Men's Lacrosse

Alex Baruch was named the 2008 NCAC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year after leading Denison to 14 victories and their 10th conference championship.

After posting a 14-3 record and capturing the program's 10th North Coast Athletic Conference Championship the Denison men's lacrosse team landed 13 players on the NCAC all-conference squads, highlighted by senior goalie Alex Baruch (Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's) who was selected as the conference's Player of the Year.

Baruch, who led the nation in save percentage and goals against average, made 16 starts and was 13-3.  A four-year starter in goal, he posted a career best .697 save percentage and team's averaged just 5.50 goals against him in 2008.  He is the first conference player of the year from Denison since Frank Pennimpede in 1999.

Joining Baruch on the first team was a league-high six other players.  Senior midfielder Rick Mackessy (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) led the team in points with 66 and led the conference in assists with 37.  Fellow middie Dan Maude (Wayne, Pa./Haverford School) was second on the team with 32 goals.  He also chipped in 17 assists to finish with a career-high 49 points. 

Sophomore attack Brady Burton (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) picked up his second straight first-team nod after leading the conference in scoring for the second year.  He scored 52 goals and enters next season with 99 career goals in just 32 games played.

Denison's top-ranked defense was well represented as junior Jim Minor (Washington, Pa./Trinity) was named to the first team for the second straight year.  Long pole Taylor Nissi (Groton, Mass./Holderness) made his third, first-team all-conference list and sophomore specialist Conner Detjen (Winnetka, Ill./Loyola Academy) earned first-team after posting a .671 face-off percentage which ranked him in the top-10, nationally.

Second team honors went to senior defensemen Chris Gaines (Upper Arlington, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) and Dave Harman (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve) as well as senior middie LJ Hackett (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and junior attack Nate Hall (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington).  Gaines and Harman were two of the biggest reasons DU allowed just 5.3 goals per game in 2008.  Teams were just 25 percent in man-up situations against the Big Red.  Ground balls also went to Denison's favor 61 percent of the time.

Hackett's speed and knack for kick starting the Big Red's fast break helped them post a .842 clear percentage.  He also posted 37 ground balls which was fourth-most on the team. 

Hall spent his third year as the starter and point-man for the Big Red. He was second on the team with 23 assists and also scored 13 goals while starting all 17 games.

One of Denison's two honorable mention choices also earned the NCAC's Newcomer of the Year award.  First-year attack Emmett Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) stepped into the starting lineup midway though the season when senior starter Topher Nazaruk's (Stratford, Conn./Fairfield Prep) season was cut short with a season-ending injury.  Jones made the most of his new starting role as he finished fourth on the team in goals scored with 28.

Joining Jones as an honorable mention middie was junior Nick Jacobs (Wilmington, Del./Tower Hill) who played in all 17 games, scoring 10 goals while going 44 of 70 in face-off's.

Third year head coach Matt McGinnis rounded out the award winners for the Big Red with his first NCAC Coach of the Year award.  McGinnis has led the program to a 45-13 record and three consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances since taking over the program in 2006.