May 21, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five members of the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team received All-America honors as the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) announced the accolades on Thursday. Ryan Hoff (Sr., A), Regis McDermott (Sr., D) and Scott Rodgers (Sr., G) were named to the third team, while Sam Barnes (Jr., D) and Grant Krebs (Jr., M) were honorable mention picks.
The five All-America selections matched a program record that also was achieved in 2001 and 2007. The Fighting Irish produced one of the top seasons in program history during the 2009 campaign. Notre Dame finished with a 15-1 mark, which established program records for wins and winning percentage for a single season. The Irish posted the first undefeated regular season in team history and captured their second consecutive Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) tournament title in addition to making their fourth straight NCAA Championship appearance.
Hoff (Baldwin, Md./Dulaney) led the Irish in goals for the third straight season as he notched 32 tallies. He was a key reason why the Notre Dame offense ranked in the top 10 nationally this season by averaging 11 goals a game. Hoff produced nine multiple-goal games, including a six-goal effort against Ohio State in the title game of the GWLL tournament. The attackman scored three or more goals in a game five times on the season. He notched a six-point effort on five goals and an assist in a 13-7 win over Vermont and registered a hat trick in a 9-7 win over No. 3 North Carolina. This is Hoff’s second All-America accolade. He was an honorable mention selection last season. Hoff concluded his career ranked second on Notre Dame’s all-time career goals list with 134. The three-time All-GWLL first-team selection never missed a contest en route to playing in a program-record 63 games during his career.
McDermott (Amityville, N.Y./Chaminade) helped anchor a defense that ranked first nationally with a 6.19 goals-against average, which eclipsed the Irish record of 6.66 from 2007. Notre Dame did not surrender more than nine goals in a game this season and the Irish held opponents to seven goals or fewer on 12 occasions. McDermott, a team captain, led the Irish with 53 ground balls. That also was a career-high total. This is the first All-America honor for McDermott, who was a first-team All-GWLL pick this season.
Rodgers (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) led all NCAA Division I goalies in goals-against average (6.14) and save percentage (.663). He established single-season program records for goals-against average and victories (15). Rodgers held opponents to six goals or fewer in eight games this season. The Long Island native was tabbed as the GWLL Player of the Year in addition to being selected as a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee. This marks the first All-America selection for the team captain.
Barnes (Branford, Conn./Branford) was a valuable member to the nation’s top-ranked defense as he routinely locked down the opponent’s top scorer. His 28 ground balls were a single-season career-high total. Barnes notched his first career point with an assist in a 9-7 win over Villanova. He was named to Inside Lacrosse team of the week after helping the Irish shutdown Dartmouth, 19-7. This is Barnes’ first All-America nod.
Krebs (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) was Notre Dame’s leading midfielder scorer with 29 goals, which ranked second overall on the team. He was third on the squad with 38 total points. Those figures were career-best totals, while his nine assists tied his career-high mark. Krebs will carry team-best streaks for points (32) and goals (28) into next season. The first-team All-GWLL performer notched three or more goals in four games this season. He was named to the Inside Lacrosse team of the week and was the GWLL player of the week after notching four points on three goals and one assist in a 10-9 win over Loyola in the season opener. This is the first All-America honor for the junior.
The Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse program has now had at least one student-athlete claim All-America honors in every season dating back to 1993, a string of 17 years. Notre Dame’s 24 All-Americans have combined for 41 All-America honors.
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