MEDFORD, MA (June 17, 2024) -- The Tufts University men's lacrosse was honored with a whopping eight players on the 2024 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-New England Team, released back in May prior to the NCAA Championship contest.
The Jumbos had three First Team, two Second Team and three Honorable Mentions to the team, as the eight listed were the most of any team in New England. Sophomore attack
Jack Regnery was slated as a First Team honoree, while middie
Charlie Tagliaferri and
Joey Waldbaum joined him on the top squad. Junior
Michael Ayers and sophomore
Ben Frisoli were Second Team picks, while
Max Ettinghausen,
Garrett Kelly and Connor Garzone were named as Honorable Mentions.
All eight were huge contributors to the squad that earned the program's fourth all-time NCAA title. Regnery had a breakout season for the Jumbos at attack, as he posted the 11th 100-point season in program history, sitting with 113 points on 77 goals and 36 assists. He also leads the NESCAC in shots, and his seven man-up goals leads the team as well.
Tagliaferri has been the top option in the midfield for the Jumbos, as he has 40 goals and 24 assists for 64 points through 20 games. Tagliaferri posted five points on three goals and two assists in the NCAA Semifinals against Washington & Lee University, and then was the NCAA Championship game Most Outstanding Player with three goals and three assists against RIT.
Waldbaum led the Jumbos in caused turnovers with 32 this season, also ranking first in ground balls among players that do not face off with 75 on the season. He has at least one ground ball in every game this season.
Frisoli had an outstanding season on the wings for the Jumbos, as he finished iwth 21 caused turnovers while scooping up 47 grounders as well. Frisoli also tallied nine goals and assisted on six others for 15 points as a long-stick midfielder. Ayers was also strong at both close defense and LSM, as he tallied 53 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers while scoring once this year.
Ettinghausen ranked second on the team this year in points with 77, scoring 55 goals to go with 22 helpers at the attack position. He also put 61.9 percent of his shots on goal, tops among the starting unit. Kelly busted out as a sophomore, netting 36 goals to go with 11 assists for 47 points. The sophomore has six hat tricks on the season.
Sophomore
Garrett Kelly had a huge breakout in the midfield this season, as he finished with 40 goals and 13 assists for 53 points. Kelly had three goals in the NCAA Semifinals against W&L, followed by four goals and two assists in the title game. Connor Garzone also was the No. 1 option between the sticks for the Jumbos, starting every game while stopping 52.0 percent of shots on target. He made 216 saves on the season, while posting an 18-3 record.
Bowdoin's Will Byrne was named as the Player of the Year, while Wesleyan University head coach John Raba was the Coach of the Year.
--JUMBOS--
