Endicott Men's Lacrosse All-American History
PERRY, N.Y. – Following a 16-4 season that saw the Gulls claim the CCC title for the first time since 2011 and ended in the second round of the NCAA DIII Tournament, the Endicott men's lacrosse saw a program record six players earn 2015 USILA All-American honors on Monday. The honors come just one month after Endicott placed a record 13 student-athletes on All-CCC teams and eclipses the previous record of three that had been met three times prior (2008, '09, '13 and '14). Earning the USILA Honorable Mention honors for the Gulls were Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.), Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Maine), Harrison Cotter, (Lordship, Conn.), Ian Knechtle (New Canaan, Conn.), Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) and Kyle Weber (West Hartford, Conn.).
Leading the way on the list were multiple-time recipients Bell and Cotter who received the Honorable Mention distinction for the third and second times in their respective careers. Bannon, Knechtle, Pinciaro and Weber all earned the distinction for the first time while in Endicott uniforms.
A junior who has already been named CCC Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career while receiving All-CCC First Team honors all three years, goalie Cameron Bell also collected his third consecutive USILA All-American Honorable Mention distinction. Already second all-time in Endicott history with 43 wins and just five shy of the record of 48, Bell had 16 wins in 2015 while making 209 saves and sporting a goals against average of 9.56 and save percentage of .560.
Cotter, also a three time All-CCC First Team member, earns his second USILA All-American nod following a season in which he finished fourth on the team with 53 points. The senior midfielder also finished third on the team with 20 assists and fifth in goals with 33, ground balls with 45 and caused turnovers with 10.
For Bannon, a sophomore attacker, the recognition follows a stellar campaign in which he was named All-CCC First Team after he led the team with 80 points and 39 assists while finishing third in goals with 41. Bannon finished seventh on the roster with 39 ground balls while his 80 shots on goal were third most on the team.
For Knechtle, the senior defender capped his career with his first USILA honor after a season in which he finished second on the roster with 88 ground balls and first in caused turnovers with 37 which also placed him fifth on the all-time single season list in Endicott history. A three time All-CCC Performer and two time All-CCC First Teamer, Knechtle led an Endicott defense that allowed just 9.85 goals per game and caused 193 turnovers on the season while also pitching in offensively with two goals and three assists.
CCC Offensive Player of the Year and All-CCC First Team attacker Nick Pinciaro also earned his first All-American honor in 2015. The Beverly native finished second on the roster in all major offensive categories as he racked up 55 goals, 23 assists and 78 points on the year. A three time All-CCC honoree, Pinciaro finished his career in the top 10 in Endicott history with 200 points (10th), 73 assists (10th), 19 man-up goals (3rd) and 3 man-down goals (2nd). His 12 man-up goals in 2015 set an Endicott single-season record.
Rounding out the historic season for the Gulls was senior attacker Kyle Weber who led the team with 59 goals on the season as he earned All-CCC Second Team honors for the second time in his career which was also his third All-Conference nod overall. His 68 points were the third highest on the team in 2015 while his 47 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers were the fourth most. Of his 150 career goals which is the sixth highest career total in Endicott history, 21 of them came on man-up situations, which is a new Endicott record.
