Eight Lions Earn All-DSC Honors

Wingate, N.C.-- Mars Hill senior attack T.J. Cowx has been named the 2012 Deep South Conference Player of the Year, league officials announced Tuesday morning. Mars Hill's Taylor Thilo has been named the DSC Freshman of the Year. Tampa's Rory Whipple has been named the league's Coach of the Year.

Cowx led the DSC with 40 goals in 2012, while ranking fifth in the league with 19 assists. He led the Lions to a 7-1 mark in league play, helping Mars Hill earn a share of the regular season title. Cowx led the conference with 59 points and an average of 4.54 points per game. He had 23 goals and 13 assists in conference games, notching a league-best 36 points in DSC action.

Thilo piled up 30 goals and 23 assists in his freshman season to help lead the Lions to a share of the regular season title. He finished the regular season ranked second in the DSC with 54 points, while also finishing second in assists and sixth in goals. Thilo also earned Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Whipple guided the Spartans to an impressive 11-4 record in the program's first season. Tampa went 7-1 in the DSC, sharing the regular season conference title. Whipple guided the Spartans to victories in the first three games in the program's history, which included two conference wins and two road victories.

Mars Hill led the way with eight all-conference players, including a league-best four first-team selections. Cowx is joined by senior midfield Cade Zulak, senior long stick midfield Chris Cudmore and senior goalie Dylan Price. Zulak finished with 12 goals and 15 assists on the season, ranking seventh in the league in assists. Cudmore anchored a defense that finished third in goals allowed. He caused a team-best 35 turnovers, while piling up 77 ground balls on the year. Price led the conference with a .630 save percentage, while ranking second in the DSC, allowing 6.96 goals per game.

Mars Hill led the way on the second team with four players. Junior midfield Dan Applebaum earned second team honors, along with sophomore defender David Beaumont and senior defender Dalton Jernigan. Junior defender Ryan Herrmann earned second team specialist honors. Applebaum finished third on the team with 17 goals. Beaumont, Jernigan and Herrmann helped lead a defense that allowed just 7.0 goals per game, combining for 135 ground balls and 49 caused turnovers. Herrmann won 123 of 205 face-offs on the year.

Florida Southern was second with six total selections, including three first team honorees. Senior midfielder John Freda and sophomore defender D.J. Lubs earned fist team honors, while senior Adam Ismaeil earned first team specialist honors. Freda had 14 goals and 22 assists on the season, ranking fourth in the league in assists. Lubs helped anchor a defense that allowed just 7.91 goals per game. He finished second on the team with 19 caused turnovers, while adding 26 ground balls. Ismaeil had three goals and three assists on the year, adding 47 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.

Catawba had four players earn all-conference accolades, including three first team selections. Senior attack Braden Artem earned first team honors, along with junior midfielder Tom Cullop and junior defender Drew Stoltz. Artem finished second in the DSC with 54 points. He ranked fourth in the league with 35 goals, while finishing fifth in the conference with 19 assists. Cullop ranked third on Catawba's team with 35 points, notching 21 goals and 14 assists on the season. Stoltz anchored a Catawba defense that allowed 9.15 goals per game on the year. He collected 25 ground balls on the year, causing six turnovers.

Tampa had four players earn All-DSC honors, with two first team selections and two second team honorees. Junior midfield Greg Griffo, along with junior defender Wayne Magee earned first team honors. Griffo led the Spartans with 13 goals and 16 assists on the year. Magee led the league's top-ranked defense, helping the Spartans hold opponents to just 6.93 goals per game. He had 18 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers on the year.

Saint Leo had three all-conference selections, including one first-team selection. Sophomore attack Matt Obermeyer earned first team honors. He netted 37 goals on the year, leading the league with 3.08 goals per game. Obermeyer finished fourth in the conference with 41 points.

Wingate senior midfielder Bryan Bayliss earned first team all-conference honors. He had 18 goals and six assists on the season, while collecting 43 ground balls and causing 12 turnovers.

Florida Southern senior attack Mat Thompson earned second team honors, along with FSC sophomore midfielder Kevin Naslonski and sophomore defender Larry Gress. Thompson led the Moccasins and ranked sixth in the DSC with 30 goals. Naslonski had 12 goals and four assists on the year for the Moccasins, while Gress was another important member of the league's second ranked defense.

Tampa junior goalie Joseph Fiorucci earned second team honors, while graduate student Greg Khanzadian earned second team specialist honors. Fiorucci led the conference, allowing just 6.92 goals per contest. He finished third with a .583 save percentage. Khanzadian won 104 of 174 face-offs on the year, while also piling up 63 ground balls for the Spartans.

Saint Leo junior attack George Proechel earned second team All-DSC honors, along with junior midfielder Ray Ferrera. Proechel finished fourth in the conference with 51 points, ranking third in the league with 36 goals and seventh with 15 assists. Ferrera netted 14 goals for the Lions, adding three assists and 13 ground balls.

Rollins senior long stick midfield Andrew Vossler earned second team honors, while graduate student Peter Harvey earned second team all-conference honors as a specialist. Vossler was the anchor of the Rollins defense, causing 10 turnovers while collecting 33 ground balls. Harvey won 144 of 232 face-offs on the season, leading the league with 7.25 ground balls per game. He also had four goals and six assists for the Tars.

Catawba junior midfielder Cory Losselyong earned second team honors. He notched 15 goals and nine assists on the year, adding 15 ground balls.

Wingate junior attack Derek Watts earned second team honors. He led the Bulldogs and ranked fifth in the DSC with 47 points, while finishing second in the conference with 24 assists.

2012 All-Deep South Conference Team

First Team
Attack:
T.J. Cowx Sr. Mars Hill College
Braden Artem Sr. Catawba College
Matt Obermeyer So. Saint Leo University
Midfield:
Tom Cullop Jr. Catawba College
Cade Zulak Sr. Mars Hill College
Jon Freda Sr. Florida Southern College
Greg Griffo Jr. University of Tampa
Bryan Bayliss Sr. Wingate University
Long Stick Midfield:
Chris Cudmore Sr. Mars Hill College
Specialist:
Adam Ismaeil Sr. Florida Southern College
Defense:
Drew Stoltz Jr. Catawba College
Wayne Magee Jr. University of Tampa
D.J. Lubs So. Florida Southern College
Goalie:
Dylan Price Sr. Mars Hill College

Second Team
Attack:
George Proechel Jr. Saint Leo University
Derek Watts Jr. Wingate University
Mat Thompson Sr. Florida Southern College
Midfield:
Ray Ferrera Jr. Saint Leo University
Kevin Naslonski So. Florida Southern College
Dan Applebaum Jr. Mars Hill College
Cory Losselyong Jr. Catawba College
Long Stick Midfield:
Andrew Vossler Sr. Rollins College
Specialist:
Ryan Herrmann Jr. Mars Hill College
Peter Harvey Gr. Rollins College
Greg Khanzadian Gr. University of Tampa
Defense:
David Beaumont So. Mars Hill College
Larry Gress So. Florida Southern College
Dalton Jernigan Sr. Mars Hill College
Goalie:
Joseph Fiorucci Jr. University of Tampa

Honorable Mention
Attack:
Taylor Thilo Fr. Mars Hill College
Dave Lee Sr. Wingate University
Midfield:
Andrew Conley Fr. Florida Institute of Technology
M.J. Lorenzo Fr. University of Tampa
Fred Turcio Sr. Catawba College
Long Stick Midfield:
Jasper Gantick Jr. University of Tampa
Specialist:
Dan Krispinsky So. Florida Southern College
Defense:
Adam Dickson Jr. University of Tampa
Nick Scannapieco Jr. Rollins College
Goalie:
Mike Pecchia Sr. Catawba College

Player of the Year
T.J. Cowx Sr. Mars Hill College
Freshman of the Year
Taylor Thilo Fr. Mars Hill College
Coach of the Year
Rory Whipple University of Tampa