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School-Record Four Scots Named First-Team All-NCAC
A school-record four men's lacrosse players from The College of Wooster were named first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference as announced by league officials on Wednesday, May 11, breaking the previous high of three selected in 2004. Leading that list was repeat first-team selection Shawn Handy (Chapel Hill, N.C. / Chapel Hill) and he was joined by classmates Eric McKinney (Batavia, Ohio / Summit Country Day School), Alex Morriss (Chevy Chase, Md. / Bullis School), and sophomore Adam Chapman (Englewood, Colo. / Kent Denver). Handy picked up his second-straight first-team honor at the attack position, and third all-conference selection overall, after leading Wooster in scoring for the third consecutive year. He finished with 25 goals and dished out a team-leading 20 assists for 45 points, which put him third in the NCAC overall (3.21 ppg). For his career, Handy has 124 points on an evenly distributed 64 goals and 60 assists, ranking him just outside Wooster's top-10 all-time scorers. Making the biggest jump from last year was McKinney, who was an honorable mention selection in 2004. In 2005, McKinney, a midfielder, finished second to Handy in scoring with 22 goals and 11 assists, both career-highs, and ranked ninth in the league overall (2.36 ppg). His seven-point effort (five goals, two assists) against Washington & Jefferson College was the high for the team this season.
Morriss moved up to the first team as the long-stick midfielder after spending the last two years on the second team behind upper classmen. As a key part of the transition game and the defense, he was instrumental in Wooster's ability to hold opponents under an average of 10 goals per game (9.59). Morriss led the squad with 54 groundballs this spring, and connected on a career-high four goals on just nine shots with three assists. Rounding out the Scots' first-team honorees is Chapman, who also moved up from the second team as a defender. One of the fastest players in the conference, Chapman was the leader of a defense, which held eight of 14 opponents to less than 10 goals. Chapman started all 13 games he played in and finished third on the team with 38 groundballs. He also dished out two assists on the offensive end. Wooster also placed two players among the honorable mention picks in junior goalie Courter Shimeall (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) and junior midfielder Austin Taylor (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster). Shimeall, a first-team honoree last season and a second-team selection in 2003, suffered a bit of a down year in earning his third all-conference honor, posting a .489 save percentage and compiling a 9.39 GAA, compared to his career averages of .586 and 6.99, respectively. He stopped 107 shots on the season in 716 minutes in the goal. Taylor also earned his third selection on the All-NCAC squad, after earning second-team honors in each of the last two years. Coming off a torn ACL last spring, he finished fifth on the squad with 19 points on 12 goals and seven assists, while scooping up 29 groundballs. For his career, Taylor has 63 points coming on 43 goals and 20 assists. After winning its first NCAC title in men's lacrosse in 2004, Wooster had to settle for a third-place showing in 2005 with a 3-2 conference mark. The Scots finished 7-7 overall on the year, including losses to four opponents currently in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, to post the fourth-consecutive season without a losing record under head coach Jason Tarnow. |
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