Six Conference Carolinas Seniors Named to USILA Senior All-Star Game
RADNOR, Pa. - The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) announced the Division I and II rosters for the 2023 USILA Senior All-Star Games, slated for Friday, May 26 at Cabrini University and six Conference Carolinas student-athletes were named to the south team.
James Bucher and Thomas Sullivan will represent Belmont Abbey, Thomas Cecere and Colin Courtney will represent North Greenville, Barton will be represented by Mark Crawford and face-off specialist Mike Marto will represent Mount Olive.
Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year Thomas Sullivan headlines the group at goalie for the south team. A senior from North Babylon, New York, Sullivan became the first player in league history to repeat as the men’s lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year as he finished second in the league in goals against average (10.19) and save percentage (.568) and ranked third in saves per game at 13.33. He helped The Abbey allow the fewest goals in the league this season (127).
Bucher, a senior from Waxhaw, North Carolina, finished the season sixth in the league with a team-high 21 caused turnovers and the defenseman also had 28 ground balls on the season. His efforts earned him first team All-Conference Carolinas honors and USILA All-South Region honorable mention accolades.
Cecere, a redshirt senior attack from Grand Island, New York, led NGU with 58 points on the season with 40 goals and 18 assists for the Crusaders. He was a first team All-Conference honoree and was named third team USILA All-South Region.
Courtney, a defender for the Crusaders who earned USILA All-Region honorable mention and first team All-Conference Carolinas honors, had an impressive year for North Greenville. The redshirt senior from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina caused 11 turnovers, collected 27 ground balls and tallied an assist this season.
Crawford, another USILA All-South Region honorable mention and first team All-Conference Carolinas performer, finished in the top-10 in the league in goals, assists and points this season. The graduate student from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland finished the season with 59 points on 34 goals and 25 assists. Playing attack for the Bulldogs he also collected 29 ground balls, caused two turnovers and helped lead Barton to the 2023 Conference Carolinas tournament title and was named tournament MVP.
Marto, a graduate student from Saddle Brook, New Jersey led Conference Carolinas and finished second in NCAA Division II with a .691 face-off winning percentage as he won 239 face-offs this season in 15 games. He took nearly 92 percent (346-of-378) of the team's total face-off attempts and scored three times for the Trojans. He was a first-team All-Conference Carolinas and USILA All-South Region selection.
The Division III game will begin at 4:00 p.m. and the Division I-Division II game will commence at 6:30 p.m.
The complete Division I/II roster is available here.