Posted: Aug 08, 2014

Season In Review: Wells College Men's Lacrosse

Every Friday throughout the summer of 2014, the Wells College Department of Athletics website will look back at the "year that was". Starting with field hockey on Friday, May 16, a comprehensive "season in review" for each of Wells' 14 NCAA Division III varsity sports will be posted, giving fans not only a look back but also a look forward to the upcoming season of play.

Field Hockey (05/16/14)
Women's Soccer (05/23/14)
Men's Soccer (05/30/14)
Women's Cross Country (06/06/14)
Women's Volleyball (06/13/14)
Men's Cross Country (06/20/14)
Women's Basketball (06/27/14)
Men's Swimming (07/04/14)
Women's Swimming (07/11/14)
Men's Basketball (07/18/14)
Men's Volleyball (07/25/14)
Women's Lacrosse (08/01/14)

The men's lacrosse team at Wells made great strides in 2014 en route to their best season in the team's seven-year varsity history. In addition to the team's two North Eastern Athletic Conference All-League selections in 2014, the squad had two players finish as national statistical leaders among all NCAA Division III men's lacrosse players. With only one senior graduating, Wells is poised for a breakout season in 2015.

STATISTICAL LEADERS


POINTS SCORED Alex Milliken 47-10=57	GROUND BALLS Connor Jansen 78	FACEOFF VICTORIES Connor Jansen 97	CAUSED TURNOVERS Hayden Shuster 15

POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS


MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Alex Milliken	ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Alex Milliken	EXPRESS AWARD Michael Flaherty

NOTABLES

ALL-CONFERENCE: Sophomore Connor Jansen (Horseheads, N.Y.) and freshman Alex Milliken (Hilton, N.Y.) each picked up North Eastern Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse All-Conference recognition following the 2014 season. Jansen earned Second Team All-NEAC honors while Milliken secured Third Team All-NEAC placement.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: Jansen had a stellar sophomore season for the Express. Finishing second in the NEAC with 78 ground balls to his credit, he finished second on the Express with 28 goals and 12 assists for 40 points (28-12=40). Jansen also racked up 97 faceoff victories for Wells en route to scoring at least one goal in all 12 games for the Express. Ranking 12th in the league in point scoring, Jansen placed 31st amongst all NCAA Division III men's lacrosse players in ground balls per game (7.00). Since joining the Express as a freshman in 2013, Jansen has scored at least one goal in 24 of his 25 career games. He ranks third all-time in career point scoring for Wells, scoring 52 goals and 21 assists for 73 points (52-21=73).

LEAGUE LEADER: Milliken, the NEAC leader in goal scoring, scored 47 goals and 10 assists for 57 points (47-10=57). Placing 17th nationally in points per game (4.75), Milliken set his team's single season point scoring record through only his first nine collegiate games. Across the 12 game season, Milliken tallied at least two goals in each game as a first year player and enters his sophomore season ranked fifth all-time in career point scoring.

GOING GREEN: Milliken registered 12 points against Green Mountain on Mar. 8, scoring nine goals and three assists to set a single game program record. Even more remarkable was that Milliken was playing in his first collegiate contest when he accomplished the feat.

WE ARE THE (STATISTICAL) CHAMPIONS: Milliken concluded his first year campaign leading all NCAA Division III men's lacrosse players nationwide in goals per game. Milliken averaged 3.92 goals per game after scoring 47 goals in 12 contests for Wells as a first year player. One of only three student-athletes to claim a statistical championship for Wells, Milliken is the first freshman in school history to do so.

"CAUSED" NO CONCERN: Junior Hayden Shuster (Careywood, Id.) led all NCAA Division III men's lacrosse players nationwide with 4.6 caused turnovers per game in 2014. He recorded 46 caused turnovers in 10 games played before succumbing to an injury down the stretch. In 2014, Shuster recorded at least one caused turnover in each of his 10 games and recorded nine caused turnovers in a game twice, first against Green Mountain on Mar. 8 and again against Alfred State on Apr. 1.

"FISH" OUT OF WATER: Junior midfielder Tyler Fischetti (Weedsport, N.Y.) scored his first collegiate goal with 1:20 left in regulation time to power the Wells College men's lacrosse team to a 13-12 victory over the Pioneers from Alfred State College on Apr. 1. The victory was the third on the season for the men's lacrosse team at Wells, tying the all-time program record set in 2011 and 2012.

GETTING THE "GREEN" LIGHT: In the team's 23-1 victory over Green Mountain on Mar. 8, the Express set program records for goals scored in a single game (23), largest margin of victory (22), most caused turnovers (27), most assists (13), most ground balls (53), most points (36), most face-offs won (19) and most shots taken (57). The previous record for team goals in a game was set against Lyndon St. on Apr. 9, 2013 in a 20-13 victory.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH CHRISTOPHER BILY

"I think that [2014] was a successful season. Our newfound depth certainly played a major role in that. Offensively and defensively, we increased the depth and did a pretty good job increasing our presence as a team. We tied for the most single season wins in program history and I am very pleased with our progress."

"[Milliken] is a gamer. You put him in any situation or position, he's going to attack his role with full steam and just go with it. He's a kid who never quits - he'll give you 120 percent of effort every day at practice or in a game. He's a great role model to our underclassmen."

"Hayden Shuster is a main focal point of our defense. A team captain going into his senior year, you saw what he was able to accomplish in only 10 games as a junior. He wants to learn every single game and is fundamentally sound - he has great positioning and excellent stick skills. At the end of the day, his statistics speak for themselves."

"Connor [Jansen] is another important leader for us. He does it all. From facing-off to being a key midfielder, playing man-up and man-down, he's literally everywhere on the field. I know that our guys definitely value his presence on the field - they look up to him for his leadership. He is always in the weight room and works hard to refine his craft at practice, asking all the right questions to help not only himself, but the team."

"The one thing that I continue to reiterate is that they continue to push, not only on the field but also in the classroom. Since I've gotten here, that mantra has been set in stone and the team lived up to that in 2014. Next season, I feel that we're going to improve and I think people are going to be surprised about the depth of our incoming freshman class. I think key players will continue to contribute and a goal of ours would be to make the NEAC postseason for the first time in team history."

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS