ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The 15th-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team placed eight on the 2014 Empire 8 All-Conference First and Second Teams, while head coach Jeff Long was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year and freshman John Januszkiewicz dubbed Rookie of the Year.
 
Ithaca placed four on the first and second teams. Seniors Pat Slawta, Jake Long and Andrew Kristy and sophomore Eli Gobrecht were first-team recipients, while senior Brandon Henne, junior Jimmy Ryan, sophomore Scott Sidnam and Januszkiewicz were second-team selections.
 
Long earned Empire 8 Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in his career. He was previously recognized in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008. In his 27 years at Ithaca, Long has 14 double-digit win seasons. The Bombers return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 when they won a school record 17 games and advanced to the NCAA Semifinal Round for the fourth time in program history.
 
Januszkiewicz, named Empire 8 Player of the Week on March 24, ranks third on the team with 53 points on 38 goals and 15 assists. He started all 18 of the Bombers' games, while adding 33 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Januszkiewicz scored three game-winners in 2014.
 
An attackman, Slawta earned Empire 8 all-conference accolades for the third straight year after being named to the second team as a sophomore and junior. Awarded E8 Player of the Week on March 3, Slawta paces the Bombers with 65 points on a team-best 43 goals and 22 assists. His assist output ranks second on the team. With a 74.5 shots-on-goal percentage and a pair of game-winners, Slawta has collected 39 ground balls and forced five turnovers in 18 starts for the Bombers.
 
Long, a midfielder, has tallied 39 points netting 26 goals and dishing out 13 assists. In 18 games played, he has 15 ground balls and three caused turnovers. He scored the game-winner against Lycoming on March 5. Long was an Empire 8 second-team selection in 2012 before earning USILA All-America Honorable Mention and E8 First-Team honors in 2013.
 
Kristy has a team-best shots-on-goal percentage of 76.2, scoring six goals and adding four assists for 10 points. The midfielder's 50 ground balls rank third on the squad. Kristy, who's played in each of the Bombers' 18 games, has forced six turnovers during his senior season. Kristy was a second-team pick as a junior.
 
Named to the Empire 8 All-Tournament Team on Saturday, Gobrecht anchors the Bomber defense. He has a team-best 33 caused turnovers in 18 starts and has scooped up 46 ground balls.

Ithaca's faceoff specialist, Henne has won 171-of-291 faceoffs for a 58.8 win percentage. In Ithaca's 18 games, Henne has gathered a Bomber-best 96 ground balls. He adds 12 scores and four assists for 16 points. Henne was selected Empire 8 Player of the Week on May 5 after earning all-tournament team honors following Ithaca's E8 title game.
 
Ryan, a long stick midfielder, ranks second on the squad with 20 forced turnovers and second with 57 ground balls. He has started all but one of the Bombers' games to score eight points with five goals and three feeds.
 
Sidnam, the 2013 Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year, earned all-conference recognition for the second time in as many years. The sophomore was named to the first team in 2013. Sidnam was selected the MVP of the 2014 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Saturday. The three-time E8 Goalie of the Week has made 151 saves in 943:56 in goal. With a goals-against average of 7.82, Sidnam has recorded a save percentage of 55.1 and collected 13 ground balls over the course of 18 starts. He has six double-digit save performances this season.
 
Senior Nick Hall was named Ithaca's Sportsman of the Year. One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2014 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 emphasizes that "competing with honor and integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.