CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five Royals were selected to Conference Carolinas All-Conference Teams as Jim Fritz received Coach of the Year honors for the No. 9 Queens University of Charlotte men’s lacrosse team.
Corey Geroy (Horseheads, N.Y., Horseheads), Hunter Roof (Prince Frederick, Md., Calverton), and Brandon Macknew (Abington, Md., Bel Air) were selected to the First team, while Brian Masterson (Toledo, Ohio, St. John's Jesuit) and Joe Taylor (Aurburn, N.Y., Auburn) earned Second team honors. Dane Blodgett was selected to the All-Conference Third team.
Geroy become a house-hold name on the attack this season, finishing seventh in Division ll with 1.91 assists per game. His 3.27 points per game ranked 27th in Dll and good enough for second in the conference. Geroy tallied the game-winning goals in two of the Royals’ nine wins, ranking him second in the conference in game-winners. Showing a knack for putting together big games, he scored seven-plus points in two games and three-plus points in five games. Geroy’s excellence was recognized throughout the season, as he was a recipient of the Conference Carolinas Player of the Week award and the InterCon Student-Athlete of the Month.
This is Roof’s third time as member of the All-Conference First team. The preseason All-American anchored a Royals team that finished 12th in Dll and second in the conference with an 8.75 team goals-against average. Finishing the season with 25 ground balls, he collected four-plus in four games. Roof dominated his offensive foes, allowing players he covered to score just six goals and six assists in 11 games (two and two in conference games). Roof proved he could eliminate the top scoring threats in country when he held the 10th-ranked scorer in Dll, Danny Farmer (No. 8 Mars Hill), scoreless.
Macknew played a vital role in the Royals' defensive success. His .629 save percentage ranked third in Dll and best in the conference. He ranked 11th in Dll goals-against average with 8.00, good enough for second in the conference. Macknew showed the ability to make saves in a variety of ways, facing 30-plus shots in seven games en route to four games with 17-plus saves. Staying active around the net, he finished tied for second on the team with 30 ground balls.
Masterson dominated on the attack this season, scoring four-plus points in five games. He ranked sixth in the conference with 1.91 goals per game and ninth with 0.91 assists per game to combine for 2.82 points per game, fifth in conference. Masterson was consistently one of the best players on the field and was voted Inside Lacrosse/Nike Player of the Week as well as the conference Player of the Week on two occasions.
Taylor gave opponents fits in the circle, winning .617 of his face offs to finish 10th in Dll and second in the conference in win percentage. More times than not, he was able to gather the ball after the face off, as he finished eighth in Dll and second in the conference with a 5.4 ground balls per game. He consistently performed throughout the season, contributing nine games with seven-plus face offs won and eight games with five-plus ground balls. Taylor proved to be a threat when needed, scoring four goals on seven shots on goal this season.
An integral part of the Royals defense, Blodgett proved he could compete against the best in the country when he held the 22nd-ranked scorer in Dll, Tyler Farmer (No. 8 Mars Hill), to one point. Finishing tied for second on the team with 30 ground balls, he was able to secure two or more in six games. Blodgett’s success trickled down to the offensive zone against Catawba College, when he tallied a season-high two points.
Fritz was enthusiastic about the work his players have put in.
“I felt good for the kids who got picked. We have had a good season and I feel those guys were a big reason for that. Hunter was our only returning All-Conference pick, so it really shows how hard the other guys worked and elevated their game this year to be selected. It bodes well for us next year that we return three of them.”
Fritz has taken Queens’ men’s lacrosse program a long way since its conception seven years ago, as they look to advance to their third championship game in that span. Winning his second conference Coach of Year award as a Royal, he is proud his peers have noticed the work he and his staff have put forth.
“It’s an honor to get picked by your peers, which makes this special to me. I think this year especially, a lot of credit not only goes to the players who bought into what we were doing, but really to my assistants. They have done a great job all year long. I almost think it should be a 'staff of the year' award. All four have done a great job implementing what I want, as well as bringing a great work ethic and some great coaching. They are very committed to the vision of the program and I cannot thank them enough.”
The news comes just one day before Queens hosts the Conference Carolinas Tournament at Queens Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park.
After falling to Limestone in the Finals last season, Fritz anticipates another competitive tournament .
“I feel this year should be a very exciting tournament. We have played close games every time with Belmont Abbey. Being so close, they are a natural rival, so I am anticipating that to be a very intense, hard-fought contest. Limestone just played a close game with Pfeiffer so that should also be a very interesting matchup. For us, losing the championship last year in a close game was tough. Returning to the title game has been one of our goals since walking off that field last year. Our guys are very motivated to get back there, but understand that in order to do so we have to bring our best game if we want to get past Belmont Abbey.”
All-Conference First Team:
Attack Corey Geroy -Queens University of Charlotte
Chad Olsen –Pfeiffer University
Jake Rogalia -Limestone College
Midfield Mike Poerstel -Limestone College
Dave DiLuigi -Belmont Abbey College
Justin Rose -Pfeiffer University
Kyle Carnaggio – St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Defense Hunter Roof - Queens University of Charlotte
Tristan Keas -Belmont Abbey College
Anthony LaMarca – Pfeiffer University
Goalkeeper Brandon Macknew - Queens University of Charlotte
All-Conference Second Team:
Attack Brian Masterson – Queens University of Charlotte
Riley Loewen - Limestone College
Riley Fink - St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Midfield Dan Mesler – Pfeiffer University
Teddy Prager -Limestone College
Joe Taylor - Queens University of Charlotte
Sean Bennett – Limestone College
Defense Damon DeLuca - Belmont Abbey College Nick LaRocca – Limestone College
Steve Sauser - Limestone College
Goalkeeper Tony Kikola – Belmont Abbey College
All-Conference Third Team:
Midfield Nick Boylan - Belmont Abbey College
Defense Dane Blodgett
Midfield Dan Morrissey - Belmont Abbey College
Goalkeeper Kyle Davitt – St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Midfield Matt Markey – Lees-McRae College
Player of the Year:
Mike Poerstel -Limestone College
Freshman of the Year:
Dan Morrissey - Belmont Abbey College
Coach of the Year:
James Fritz - Queens University of Charlotte
Regular Season Champion:
Limestone College