Hamilton In The 'Cac Middlebury Sports

Major League Lacrosse Players Come in Hot from ‘Cac Schools

Major League Lacrosse: professional men’s league comprised of 7 teams from the US and 1 from Canada. Since 2001, it’s held a regular season with championships and has taken off on ESPN and at schools across the country. Lacrosse is that hot new sport, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. For one thing, it’s an athletic game: running, jumping, hitting, hand/eye coordination. It’s also a game of strategy: plays, handles, team thinking. And for the most part, Major League Lacrosse players come from D1 college teams. But then there are the ‘Cac who come in with awesome ball handling (and brains, no offense D1) and technique and make their way onto MLL teams such as the Cannons (Boston, MA) and the Hounds (Charlotte, NC).

Recently, Lax All Stars published an article highlighting the top 10 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) players who did not play D1 lacrosse in college. Of the 10, 1 was a ‘Cac grad, and 3 were ‘Cac students that were highlighted honorable mentions.

Mike Stone (Middlebury) plays offensive middie for the Boston Cannons. At Middlebury, according to the roster at the Boston Cannons site, he was a “3-time USILA All-American…First Team All-American last two years…2-time NESCAC Player of the Year…3-time All-NESCAC First Team selection…As a senior, lead the NESCAC with a 3.17 goals-per game average…Second in the NESCAC with a 4.1 points-per game…Scored 57 goals during his senior year, which is the second most all-time in a single season at Middlebury.” His performance in the 2011 MLL season was fantastic; he scored two goals in the playoffs for the Championships and won the Steinfeld Cup. This year has been consistent performance wise and he’s been seeing a lot of playing time.

Of the honorable mentions:

Owen “Kit” Smith (Bowdoin earned First Team All-NESCAC honors three times, becoming the first Polar Bear to do so. In 2011, Smith recorded 20 goals, 10 assists and collected 21 groundballs as a senior; Boston Cannons scored first career goal versus Charlotte)

Matt Witko (Tufts named 2011 NEILA First Team, 2010 All-New England First Team and 2009 All-New England Second Team. Witko ended his senior year with a total of 26 goals and 11 assists for 37 points; Ohio Machines played 5 games and scored his first goal against the Chesapeake Bayhawks )

Craig Bunker (Colby first Colby player ever to earn three All-American honors and also is the first player in program history to make the first team after earning the honor in 2011. Bunker earned NESCAC First Team honors for  a third straight year and was also All-New England First Team. He played in both the USILA and the NEIBA senior all-star games; Rochester Rattlers).

Major props to the ‘Cac lax players out there. There’s a lot of talent and ability and I can’t wait for the Spring season.