Liberty League Release
 
TROY, N.Y. – The Liberty League released the voting results for its 2018 year-end awards for men's lacrosse on Tuesday morning. The Ithaca College men's lacrosse team was well-represented in the final recognitions from the League, as the Bombers finished with seven total honorees, which was tied with St. Lawrence for the third-most among League affiliates this season behind RPI's eight and RIT's 11 selections. Highlighting the list of IC honorees was freshman attacker Connor Brumfield, who was selected the Liberty League's 2018 Rookie of the Year.
 
The Bombers posted three players on both the All-Liberty League First Team and the All-Liberty League Second Team. IC's First Team selections were two junior midfielders in Conner Crosson and Josh Della Puca, while fifth-year defenseman Winston Wenham also joined the group in the top tier. Ithaca's Second Team honorees included Brumfield in attack, as well as junior Brendan King at short-stick midfielder and sophomore Aaron McCartney in defense. The Bombers' final player to receive recognition was junior long-stick midfielder Sean Seaberg, who received selection as an Honorable Mention.
 
Brumfield's individual honor headlined the list for the Bombers, as he becomes the program's first player since celebrated attacker John Januszkiewicz '17 to earn Rookie of the Year honors from the conference office. Januszkiewicz was tabbed the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year during that 2014 campaign after scoring 39 goals and registering 53 points. Brumfield has nearly matched that mark in his debut this season, entering Wednesday's NCAA Second Round matchup against Stevenson with a team-high 45 points on 33 goals and 12 assists.
 
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native immediately stepped into a prominent role in the attacking third, seizing a key role with the graduation of several of IC's attacking threats from last season. The rookie has started 12 games, while he appeared in 16 of the team's 18 contests thus far this season. Showing a deft ability to create his own shot, he registered at least one point in 14 of his 16 appearances this season, which included a seven-game goal-scoring streak to begin his collegiate career. On the year, he posted nine multi-goal games with six of those hat-trick efforts. Brumfield added 24 ground-balls and four caused turnovers.
 
It was an upperclassmen group that was able to secure All-Liberty League First Team honors. Wenham, who is appearing on the First Team for the third time during his career, headlines the group. Wenham was an Empire 8 First Team honoree in 2016 and 2017.
 
The fifth-year defenseman has put up a career year in all the major statistical categories. He enters play on Wednesday tied with teammate Aaron McCartney for the Liberty League lead in caused turnovers with 40 on the season. Wenham also has amassed a career-best 69 ground-balls thus far on the year, which ranks eighth-best in the Liberty League. Wenham will be a key cog for any deep NCAA Tournament run for IC.
 
The IC midfield was also a strength for the squad this season. Leading that group was the tandem of Crosson and Della Puca, who joined Wenham as First Team selections on Tuesday.
 
Crosson has enjoyed a breakout campaign in his third collegiate season in 2018. He has set new career highs with 43 points and 25 assists thus far, while he sits just two goals shy of his career best set during his rookie campaign in 2016. One of the Bombers most dynamic players with the ball, his elusiveness has turned Crosson into one of Ithaca's primary creators this season. His 25 helpers are tied for fourth-best in the Liberty League entering play on Wednesday. Crosson has posted 10 games with at least one goal, while five of those contests have been multi-goal efforts. He also has had 14 games with at least one assist, with six games seeing him tally two-or-more.
 
Della Puca battled through nagging injuries throughout most of the year, but really turned things on late once he returned closer to 100-percent. Tuesday's announcement marks the second consecutive year that Della Puca has earned First Team honors, as he was an Empire 8 All-Conference First Teamer in 2017.
 
Although he only appeared in 13 games up until this point, Della Puca nearly reached his career highs from last season, as he enters Wednesday's game with 39 points on 22 goals and 17 assists. The junior midfielder posted at least one point in all 13 of his appearances on the year, while 11 of those games were multi-point performances. His 1.31 assists per game was good for ninth-best in the Liberty League this season, while his 3.00 points per game clip ranked 10^th.
 
Joining Brumfield as All-Liberty League Second Team honorees were junior short-stick defensive midfielder Brendan King and sophomore defenseman Aaron McCartney. Both players have hit new career highs during the 2018 campaign. It is the first time that either player has earned All-League accolades.
 
King has enjoyed a breakout season in his two-way role. He has set new career highs at both ends with 18 goals and 26 points, offensively, as well as 43 ground-balls and 19 caused turnovers. He tallied at least one goal in 14 games, while he scored at least one point in 16-of-18 appearances this season. Defensively, he recorded at least one caused turnover in 12 contests on the year.
 
McCartney was an immediate contributor as a freshman in 2017, but has taken his game to another level in his second collegiate season in 2018. The sophomore has been a standout on the backend, finishing in a tie with Wenham for the team-lead in caused turnovers (40), while he ranks first among the team's defensemen in ground-balls with 77. He is one of just four IC players to start all 18 games this year. McCartney's stats rank highly among the Liberty League's defenders. His 40 caused turnovers are tied for first, while his 77 ground-balls are seventh-most in the Liberty League this season.
 
Seaberg rounded out Tuesday's announcement, as he was tabbed with Honorable Mention selection. Like King and McCartney, it was the first time that Seaberg has appeared in the year-end awards during his career.
 
Seaberg took over the primary long-stick midfield role from 2017-graduate Cody Swing and the Bombers have not missed a beat in 2018. Seaberg has posted new career highs with 22 caused turnovers and 58 ground-balls thus far this season. He returned from an injury that kept him out the final few weeks of the regular-season, helping IC score the huge 8-7 double-overtime victory over No. 19 RPI that likely punched the Bombers ticket to the NCAA Tournament. On the year, he has forced at least one caused turnover in 12 of his 15 appearances, while six of those games featured multi-caused turnovers.
 
The Bombers will be back in action on Wednesday, May 9, when they host Stevenson in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Start time at Higgins Stadium is 4:00 p.m.