Widener saw six of its men’s lacrosse players picked for the All-Middle Atlantic Conference teams and freshman attacker Johnny Casey (Glenside, PA) was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.
Junior defender Nick Politarhos (Ridley, PA) was named first team all-conference a second straight year and senior midfielder Justin Upp (Camden, DE) also was named first team all-league. Junior long-stick midfielder Dave Simcox (Ridley, PA), junior attacker Cory Malampy (Ridley, PA) and junior defender Jim Forsythe (West Chester, PA) were picked second team All-MAC.
Casey posted a solid debut season, ending fourth in the league with 40 goals and fifth with five man-up goals. He finished first on the team with 50 points, tied for third with 10 assists and also totaled six hat tricks.
Politarhos led a stingy defense which posted a 7.08 goals against average yielded five goals or fewer in six games this season. He was one of four on the team to start all 19 contests, led the squad with 32 caused turnovers and was fourth with 52 ground balls.
Upp was vital on a strong midfield, closing fourth on the squad with 24 goals and 34 points. He was seventh on the team with 28 ground balls and scored a career-best five goals in Widener’s MAC Tournament semifinal win at Lycoming.
Simcox, also picked second team all-league in 2007, was a formidable presence. He ended tied for second on the team with 57 ground balls and second with 32 caused turnovers in starting all 19 contests.
Malampy again produced numbers up front by finishing second on the team with 28 goals, 11 assists and 39 points. He notched three hat tricks this season, including a four-goal output in Widener’s MAC Tournament first-round victory against Eastern.
Forsythe also was a key component on defense, helping the Pride enter the conference final with a four-game winning streak. He finished third on the team with 24 caused turnovers and 11th with 24 ground balls.
Widener (10-9, 7-3 MAC) advanced to the MAC final a fifth straight year and recorded its eighth consecutive season with double-figure wins. The Pride’s dream of a fifth MAC title in a row ended May 2 with an 8-7 loss at FDU-Florham.