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Delaware Men's Lacrosse News |
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5-28-07
Delaware Seniors Alex Smith, Jordan Hall Earn USILA Men’s
Lacrosse All-American Honors |
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BALTIMORE, MD -- The honors continue to pour in for the 2007
University of Delaware men’s lacrosse team as senior midfielders Alex
Smith and Jordan Hall were each named to the United States
Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I All-American team Sunday
evening.
Smith, a faceoff specialist from Timonium, MD (Boy’s Latin High
School),
was named named to the second team while Hall, a midfielder from Surrey,
British Columbia (Fleetwood Park HS), was an honorable mention
selection. The teams were selected by a committee comprised of NCAA
Division I men’s lacrosse head coaches.
Smith earned All-American honors for the third straight year after being
named an honorable mention pick in both 2005 and 2006 while Hall was
selected to the All-American squad for the second time in his career
after earning honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2005. Smith is
just the fourth Delaware player to earn All-American honors three times,
joining Steve Shaw (1984-86), Randy Powers (1984-86), and Anthony
DiMarzo (1993-95), and is just the sixth to earn second team
All-American honors.
Both Smith and Hall led the Blue Hens to the finest season in school
history. Delaware posted a 13-6 overall record, captured the Colonial
Athletic Association Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA
Tournament for just the fourth time in school history. The 15th-ranked
Blue Hens advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in school
history as they defeated defending national champion Virginia 14-8 in
the first round and UMBC 10-6 in the quarterfinals. Delaware’s
improbable run came to an end with an 8-3 loss to No. 3 seed Johns
Hopkins in the NCAA semifinals March 26.
Smith finished his career as the greatest faceoff specialist in the
history of the college game as he virtually rewrote the NCAA record
book. He led the nation in faceoff winning percentage for the third
straight season this spring as he won 311 of 430 attempts for a 72.3
percentage and also led the country with a school-record 170 groundballs
(8.95 per game). He also scored five goals and dished out three assists
on the season despite only playing on faceoff situations.
He established NCAA records for faceoffs won in a season (311 in 2007)
and career (1,027), faceoffs attempted in a season (430 in 2007) and
career (14,84), groundballs in a career (553), and faceoff pct. in a
game (1.000, 21 for 21 vs. Manhattan, 2006). He won 50 percent or better
of his faceoffs in 61 of his UD record 69 career games. He is one of
only seven players in UD history to earn all-conference honors all four
years and was named the 2007 CAA Player of the Year and 2007 CAA
Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Hall, a three-time All-CAA selection and the 2005 CAA Player of the
Year, also concluded an outstanding career this spring. He was
Delaware’s second leading scorer with 38 points on 26 goals and 12
assists and ranked second on the team with 54 groundballs. He scored at
least one point in each of his final 31 career games and ended the
season as the leading scorer among all active NCAA Division I
midfielders.
A member of the Canadian National Team, Hall played in 66 career games
with 61 starts and recorded 140 points on 85 goals and 55 assists and
scooped up 184 groundballs. He ranks No. 13 on the all-time UD list for
assists and points and No. 17 for goals and his goal just three seconds
into a 2006 game vs. Albany is an NCAA record for fastest goal to start
a game. He also recorded six career hat tricks, including four in 2007.
Hall and Smith were among five CAA players to earn All-American honors,
joining honorable mention picks Bobby Griebe of Towson, Kevin Unterstein
of Hofstra, and Adam Crystal of Drexel. Duke, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA
Tournament a national finalist, dominated the All-American team with
four first team selections in attackmen Zack Greer and Matt Danowski,
midfielder Nick O’Hara, and defenseman Casey Carroll.
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