All-NESCAC Honors for Hawley, Gerbush, Morrissey, Vrla & McCormack

2008 All-NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Team

Four members of the Williams men's lacrosse team (10-5) that captured the 2008 NESCAC title have been named All-NESCAC and head coach George McCormack has been named the Coach of the Year.

Senior attack Michael Vrla (Paradise Valley, AZ) has been named to the First Team for the second year in a row. An early season injury limited Vrla to just 10 games, but the speedy attack has notched 16 goals and assisted on nine more for 25 points.

Joining Vrla on the first team are first year attack David Hawley (New Canaan, CT) and junior long stick midfielder Brian Morrissey (Winchester, MA).

Hawley leads the Ephs in goals scored this season with 39 and he leads all first year players in NESCAC as well. He has assisted on six goals for a total of 45 points. Along with his First Team honors, Hawley was also recognized as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year.

Morrissey tallied three goals on the year and two of them were game-winners. He assisted on the game-winning goal in OT in the regular season finale to lift the Ephs over Bowdoin and into the NESCAC Tournament as the sixth seed. Last season Morrissey was a Second Team selection.

Junior goalie Michael Gerbush was named to the Second Team. Gerbush has twice been named NESCAC Player of the week this season and he was outstanding in the NESCAC Tournament. He stopped 16 Middlebury shots in the semifinals and 13 Bowdoin shots in the final. On the year Gerbush has a 7.1 goals against average, second in NESCAC in saves per game (12.60) and he sports a save percentage of .634.

Fifth year head coach George McCormack notched his first NESCAC Coach of the Year award after leading his Ephs back from a 1-4 start in NESCAC play to six consecutive wins over NESCAC teams and the NESCAC title. 

McCormack's Ephs have recorded several first this season – advancing to the NESCAC finals, winning the NESCAC title, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and achieving a national ranking of 14. The Ephs led NESCAC in penalty killing allowing just four goals in 25 opportunities (.840) and they are last in turnovers per game (6.70).

The Ephs have won their last six games (two in OT), all over nationally ranked opponents.

On Saturday McCormack's Ephs will play at Ithaca College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. McCormack is a 1987 graduate of Ithaca and he lettered in both football and lacrosse for the Bombers.