Berg and Burgdorf earn preseason player of the year honors
NEW YORK – Senior Wesley Berg (Coquitlam, B.C.) and sophomore Christian Burgdorf (Westfield, N.J.) were named the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, and the University of Denver men's lacrosse team was picked to win the BIG EAST title for the second-consecutive season, the conference office released on Thursday. In all, six Denver players earned spots on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Denver earned the maximum 25 points, getting first place votes from all five of the other head coaches in the conference. Georgetown was picked second (18), followed by Villanova (17), Marquette (16), St. John’s (9) and Providence (5).
Last year's BIG EAST Goaltender of the Year Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colo.) was the goalie picked to the preseason squad, while Burgdorf, a Preseason First Team All-American, was the Pioneers' lone defender named to the preseason squad.
Senior Erik Adamson (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) is DU's representation in the midfield on the All-BIG EAST team, while the Pioneers swept the attackmen on the preseason list as Berg was joined by sophomore Zach Miller (Steamburg, N.Y.) and junior Jack Bobzien (Littleton, Colo.).
Denver opens its 2015 campaign against Duke on February 14 at 1 p.m. ET/11 a.m. MT in Atlanta, Ga. The Pioneers begin their home schedule with the Frontier Airlines Faceoff Classic on Feb. 21-22.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2015 season for $70. Fans can purchase tickets at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center Box Office, online or by phone at 303-871-2336. Individual game tickets for the 2015 season also went on sale Monday.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2015 NCAA Quarterfinals at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Fans can purchase tickets for the quarterfinal games at the link here.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Wes Berg, Denver, Sr., Attack ^
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Christian Burgdorf, Denver, So., Defense ^
Preseason All-BIG EAST
^ Ryan LaPlante, Denver, Sr., GK
^ Wes Berg, Denver, Sr., A
^ Zach Miller, Denver, So., A
Jack Bobzien, Denver, Jr., A
^ Erik Adamson, Denver, Sr., M
Jack Curran, Villanova, Jr., M
Kyle Whitlow, Marquette, RS-Jr., M
Peter Conley, Georgetown, So., M
^ B.J. Grill, Marquette, RS-Jr., D
^ Christian Burgdorf, Denver, So., D
^ Mark DiFrangia, St. John’s, Sr., D
Jarrod Neumann, Providence, So., D
^ Liam Byrnes, Marquette, RS-Jr., LSM
^ - denotes unanimous selection
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. Denver – 25 pts. (5)
2. Georgetown – 18 pts.
3. Villanova – 17 pts.
4. Marquette – 16 pts.
5. St. John's – 9 pts.
6. Providence – 5 pts.
ABOUT DENVER:
Denver, coming off its third Championship Weekend appearance in the last four years, returns three of its four USILA All-Americans from a team that finished 16-3 a year ago, including seniors Wesley Berg (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Erik Adamson(Anaheim Hills, Calif.). The 2015 Pioneers have been ranked No. 1 in all three preseason polls.
DU's sophomore class includes USILA Honorable Mention All-American Christian Burgdorf (Westfield, N.J.), Inside Lacrosse Freshman of the Year Zach Miller (Steamburg, N.Y.) and ACC Freshman of the Year and Maryland transfer Connor Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, N.Y.). 2014 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colo.) is also set to return for his senior season.
Denver's midfield returns senior Sean Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, N.Y.), who has 26 points in 45 career games, with 16 of his 26 coming a year ago. Classmate and long stick midfielder Mike Riis (Carlsbad, Calif.), along with sophomore Tyler Pace (Mission, B.C.) and junior Chris Hampton (Bethesda, Md.) will bolster the Pioneer midfield. Junior attacker Jack Bobzien (Littleton, Colo.) averaged 3.32 points a game a year ago, netting 42 goals in 19 games.
Senior defender Carson Cannon (Stillwater, Minn.) brings 52 career appearances to Denver's defense, joined in the back by junior Pat Karole (Glen Ridge, N.J.), and a trio of sophomores in Colin Siracuse (Short Hills, N.J.), Christian Burgdorf (Westfield, N.J.) and Jake Nolan (Columbus, Ohio). Burgdorf started in 18 games for the Pioneers a year ago, grabbing 28 ground balls and causing 13 turnovers, while Nolan saw action in all 19 games, finishing the campaign with 21 ground balls and six caused turnovers.
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