Hubbard Earns MAAC Rookie Honors

EDISON, N.J. – Loyola University Maryland redshirt freshman guard Tyler Hubbard (Mitchelville, Md./Montrose Christian High School) was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday after helping the Greyhounds win three games and capture the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament title last week.

Hubbard averaged 10.3 points per game and scored a high of 17 last Wednesday in the Greyhounds’ victory over UMBC. He entered the the game against the Retrievers and sparked a first-half Loyola run with 14 points before the break. In all, he made 6-of-7 shots and 4-of-5 from behind the arc against UMBC.

On Saturday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Hubbard went for 11 points against Norfolk State, making three from behind the arc. He then scored just three, but was a part of critical defensive stops down thestretch, in the win over Albany to secure the tournament title.

In all, Hubbard averaged 10.3 points and an assist per game in the Greyhounds’ wins. He shot .667 (12-of-15) from the field and the same (.667, 8-of-12) from 3-point range. Earlier this season, Hubbard became thefirst Loyola player to make his collegiate debut and score 10 or more points since 2005 when he tallied 11 in the season opener against Binghamton.

The award is the first of Hubbard’s career and the first of the season for a Loyola player. The Greyhounds, who are 4-1, after playing five games in 10 days, return to action on Friday, November 23, when they take on the University of Rhode Island on the Rams’ home floor in a 7 p.m. tip.

Men’s Basketball Picked To Win MAAC; Etherly Preseason Player Of The Year

EDISON, N.J. – Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball was picked to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by the league’s coaches, and senior forward Erik Etherly was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, the league announced tonight in its first-ever Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3.

Etherly, who was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team just over a week ago was picked to be the top player in the conference overfour other players on the first team: Siena College’s O.D. Anoskie, Manhattan College’s George Beamon, Iona College’s Lamont Jones and Fairfield University’s Derek Needham.

Last season, he earned All-MAAC First Team honors after leading the Greyhounds in scoring (13.7 points per game), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (50) last season.

He was named the MAAC Championships Most Valuable Player as the Greyhounds won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years. He also was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District II Second Team, becoming just the second player in school history to earn district honors from the coaches.

As a team, the Greyhounds finished the 2011-2012 season with a school Division I record 24 wins against just nine losses. They went 13-5 in MAAC action, also the best league record in school history, and finished second in the league before winning the MAAC Championships in Springfield, Mass.

Loyola advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years and just the second time in school history.

The Greyhounds garnered seven first-place votes and 97points in the preseason poll to edge Manhattan for the top spot. The Jaspers had two first-place votes and 89 points and were followed by Iona with one first-place vote and 70 points. Fairfield checked in at fourth (60 points),while Niagara is fifth (58).

Siena (55), Rider (39), Marist (37), Canisius (27) and Saint Peter’s (18) rounded out the voting.

- loyolagreyhounds.com -

Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball will hit the hardwood for the first time in front of a crowd against outside competition on Monday night when it hosts Seton Hill University in an free exhibition game that will start at 7:30 p.m. in Reitz Arena.

The Greyhounds, who finished the 2011-2012 season with a school Division I record 24-9 mark, are gearing up for their 2012-2013 regular-season opener on Friday, November 9, against Binghamton University at 7:30 p.m. Last year, the Greyhounds on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years.

Monday’s exhibition, which is free of charge to all fans, will be broadcast live on Hounds Unleashed for those unable to attend. The game, like all non-televised home contests this season, will be streamed free of charge through the video arm of LoyolaGreyhounds.com and is available on all computers and most smart mobile devices.

Seton Hill will provide an excellent test for the Greyhounds. The Division II Griffins compete in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, known as one of the toughest in the nation.

Three Loyola players were named to the Preseason All-MAAC teams yesterday, led by senior forward Erik Etherly who garnered a First Team nod. Senior guard Robert Olson and junior guard Dylon Cormier both were named to the Second Team.

Etherly led the Greyhounds in scoring (13.7 points per game), rebound (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (50) last season and was named the MAAC Championships Most Valuable Player as the Greyhounds won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years. He also was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District II Second Team, becoming just the second player in school history to earn district honors from the coaches.

He is now one of five players – joining Siena College’s O.D. Anoskie, Manhattan College’s George Beamon, Iona College’s Lamont Jones and Fairfield University’s Derek Needham – eligible to be named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, an honor that will be announced on Friday, November 9, during the MAAC Preseason Awards Show that will air live on ESPN3. The MAAC Preseason Poll will also be announced at that time.

Cormier finished the year with a 13.4 points per game average and led the Greyhounds with 51 steals. He raised his shooting percentage from .379 to .461 from his freshman to sophomore years and led the Greyhounds in scoring 11 times while topping the 20-point mark seven times.

Olson, who Wednesday was named one of 30 candidates for the national Senior CLASS Award, emerged as one of the nation’s top shooters from long range last season. He averaged 11.1 points per game and made 66 3-pointers during the year, the sixth-most in school single season history. He enters his senior season third on the Greyhounds’ all-time 3-point percentage chart (.4107) and sixth in career threes (138).

Joining the three will be a host of veterans that include graduate student Anthony Winbush, a versatile player who can line up at all five positions on the court, and senior Julius Brooks, a tough forward who is a tenacious rebounder and shot blocker.

Winbush came off the bench for much of the season, seeing six starts and playing in all 33 games, and averaged 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds. He also was second on the team in steals with 39, behind only Cormier’s 51.

Brooks, who has started at times in his career, provided valuable minutes off the bench last season as a post player. He enters the season 16th in Loyola history in blocked shots.

Jordan Latham is back for his second year at Loyola and will see more minutes in the post after averaging more than 12 per game last year. The junior saw his minutes rise steadily as the year wore on, and he made his presence known in the MAAC Championship Game when he contributed five points, five rebounds and two emphatic blocked shots.

R.J. Williams returns to the team after starting 29 games last season and leading the team with 85 assists. With those team-leading assists, he committed just 49 turnovers and had 38 steals in the backcourt.

In addition to those players, veterans Luke Wandrusch and Chido Onyiuke return to lend depth to Head Coach Jimmy Patsos’ lineup, along with a slew of newcomers guards Tyler Hubbard - a redshirt freshman who will see his first game action this year - Eric Laster, Jarred Jones and Sean Tuohy, Jr., and post players Franz Rassman and Josh Forney.

EDISON, N.J. – Three Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball players who earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors last season were named to the league’s preseason honor rolls on Thursday.

Senior forward Erik Etherly was tabbed to repeat as anAll-MAAC First Team performer in 2012-2013, while senior guard Robert Olson and junior guard Dylon Cormier were selected the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team. Last year, Cormier was a member of the conference’s second team, while Olson garnered mention on the third team.

Etherly led the Greyhounds in scoring (13.7 points pergame), rebound (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (50) last season and was named the MAAC Championships Most Valuable Player as the Greyhounds won the title andadvanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years. He also wasnamed to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District II Second Team, becoming just the second player in school history to earn district honors from the coaches.

He is now one of five players – joining Siena College’s O.D. Anoskie, Manhattan College’s George Beamon, Iona College’s Lamont Jones and Fairfield University’s Derek Needham – eligible to be named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, an honor that will be announced on Friday, November 9, during the MAAC Preseason Awards Show that will air live on ESPN3.

The MAAC Preseason Poll will also be announced at that time.

Cormier finished the year with a 13.4 points per game average and led the Greyhounds with 51 steals. He raised his shooting percentage from .379 to .461 from his freshman to sophomore years and led the Greyhounds in scoring 11 times while topping the 20-point mark seven times.

Olson, who yesterday was named one of 30 candidates for the national Senior CLASS Award, emerged as one of the nation’s top shooters from long range last season. He averaged 11.1 points per game and made 66 3-pointers during the year, the sixth-most in school single season history. He enters his senior season third on the Greyhounds’ all-time 3-point percentage chart (.4107) and sixth in career threes (138).

The trio will lead the Greyhounds onto the court in front of an audience for the first time in 2012-2013 on Monday night when the team hosts Seton Hill University in an exhibition game. Admission to the game is free, and tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Loyola commences its regular season on Friday, November 9, when it hosts Binghamton at 7:30 p.m.

Olson Named One Of 30 Candidates For Senior Class Award

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Loyola University Maryland senior guard Robert Olson (Silver Spring, Md./Georgetown Prep) was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, an honor that recognizes student-athletes who excel in the classroom and on the court.

Olson is the first Loyola men’s basketball player to be named a candidate in the 13-year history of the award. He is one of two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference players on this year’s list, joining Siena College’s O.D. Anosike.

Last season, Olson averaged 11.1 points per game and emerged as one of the top shooters in college basketball. He shot 45.1-percent from the field and 43.1-percent from 3-point range. Earlier this week, he was named No. 36 on the list of the Top-50 shooters in college basketball by CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman.

“There is no one who is more deserving than Bobby Olson,” said Loyola Head Coach Jimmy Patsos. “He has been a leader for us on, and off, the court, since the day he stepped foot onto our campus.”

Olson was named to the All-MAAC Third Team and later the MAAC All-Tournament Team while helping the Greyhounds win the league title and advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 18 years.

He was third in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage as a junior (66-of-153, .431), and his 66 3-pointers made are sixth-most in school single-season history. He matched his career-high with 21 points at Iona onJanuary 15 in the midst of an 11-game stretch in which he scored 11 or morepoints from January 7-February 12, raising his scoring average from 8.8 to 11.9 in the process.

The senior co-captain enters the 2012-2013 season ranked fourth at Loyola in career 3-point percentage (138-of-336, .4107) sixth in career 3-pointers made (138) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (336).

Olson is a finance major in Loyola’s Sellinger School of Busines where he has earned Dean’s List recognition in the classroom and multiple opportunities in the business community. This past summer, he interned for a venture capital firm, Wasabi Ventures, and he has also been a speaker to and involved with the Catholic Business Network of America.

He has been involved in various outreach through Loyola, including working with Beans & Bread, a local shelter and soup kitchen. He also served as a volunteer with the ARC of Montgomery County, an organization that outreaches to area handicapped. Robert has served as a speaker and counselor at the Loyola Basketball Camp and the Georgetown Prep Basketball Camps, and he was a speaker for the Catholic Business Network of America.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 men’s and 10 women’s finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one men’s finalist and one women’s finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

Past winners of the award include Purdue’s Robbie Hummel (2012), Brigham Young’s Jimmer Fredette (2011), North Carolina’s Tyler Hansborough (2009), Duke’s J.J. Reddick (2006) and Shane Battier (2001) and Maryland’s Juan Dixon, a player coached by Patsos while he was an assistant with the Terrapins.

He is the seventh student-athlete from Loyola to be named a candidate in their respective sport. Earlier this year, women’s soccer’s Nichole Schiro was named a candidate.

Game At Meadowlands Highlights Men’s Basketball’s MAAC Slate

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball will open its 2012-2013 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule with a home game on Wednesday, December 5, against Niagara University, three days before theGreyhounds will take on Saint Peter’s University in a college hoops doubleheader at the Izod Center.

Loyola and the Peacocks will play the first of two games on Saturday, December 8, in the complex at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford,N.J., prior to a contest between Duke University and Temple University.

The Greyhounds finished the 2011-2012 season with a 13-5 mark in MAAC action its best-ever league record, en route to a school Division I best 24-9 record.

“The MAAC has great coaches and great players, and that is what makes every game tough,” Head Coach Jimmy Patsos said. “It doesn’t matter if you are home or away, the teams make it so that every game is a great environment, and it makes it so that you look forward to every game as a new challenge.”

After completing 2012 with three non-conference games, the Greyhounds will open the new year with a Friday, January 4, game versus Rider University at Reitz Arena. Last season, the Greyhounds and Broncs played before a sellout crowd in Loyola’s venue, the first of two-straight capacity crowds in Reitz.

Saint Peter’s will make the trip to Baltimore on Sunday, January 6, and Fairfield University will wrap up a three-game homestand for the Greyhounds on Friday, January 11.

The Greyhounds, who won the 2012 MAAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history,will play their first road contest of 2013 on Sunday, January 13, at Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J.

A home game against Marist College on Thursday, January 17, will be on the schedule before Loyola faces Fairfield in Bridgeport, Conn., on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 21.

Loyola will hit New York City on Friday, January 25, for a game at Manhattan College before returning to Retiz Arena for a Sunday, January 27, contest versus Iona College.

The Greyhounds make their annual sojourn in Western New York with games at Canisius College on Thursday, January 31, before taking on Niagara on Saturday, February 2. Last year, the Greyhounds swept the road trip in the Buffalo area for the first time in the school’s MAAC history.

Siena College visits the Evergreen Campus on Friday, February 8, just before Loyola travels to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for a Sunday,February 10, game at Marist College.

Canisius is in Baltimore for a Valentine’s Day game on Thursday, February 14, and two days later Loyola will visit Albany, N.Y., for a Saturday, February 16, matchup with Siena.

A step out of conference play during the weekend of February 22-24 for a Bracketbuster road contest will come before the final weekend of league action.

Loyola visits Westchester County on Friday, March 1, for a date with Iona before closing the regular-season at home against Manhattan on Sunday, March 3.

Springfield, Mass., will again host the MAAC Championships, beginning on Friday, March 8, and culminating with the Championship Game onMonday, March 11.

Dates of all Loyola contests are subject to change, and times will be announced at a later date. Television details will also be distributed in the coming weeks.

Loyola University Maryland has accepted an invitation to join the Patriot League at the beginning of the 2013-14 academic and athletic year.

“It is an honor to join the Patriot League’s distinguished member institutions, all of which consistently demonstrate a profound commitment to excellence both in the classroom and on the field.That commitment is one we share at Loyola, and we see this move as a vital opportunity to continue to elevate our already outstanding athletics programs in keeping with our goal of becoming the nation’s leading Catholic, comprehensive university,” said Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., Loyola’s president.

The Patriot League’s full members are AmericanUniversity, Bucknell University, Colgate University, the College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Military Academy, and fellow new addition for 2013 BostonUniversity.

“Loyola University Maryland is an outstanding addition to our membership as a private institution with an excellent academic reputation and rich athletic history,” said Daniel H. Weiss, Ph.D., chair of the Patriot League’s Council of Presidents and president of Lafayette College. “The decision to add Loyola reflects the presidents’ commitment to the stability and long-term positioning of the league.”

Since 1998, the Patriot League has ranked first among all Division I conferences in student-athlete graduation rates in the NCAA Graduation Rates report. In the most recent report, Loyola had 11 teams with perfect graduation rates. A total of 15 Patriot League sports are guaranteed advancement into NCAA postseason competition each year, and all Loyola teams currently eligible for automatic bids will have the same opportunity after the move in 2013.

“Loyola athletics’ primary mission is to support the development of student-athletes who thrive academically, athletically, spiritually, and socially,” said James Paquette, assistant vice president and director of athletics at Loyola. “The Patriot League embraces and supports those values, and we are thrilled to become partners with the league. Its members’ histories of academic and athletic excellence are impressive, and consistent not only with Loyola’s past achievements, but our future ambitions as well.”

“We are delighted to expand the Patriot League membership to 10 full members with the addition of Loyola,” Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich said. “Loyola further strengthens the league in the southern portion of our footprint. With the addition of both Boston University and Loyola University Maryland for the 2013-14 academic year, we believe that the Patriot League has enriched its future both on the field of play and in the classroom.”

Currently, 16 of Loyola’s teams compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, while men’s lacrosse plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and women’s lacrosse plays in the Big East. All of Loyola’s NCAA Division I athletics teams will make the conference move with the exception of men’s rowing. The Patriot League does not conduct a championship in the sport, but Loyola will continue to row a regionally competitive schedule.

About Loyola University Maryland:

Established in 1852, Loyola University Maryland is a Jesuit comprehensive university comprising Loyola College, its school of arts and sciences; the Sellinger School of Business and Management; and the School of Education. Loyola enrolls 3,800 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students from across the country and around the world.

About the Patriot League:
The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutionsremain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland will open its 2012 men’s basketball slate with a regular-season game on Friday, November 9, at home against Binghamton, the first of five non-conference games that are part of a 13-game schedule.

The Greyhounds’ Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule will be announced this fall. Times and television coverage for non-conference games will also be announced later, and dates are subject to change.

“Last year, we felt that our non-conference games really prepared us for MAAC play,” Head Coach Jimmy Patsos said. “We grew as a team, learned how to handle travel, get through some adversity, and it made a difference in getting the No. 2 seed in the MAAC tournament and to eventually win the MAAC title.”

Loyola will celebrate its 2012 MAAC title and raise a banner to recognize the accomplishment when the Greyhounds host the Bearcats in the regular-season opener. Prior to that game, Loyola will host an exhibition game against NCAA Division II program Seton Hill on Monday, November 5.

The Greyhounds will also participate in the 2012 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament that culminates at Mohegan Sun Arena in Ucansville, Conn., November 17-18. Loyola will play its first-ever game in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, November 11, when it takes on Washington in the first game of the tournament.

After returning to Baltimore, the Greyhounds host cross-town rival UMBC on Wednesday, November 14. Last season, Patsos won his 100^th career game in Loyola’s meeting with the Retrievers.

Loyola will take on fellow NCAA Tournament participant Norfolk State on Saturday, November 17, at Mohegan Sun, and the winner of that game will face the winner of a contest between Missouri-Kansas City and Albany in the Hall of Fame Tournament Springfield Bracket, on Sunday, November 18. Saturday’s losers will meet in a consolation game.

Rhode Island will host Loyola on Friday, November 23, and the Greyhounds return to Reitz Arena for a Monday, November 26, date with Towson.

Two days later, on Wednesday, November 28, Loyola will play another Baltimore-area school, Coppin State, on the Eagles’ home court.

The month of December starts in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Greyhounds will take on Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, December 1.

MAAC action will start the following week before the team takes a break for final exams.

Non-conference action resumes on Saturday, December 15, with the 168^th all-time meeting between Loyola and Mount St. Mary’s. This year’s tilt will take place in Reitz Arena.

The game against The Mount will be the final contest before Christmas, and Loyola returns from the break on Friday, December 28, to host Patriot League Regular-Season Champion Bucknell. Last year, in Lewisburg, Pa., the Greyhounds snapped the Bison’s 18-game home-court winning streak.

Loyola’s final game before 2013 will take place in Tennessee where it will face Memphis on Sunday, December 30.

MAAC action will start again early in January, and the final non-conference game of the regular-season will take place for the Greyhounds go on the road for a Bracketbuster contest the weekend of February 15-17.

Springfield, Mass., and the MassMutual Center will again host the MAAC Championships. This season’s event will take place Friday-Monday, March 8-11.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will play for the NCAA Championship for the third time in the school’s 73 seasons of lacrosse history when it takes on the University of Maryland at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 28.

Despite just 30.67 miles (as the crow flies according to DaftLogic.com) separating the campuses, the game will be played 338 miles from Loyola’s campus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

On The Tube, Web And Radio

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN with Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN, and on the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.

Westwood One Sports/Dial Global will provide the NCAA Radio Network broadcast of the Championships with Dave Ryan on the play-by-play and Steve Panarelli on analysis. It can be heard on Sirius/XM 91 worldwide. A complete list of stations can be found at dialglobalsports.com.

Series History

Loyola and Maryland will meet for the 21st time in series history – the Terrapins hold an 18-2 lead in the previous 20 games – and the second time in NCAA Championships play. (complete list of games on page six of notes)

The teams have not squared off since Maryland won a 19-8 decision on May 23, 1998, in the NCAA Semifinals at Rutgers University. Monday’s game will be just the third meeting of the teams since 1989 and the third since Loyola joined NCAA Division I in 1982.

Loyola won the initial meeting between the schools, 17-6, on April 6, 1940, but the Terrapins then won 17 in a row before the Greyhounds scored a 10-8 victory on March 19, 1989.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 11-19 all-time in Championships play, 11-17 at the Division I level.

Monday’s game will be Loyola third appearance in an NCAA Championship Game and second at the Division I level.

Loyola, with current Head Coach Charley Toomey as the team co-captain and goalkeeper, last played in the title game on May 28, 1990, when Syracuse defeated the Greyhounds, 21-9.

The Greyhounds also took part in the NCAA Division II-III Championship Game on May 17, 1981, when it lost to Adelphi, 17-14.

As an institution, Loyola has won one national title, the 1976 NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer crown.

Five, Twice In A Row

Eric Lusby scored five goals in the NCAA Semifinal against Notre Dame, duplicating a performance he had in the Quarterfinal round against Denver. Lusby is the first Loyola player to score five in consecutive games since Mike Sawyer did it against Bellarmine (March 5) and Duke (March 11) during the 2011 season.

Lusby’s Tournament

Eric Lusby is thus far the leading scorer in this year’s NCAA Tournament, tallying 13 goals and five assists for 18 points. He is three goals shy of tying the tournament record of 16 set in 2006 by Matt Ward and matched in 2007 by Duke’s Zach Greer.

His 13 are tied for seventh all-time. Loyola’s Chris Colbeck scored 14 in the 1990 tournament and is tied for fourth with Paul Rabil (Johns Hopkins, 2008) and Gary Gait (Syracuse, 1988). Gait is also third with 15 in 1990.

He has hat tricks in all three games Loyola has played after scoring three in the First Round against Canisius and five in both sequential games.

Runkel Stops 15

Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel set a career-high in the NCAA Semifinals with 15 saves against Notre Dame, setting a career-high. He narrowly eclipsed his previous best of 14 set on April 28 against Johns Hopkins.

The game was Runkel’s seventh this season with 10 or more saves in goal. The others came against Duke (12), at UMBC (13), at Fairfield (12), Johns Hopkins (14), at Denver in the ECAC Semifinals (10) and versus Denver in the Quarterfinals (11).

Runkel has played to a 5.97 goals against average and .622 saves percentage in three NCAA Tournament games.

Defense Limits Chances

Loyola’s defense held Notre Dame to just 28 shots, four below the Fighting Irish’s season average of 32.3 heading into the game, and the Greyhounds’ unit helped goalkeeper Jack Runkel make 15 saves by limiting inside chances.

As a unit, Loyola forced Notre Dame into 14 turnovers, although the team was credited with just seven caused turnovers.

Joe Fletcher caused three of the turnovers and picked up a career-high seven ground balls, while Reid Acton, Scott Ratliff, Josh Hawkins and Runkel each had a caused turnover.

50-50

Eric Lusby and Mike Sawyer became the first duo in Loyola history with 50 goals each in the same season. Sawyer now stands with 51 goals, a Loyola single-season record, while Lusby has 50, tied with Tim Goettelmann for second in season history at the school.

They are two of three players in the NCAA this season to score 50 or more goals, joining Colgate’s Peter Baum (67). Last season, just one player (Robert Morris’ Trevor Moore, 50) had 50 or more.

The last time a pair of Division I teammates had 50 or more goals was 2010 when Duke’s Max Quinzani finished the year with 68, and Zach Howell tallied 51.

And, 60-60

Lusby and Sawyer are also the only Loyola players to reach 60 points in the same season.

With his six-point effort on Saturday afternoon, Lusby set the school Division I record for points in a season with 67, eclipsing the 66 (29g, 37a) Brian Duffy had during the 1995 season.

Gary Hanley has the top three points marks in school history with 89 in 1981, 86 in 1980 and 83 in 1979 when Loyola played Division II lacrosse.

Seven Earn All-America Honors

Attacker Mike Sawyer was named to the USILA All-America Second Team, and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned Third Team honors earlier this week from the coaches’ association.

Five other Greyhounds – attacker Eric Lusby, midfielders Davis Butts and Josh Hawkins and defenders Reid Acton and Joe Fletcher – received honorable mention.

The seven honorees are the most for Loyola since seven received plaudits following the 1999 season. Sawyer and Ratliff are also the first Loyola players to receive All-America nods other than honorable mention since Gavin Prout was a first teamer in 2001.

Sawyer Sets Goals Record

Mike Sawyer scored the first goal of Loyola’s NCAA Quarterfinal game against Denver and broke the school single-season record for goals in the process.

Sawyer now has 51 goals this season, breaking the previous best of 50 set by Tim Goettelmann in 2000. Goettelmann went on to become Major League Lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Earlier this season, against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000. They are the only three Loyola players to top 40 this century.

In the ECAC Semifinal against Denver, Sawyer pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 60, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. Sawyer’s teammate, Eric Lusby, has since joined him with more than 50 points (more later).

Three-For-Three

Loyola completed a three-game sweep of Denver with its 10-9 NCAA Quarterfinal victory last Saturday, marking the first time in school history the Greyhounds had ever played a team three times in a season.

It is the third time a team has beaten another three times in a season (thanks to Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times for the research). Loyola joins the 1992 Maryland (vs. Duke), 2007 Duke (vs. North Carolina) and 2009 Duke (vs. North Carolina) teams to have accomplished the feat.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the nation this season, combining for 101 goals in 18 games this season, an average of 5.61 per game.

Sawyer has scored 51 goals, and his 2.83 goals per game average is sixth-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 50 goals and a 2.78 goals per game mark, a number that is eighth in the country. Loyola is the only school to have two players in top 10 nationally.

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 40 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

The duo is now the top goal-scoring tandem in Loyola single-season history, eclipsing the performance in 2000 by Goettelmann and Prout.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (83) and caused turnovers (35), is fifth in goals (12) and is seventh in assists (7). His 34 caused turnovers are second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official that year.

A Tewaaraton Award nominee earlier in the year, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, then scored twice in the first quarter against Canisius to go along with six ground balls and three faceoff wins in the game.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, and he then added a goal in the Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season totals to 12 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Ward Dishes Out Assists

Justin Ward was credited an assist on an Eric Lusby goal against Notre Dame raising his season total to 31, and his 1.72 assists per game are 21st nationally. Those numbers are tops among the players on the four teams in the NCAA Semifinals.

Ward is the first Loyola player this century to reach 30 assists, and his total is the most since Brian Duffy had 34 in 1996.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Notre Dame in the NCAA Semifinals was its 17th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship. Also, in March, Loyola’s men’s basketball team won its first MAAC title in 18 years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists on Thursday, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist. The Award, which is given annually to the top player in college lacrosse, will be presented on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (20g, 33p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 27) and Chris Layne (11, 22) has combined for 47 goals and 35 assists this season, while the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (9, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (7, 2) has added 25 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (3/14-3/17) and 1999 (3/6-3/8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 17-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play. The NCAA Championship Game will be Toomey’s 100th as a head coach.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Canisius in the First Round was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .626 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff, who was also named ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now second nationally, in goals (51). Butts has scored 20 goals and assisted on 13 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 39 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is third nationally with 50 goals, and he also has 17 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 39 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers entering the NCAA title game.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 18 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 36 occasions this season.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

The Greyhounds used two 3-0 runs against Notre Dame in the NCAA Semifinal to advance to the title game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just 12 times this year, with the most recent coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven in ECAC Semifinal), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 65-22 in the third quarters of games and 119-63 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will make its third appearance in the NCAA Semifinals on Saturday, May 26, 2012, when it takes on the University of Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m.

The team will faceoff on the field at Gillette Stadium, home of the National Football League’s New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass. The winner of the game will face the winner of the other national semifinal between Duke and Maryland.

On The Tube, Web And Radio

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN, and on the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.

Westwood One Sports/Dial Global will provide the NCAA Radio Network broadcast of the Championships with Dave Ryan on the play-by-play and Steve Panarelli on analysis. It can be heard on Sirius/XM 91 worldwide. A complete list of stations can be found at dialglobalsports.com.

Series History

Loyola and Notre Dame will meet for the 20th time in series history on Saturday and the third time in NCAA Championships play. Loyola holds a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Fighting Irish have won the last four meetings and six of the last nine. (Complete series history on page six of the notes)

The teams last played on March 6, 2010, in another NFL stadium. They met at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, home of the Ravens, in the Konica-Minolta Face-Off Classic where Notre Dame came away with an 11-9 victory. In all, this will mark the third time the teams have played in an NFL venue. They also faced off in the 1998 IKON Classic at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, former home of the Baltimore Colts.

The last seven meetings in the series have been decided by a total of nine goals with five of the games coming down to a one-goal difference.

Loyola and Notre Dame have played twice in the NCAA Championships, both in the first round, and each team has been the victor once. The Fighting Irish defeated the Greyhounds, 15-12, in Baltimore in the 2000 First Round, and Loyola was a 21-5 first-round winner in 1997.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 10-19 all-time in Championships play, 10-17 at the Division I level.

Saturday’s game will be the Greyhounds third appearance in the NCAA Semifinals, first since 1998 when then lost 19-8 to Maryland in Piscataway, N.J. Loyola is 1-1 in NCAA Semifinal games having defeated Yale, 14-13 in overtime, in 1990 to advance to the title game.

Sawyer Sets Goals Record

Mike Sawyer scored the first goal of Loyola’s NCAA Quarterfinal game last Saturday and broke the school single-season record for goals in the process.

Sawyer now has 51 goals this season, breaking the previous best of 50 set by Tim Goettelmann in 2000. Goettelmann went on to become Major League Lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Earlier this season, against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000. They are the only three Loyola players to top 40 this century.

In the ECAC Semifinal against Denver, Sawyer pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 59, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. Sawyer’s teammate, Eric Lusby, has since joined him with more than 50 points (more later).

Lusby Right Behind After 5-Goal Game

After tying his career-high with five goals in the Greyhounds 10-9 victory over Denver, Eric Lusby leads the team with 61 points and is not far behind Mike Sawyer in the goals column with 45.

Lusby recorded a career-high seven points in the win over the Pioneers and was involved in all but three of the Greyhounds goals after recording two assists. He scored back-to-back goals twice, once during the second quarter and again in the third.

Three-For-Three

Loyola completed a three-game sweep of Denver with its 10-9 NCAA Quarterfinal victory last Saturday, marking the first time in school history the Greyhounds had ever played a team three times in a season.

It is the third time a team has beaten another three times in a season (thanks to Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times for the research). Loyola joins the 1992 Maryland (vs. Duke), 2007 Duke (vs. North Carolina) and 2009 Duke (vs. North Carolina) teams to have accomplished the feat.

Faceoff Turnaround

Loyola’s J.P. Dalton dominated the faceoff ‘X’ on Saturday against Denver, winning 17-of-22 (.772) against Denver’s Chase Carraro. It was a vast departure from the first two times the teams squared off where the Pioneers went a combined 30-of-45 (.667).

In the regular-season meeting between the teams, Carraro was 13-of-14 at the X, and he went 16-of 29 against the Greyhounds in the ECAC Semifinal game.

Dalton’s 17 wins were one off his career-high set earlier this season against Air Force.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the nation this season, combining for 96 goals in 17 games this season, an average of 5.65 per game.

Sawyer has scored 51 goals, and his 3.0 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 45 goals and a 2.65 goals per game mark, a number that is 11th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 11 of goals per game nationally (Robert Morris).

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 40 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

The duo is now the top goal-scoring tandem in Loyola single-season history, eclipsing the performance in 2000 by Goettelmann and Prout.

Two Over 40/50

Mike Sawyer (51g, 59p) and Eric Lusby (45g, 62p) became the first set of Loyola teammates to score 40 goals and 50 points in a season since Tim Goettelmann (50, 65) and Gavin Prout (41, 53) accomplished the feat in 2000.

They are one of only two duos in the nation this year – Robert Morris’ Kiel Matisz (40, 64) and Jake Hayes (42, 61) are the other – to post 40 and 50.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (79) and caused turnovers (34), is fifth in goals (12) and is seventh in assists (7). His 34 caused turnovers are second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official in 2008.

A Tewaaraton Award nominee earlier in the year, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, then scored twice in the first quarter against Canisius to go along with six ground balls and three faceoff wins in the game.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, and he then added a goal in the Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season totals to 12 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Ward Dishes Out Assists

Justin Ward was credited with two assists in the NCAA Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season total to 30, and his 1.76 assists per game are now tied for 19th nationally. Those numbers are tops among the remaining players on the four teams in the NCAA Semifinals.

Ward is the first Loyola player this century to reach 30 assists, and his total is the most since Brian Duffy had 34 in 1996.

NCAA Semifinals Connections

Kevin Ryan’s family will have a rare connection to Loyola’s place in the NCAA Semifinals historically after this weekend. Ryan, who scored an EMO goal in the Quarterfinals against Denver, is the cousin of Sean Quinn and Kevin Quinn who played on Loyola’s semifinal teams in 1990 and 1998, respectively. Sean was a starting defender on the 1990 team, and Kevin a midfielder on the 1998 team.

Phil Dobson, a Loyola midfielder, will face his older brother, Devon, for the first time on a collegiate lacrosse field. Devon is a defensive midfielder for the Fighting Irish.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals was its 16th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

Second-Half Run

Loyola used 13 unanswered goals to break open a 4-3 halftime lead against Canisius in a 17-5 victory over the Golden Griffins in the NCAA Championships First Round.

The Greyhounds took a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before Canisius scored three unanswered in the second. Mike Sawyer corralled a rebound of an Eric Lusby shot off the pipe and scored 1:20 into the second quarter to start the run. During the stretch, Sawyer scored all five of his goals, and Lusby had two of his three.

The run was the second longest in the brief, three-year history of Ridley Athletic Complex. Only a 14-0 run to start the game on March 20, 2010, against Air Force had more goals.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship. Also, in March, Loyola’s men’s basketball team won its first MAAC title in 18 years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists on Thursday, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist. The Award, which is given annually to the top player in college lacrosse, will be presented on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (19g, 32p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 27) and Chris Layne (11, 21) has combined for 46 goals and 34 assists this season, while the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (9, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (7, 2) has added 25 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals against Denver in the ECAC Semifinal night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

In the title game, 10 different players scored for Loyola with all three attackers scoring and two of three from the first midfield like tallying goals.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (3/14-3/17) and 1999 (3/6-3/8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 16-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Denver in the Quarterfinals was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .619 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff, who was also named ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now third nationally, in goals (51) and goals per game (3.0). Butts has scored 19 goals and assisted on 13 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 38 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is 11th nationally with 45 goals (2.68 per game), and he also has 16 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 32 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers entering the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 17 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 34 occasions this season.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

In the ECAC title game, Loyola used an 8-1 run that was comprised of runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to take control of the game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just 12 times this year, with the most recent coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven in ECAC Semifinal), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 48-percent of the time (24-of-50). Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year. Loyola dropped below 50-percent for the first time this year by going 4-of-10 in the game against Denver.

The last time Loyola finished at or above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 63-22 in the third quarters of games and 117-61 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.