Dec. 9, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five seniors on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team have garnered preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. Zach Brenneman (M) and Kevin Ridgway (D) were named to the first team, while Sam Barnes (D) was a second-team pick. David Earl (M) was selected to the third team and Andrew Irving (LSM) was an honorable mention selection.
Brenneman (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) led the Fighting Irish with career-high totals in goals (29) and points (42) last season. He also notched a career-high 13 assists. Brenneman earned honorable mention All-America accolades in 2010. The midfielder netted hat tricks against both Cornell and Duke in the semifinals and finals, respectively, of the NCAA Tournament and was selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. Brenneman also was named to the all-BIG EAST first team.
Ridgway (Kensington, Md./Georgetwon Prep) started all 17 games last season and helped anchor an Irish defense that ranked second nationally by posting a 7.53 goals-against average. Notre Dame only surrendered 23 goals (5.75 per game) during its four games of the NCAA Championship. Ridgway was an honorable-mention All-American and he also was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. Additionally, he was tabbed as a second-team all-BIG EAST performer.
Barnes (Branford, Conn./Branford), a fifth-year senior, did not play last season due to injury. He received honorable mention All-America honors as a junior in 2009 as he was a valuable member to the nation’s top-ranked defense (6.19 goals-allowed per game). Barnes routinely locked down the opponent’s top scorer as a starter in all 16 contests. His 28 ground balls were a single-season career-high total.
Earl (Simsbury, Conn./Westminster School) tallied career-best numbers in goals (22) and assists (6) during the 2010 campaign. He received honorable mention All-America honors and was a second-team all-BIG EAST pick. Earl netted a single-game career-high five goals during an 8-5 win at Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Irving (McLean, Va./The Hotchkiss School) played in every game one season ago and registered a career-high three goals to go along with two assists. The five points were a career-best figure. Irving picked up a team-leading 76 ground balls, which also were a career-high total.
Notre Dame is ranked seventh in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook top-20 preseason coaches poll. Virginia tops the poll, while Syracuse, North Carolina, Duke and Maryland round out the top five, respectively.
The Fighting Irish went 10-7 last season. Notre Dame fell to Duke, 6-5 in overtime, in the national title game.
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