Fairfield's Burke Headlines CAA MLAX Awards
Colin Burke is the first CAA player to earn both Player and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season

Fairfield's Burke Headlines CAA MLAX Awards

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Kelly McCarthy

RICHMOND, Va. (May 4, 2016) – No. 11 Towson University junior Ryan Drenner and Fairfield University freshman Colin Burke were named Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Lacrosse Players of the Year. Burke was also the unanimous CAA Rookie of the Year in a vote of the league’s six head coaches. Hofstra University’s Finn Sullivan was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year while Towson Head Coach Shawn Nadelen was selected as CAA Coach of the Year to highlight the 2016 postseason awards.
 
Drenner earned a spot on the All-CAA First Team after registering 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points this season. He is second in the CAA in assists per game (1.29) and third in points per game (3.07). A three-year starter, Drenner recorded his 100th career point in the regular season finale against Hofstra. Drenner had one of his best outings of the year against Georgetown, tallying seven points on four goals and three assists. Drenner, a Preseason All-CAA honorable mention, had six multi-goal games, including four hat tricks.
 
Burke is the first player in CAA history to receive Player and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. The seven-time CAA Rookie of the Week led the league in goals (41) and points (55). Burke was the only Stag to record at least one point in every game this season and notched at least two points (with at least one goal) in 14 of 15 contests. It is the second straight season in which a Stag has been named CAA Rookie of the Year.
 
Sullivan, an All-CAA First Team selection for the third consecutive season, anchored Hofstra’s defensive unit. He posted 20 caused turnovers and is second on the team with 43 ground balls, averaging 3.07 per contest in 14 games this season.
 
Nadelen guided the 11th-ranked Tigers to the 4-1 league record and a share of the 2016 CAA regular-season championship. Towson was in the national rankings the entire season, reaching as high as sixth. Seven Tigers earned All-CAA First and Second Team honors in addition to two All-Rookie Team selections under Nadelen’s direction this season. It is the first CAA Coach of the Year honor for Nadelen, who has helmed the Tigers since 2012.
 
Joining Drenner and Burke on the All-CAA First Team at attack was Hofstra’s Josh Byrne (30g, 14a). In the midfield were Towson junior Jack Adams (10ct), Fairfield senior TJ Neubauer (28g, 51gb) and Hofstra senior Korey Hendrickson (27pts, 8a). On the defensive end, UMass senior Kyle Karaska (22gb, 21ct) and Drexel senior Pat Root (22gb, 19ct) earned top honors along with Sullivan. There were two All-CAA First Team goalies in Hofstra sophomore Jack Concannon (8.38 GAA, .581 save pct.) and Fairfield junior Tyler Behring (9.63 GAA, .559 save pct.). For the second consecutive season, Kris Clarke was recognized as the CAA’s top faceoff man, winning 57.0 percent (150-263) of the time during his junior season. Rounding out the specialists was longstick middie Tyler Mayes of Towson (24gb, 18ct).
 
The 2016 CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship gets underway on Thursday, May 5 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. Top-seeded Towson, the defending champions, takes on fourth-seeded Drexel at 4:00 p.m. followed by second-seeded Fairfield against third-seeded Hofstra at 7:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on CAA.tv. The CAA Championship final will be held on May 7 at 1:00 p.m. and will air live on the American Sports Network (ASN) and is also available on CAA.tv.
 

2016 All-CAA Men’s Lacrosse Teams
 
First Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Colin Burke Fairfield Fr. A Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.
Josh Byrne Hofstra Jr. A New Westminster, British Columbia
Ryan Drenner Towson Jr. A Westminster, Md.
Jack Adams Towson Jr. M Freeland, Md.
Korey Hendrickson Hofstra Sr. M Farmingdale, N.Y.
TJ Neubauer Fairfield Sr. M Glen Arm, Md.
Kyle Karaska UMass Sr. D Groton, Mass.
Pat Root Drexel Sr. D Hamilton, Ontario
Finn Sullivan Hofstra Sr. D West Roxbury, Mass.
Tyler Mayes Towson Jr. LSM Bel Air, Md.
Kris Clarke Hofstra Jr. FO Bellmore, N.Y.
Jack Concannon Hofstra So. GK Lindenhurst, N.Y.
Tyler Behring Fairfield Jr. GK Little Silver, N.J.
 
Second Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Sam Llinares Hofstra Sr. A Hauppauge, N.Y.
Paul Major Delaware Jr. A Royersford, Pa.
Joe Seider Towson Jr. A Sparks, Md.
Cole Shafer Drexel Jr. A Coquitlam, British Columbia
Mike Lynch Towson Jr. M Forest Hill, Md.
Charlie Schnider Fairfield Sr. M Bethesda, Md.
Brian von Bargen Hofstra Sr. M Wantagh, N.Y.
Andrew Eidenshink Fairfield Jr. D Wyncote, Pa.
Mike Lowe Towson Sr. D Monrovia, Md.
Isaac Paparo UMass Fr. LSM Westport, Conn.
Will Fox Fairfield So. FO Mullica Hill, N.J.
Tyler White Towson R-Sr. GK Elmira Heights, N.Y.
 
All-Rookie Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Colin Burke Fairfield Fr. A Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.
Zach Goodrich Towson Fr. M Stevensville, Md.
Austin Haynes Delaware Fr. LSM Moorestown, N.J.
Marshal King Drexel Fr. M Victoria, British Columbia
Jon Mazza Towson Fr. M Davidsonville, Md.
Isaac Paparo UMass Fr. LSM Westport, Conn.
Andrew Romagnoli Delaware R-Fr. A Cazenovia, N.Y.
Sean Sconone UMass Fr. GK East Islip, N.Y.
Ben Spencer UMass Fr. M Danville, Calif.
Matthew Varian Drexel Fr. A Island Park, N.Y.
 
2016 CAA Co-Players of the Year: Ryan Drenner, Towson & Colin Burke, Fairfield
2016 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Finn Sullivan, Hofstra
2016 CAA Rookie of the Year: Colin Burke, Fairfield
2016 CAA Coach of the Year: Shawn Nadelen, Towson
 
All-Academic Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Jake Knostman Fairfield Jr. A Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Hank Brown Drexel Sr. M Great Falls, Va.
Ryan Drenner Towson Jr. A Westminster, Md.
Kris Clarke Hofstra Jr. FO Bellmore, N.Y.
Kevin Porzelt UMass Sr. D Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
Steve DeLargy Delaware Sr. M Morristown, N.J.