground balls while scoring two goals and assisting on another.
DeLuca earns the first postseason honor of his career after causing 16 turnovers and scooping up 19 ground balls, as he is among a defense that leads the league in caused turnovers and is ranked eighth nationally in ground balls. He scored the first goal of his career in the regular season finale at St. Andrews Presbyterian.
Gardner is second on the team with 34 points, scoring 26 goals and assisting on eight others. He is ranked 17th nationally in goals per game and 36th in points per game. He was named the Conference Offensive Player of the Week on February 24th after scoring the game winning goal in overtime to hand fifth-ranked Limestone an 11-10 defeat.
Kikola, in his first year in an Abbey uniform, has started all 11 games and has made 111 saves on 320 shots. He is second in the conference in goals against average, third in save percentage, and fifth in saves per game. His goals against average is 11th nationally and his save percentage is 23rd.
Whitesell was named the league's top freshman after scoring nine goals and assisting on ten others in 11 games. His assists and assists per game totals lead all conference freshmen. He is ranked 49th nationally in assists per game.