DSC Lacrosse All-Conference Teams Announced

WINGATE, N.C. - Mars Hill College senior attack Tyler Farmer has been named the 2011 Deep South Conference Player of the Year, league officials announced Monday. Saint Leo's Matt Obermeyer has been named the league's Freshman of the Year. Florida Southern coach Marty Ward and Lenoir-Rhyne's Greg Paradine earn co-Coach of the Year honors.

Farmer leads the Deep South Conference with 4.00 points and 3.15 goals per game. He helped lead Mars Hill to the regular season conference title, leading the league's most prolific offense. He has 41 goals on the year, along with 11 assists for a conference-best 52 points.

Obermeyer has netted 33 goals on the year, leading all freshmen and ranking third in the conference. He also has five assists, and ranks sixth in the DSC with 3.17 points per game. Seventeen of his 33 goals came during conference play.

Ward led Florida Southern to a 4-2 conference record, finishing in a three-way tie for second. The Moccasins are 7-6 overall, and handed league champion Mars Hill its only conference loss of the year. FSC is the top seed in the south region, getting a bye in the first round of the 2011 DSC Tournament.

Paradine guided the first-year Lenoir-Rhyne Bears to a four-win season. The Bears notched two conference victories in the 2011 season. Paradine led Lenoir-Rhyne to its first-ever victory on March 2, a 14-11 win over Lees-McRae. The Bears won two of its last three league contests. Lenoir-Rhyne won 13-12 at Rollins, then knocked off Saint Leo 10-8 in the final league game of the 2011 season.

Mars Hill senior Eric Benesch joins Farmer as a first team selection at the attack position. Benesch is sixth in the DSC with 27 goals, while ranking second with 21 assists. He ranks third in the league with 3.69 points per game. Catawba junior attack Braden Artem also earns first team honors. He is second in the league with 34 goals. Artem has also collected 11 assists, ranking second in the conference with 3.75 points per game.

Mars Hill junior T.J. Cowx leads the way as a first team selection in the midfield. He is the league's leader with 26 assists on the season, to go along with 12 goals. Cowx is seventh in the league with 2.92 points per game. Wingate sophomore Derek Watts earns first team honors in the midfield. He ranks third on the Bulldog charts with 22 goals, to go along with eight assists. Lenoir-Rhyne freshman Tyler Kotch rounds out the first team for the midfield. He leads the Bears with 24 goals on the season, adding eight assists for a team-best 32 points.

Mars Hill junior Chris Cudmore, along with Saint Leo senior Mike Del Buono earn first team honors as specialists. Cudmore leads the Lions with 61 ground balls and 38 caused turnovers. He also has five goals and four assists on the year. Del Buono has racked up a team-best 110 ground balls on the season, and has won 182 of 289 face-offs for the Lions. Del Buono also has three goals and an assist on the year.

Mars Hill junior Dalton Jernigan leads the way on the first team defense. He has led a Mars Hill defense that leads the league in goals allowed and turnovers caused. Jernigan has 17 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers on the year. Wingate senior Matt Ramsey joins Jernigan on the first team. He has led a Wingate defense that allowed only 7.83 goals per game during conference play. Ramsey has handed out three assists on the year, while collecting 39 ground balls and forcing 23 turnovers. Saint Leo senior Ryan Askerberg rounds out the first team defense. He led a Saint Leo defense that caused 9.33 turnovers per game during conference play. Askerberg has collected 50 ground balls on the year.

Mars Hill junior Dylan Price is the first team selection at the goalie position. He is allowing only 6.76 goals per game, while leading the league with a .654 save percentage. Price has 159 saves on the year, while allowing only 84 goals in 13 contests, helping the Lions lead the league in goals against average.

Wingate sophomore Colin O'Donoghue leads the way at attack on the second team. He is seventh in the league with 29 goals and third with 22 assists, ranking fourth with 3.64 points per game. Florida Southern junior Mat Thompson also earns second team honors. He ranks fourth in the conference with 28 goals and 10th with 2.54 points per contest. Catawba senior Marty Tuohy is a second team selection, ranking 10th with 23 goals and eighth with 2.92 points per game. Saint Leo sophomore George Proechel rounds out the second team at the attack position. He ranks fifth in the league with 25 goals, seventh with 14 assists and fifth with 3.25 points per game.

Florida Southern freshman Kevin Naslonski leads the way on the second team in the midfield. He ranks third on the FSC charts with 14 goals to go along with two assists and eight ground balls. Catawba junior Fred Turcio also earns second team honors. He has notched 15 goals and six assists on the year, while also collecting 27 ground balls. Wingate junior Bryan Bayliss rounds out the second team midfield. He has 12 goals and seven assists on the year, while collecting 35 ground balls and causing six turnovers.

Florida Southern junior Adam Ismaeil and Catawba senior Casey Chinn are the second team specialists. Ismaeil leads the Moccasins with 55 ground balls on the year, while also notching five goals and three assists. Chinn has won 110 of 207 face-offs for the Indians, while collecting a team-best 68 ground balls.

Catawba sophomore Drew Stoltz leads the second team defense. He is a key part of a Catawba defense that ranks second in the DSC in goals allowed at 8.16. Stoltz has 21 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. Mars Hill senior Mark Burnett is a second team selection. Another key contributor to the league's top defense, Burnett has 33 ground balls and 33 caused turnovers on the season. Rollins sophomore Nick Scannapieco is a second team selection. He leads the Tars with 21 caused turnovers on the year, while also collecting 31 ground balls and a goal on the season. Florida Southern freshman Larry Gress rounds out the second team defense. A key part of the FSC defense that is third in the league in goals allowed, Gress has collected 27 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.

Wingate junior goalie Dan Dlugozima earns second team honors. He is second in the conference with 156 saves, with a save percentage of .567. Dlugozima was at his best in league games, ranking second with a 7.93 goals against average.

2011 All-Deep South Conference
First Team
Attack
Tyler Farmer, Mars Hill, Senior
Eric Benesch, Mars Hill, Senior
Braden Artem, Catawba, Junior

Midfield
T.J. Cowx, Mars Hill, Junior
Derek Watts, Wingate, Sophomore
Tyler Kotch, Lenoir-Rhyne, Freshman

Specialist
Chris Cudmore, Mars Hill, Junior
Mike Del Buono, Saint Leo, Senior

Defense
Dalton Jernigan, Mars Hill, Junior
Matt Ramsey, Wingate, Senior
Ryan Askerberg, Saint Leo, Senior

Goalie
Dylan Price, Mars Hill, Junior

Second Team
Attack
Colin O'Donoghue, Wingate, Sophomore
Mat Thompson, Florida Southern, Junior
Marty Tuohy, Catawba, Senior
George Proechel, Saint Leo, Sophomore

Midfield
Kevin Naslonski, Florida Southern, Freshman
Fred Turcio, Catawba, Junior
Bryan Bayliss, Wingate, Junior

Specialist
Adam Ismaeil, Florida Southern, Junior
Casey Chinn, Catawba, Senior

Defense
Drew Stoltz, Catawba, Sophomore
Mark Burnett, Mars Hill, Senior
Nick Scannapieco, Rollins, Sophomore
Larry Gress, Florida Southern, Freshman

Goalie
Dan Dlugozima, Wingate, Junior
Honorable Mention

Attack
Ike Hopper, Florida Southern, Sophomore
Austin Ricci, Rollins, Junior

Midfield
Cory Losselyong, Catawba, Junior
Jon Freda, Florida Southern, Junior
Eric Schmit, Rollins, Junior

Specialist
Adam Jones, Wingate, Senior

Defense
Stephen O'Hara, Lenoir-Rhyne, Freshman

Goalie
Andrew Almansberger, Florida Southern, Junior

DSC Player of the Year
Tyler Farmer, Mars Hill

DSC Freshman of the Year
Matt Obermeyer, Saint Leo

DSC Coach of the Year
Marty Ward, Florida Southern
Greg Paradine, Lenoir-Rhyne