Four men’s lacrosse players recognized with All-Conference awards

Four men’s lacrosse players recognized with All-Conference awards

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  – Four Huntingdon players earned All-Conference recognition with the release of the USA South Athletic Conference men's lacrosse awards on Wednesday.

Seniors Sam Hitt, Adrian Harper and Matt Murphy received first-team honors and sophomore Raymond Edwards was named second-team. Senior Logan Wilson was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.          

This is the second straight season Hitt, Harper and Murphy have been recognized. Hitt and Harper were both first-team selections last season and Murphy was a second-team selection last season.

The group helped lead Huntingdon to a second straight regular-season conference title this season. The Hawks were 6-0 in regular-season conference play in the inaugural season of USA South men's lacrosse last year and were 7-0 in regular-season conference play this season.

Hitt, the USA South Player of the Year last season, was named first-team All-Conference as a faceoff specialist. Despite missing time with an injury this season, Hitt is second in the conference with 185 faceoff wins and leads the USA South with 140 ground balls. His 72.5 faceoff winning percentage ranks sixth in Division III this season. Hitt has also scored 10 goals this season.

Harper was named first-team All-Conference as a midfielder. Harper leads the Hawks with 49 points this season and is second on the team with 33 goals and 16 assists. He is tied for fourth on the team with 52 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. Harper has accounted for a goal or an assist in every game this season, including multiple goals in 10 games.

Murphy earned first-team All-Conference honors as a goalie. The MVP of the USA South Tournament last season, he leads the USA South with 11 wins and an 8.94 goals allowed average and is second in the conference with 204 saves. For goalies with at least 800 minutes played this season, Murphy ranks fourth in Division III with a 59.6 save percentage.

Edwards was recognized as a second-team All-Conference defender. Edwards, who has started in 35 games during his first two seasons, is tied for second on the team with 15 caused turnovers this season and also has 38 ground balls. He had a season-high four caused turnovers against Hendrix and season-high six ground balls against William Peace. He has taken three shots and scored three goals this season.

Pfeiffer junior Jared Nelson was named USA South Player of the Year Pfeiffer freshman Spencer Stokes was named Rookie of the Year. Methodist's Zach Nedbalski was recognized as Coach of the Year.

To view the complete All-Conference awards, click here.