Jackson, MacDonald Earn GNAC All-Conference Honors

NEWTON, Mass. (4/12/16) – Senior Ryan Jackson (Canton, Ohio) and junior Patrick MacDonald (Floral Park, N.Y.) earned All Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) honors as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. MacDonald was placed on the first team, while Jackson joined the second team.

With an overall record of 16-13, the Lasers finished tied for first in the conference at 12-2, and earned the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament. The standings awarded Lasell with a first round bye before its season came to a close following a 3-1 setback to Rivier University.

MacDonald had a standout season for the Lasers with 316 kills, doubling his 205 total from last year. Defensively, MacDonald hit the floor for 131 digs and 50 blocks in 100 sets played for Lasell. The GNAC recognized MacDonald with player of the week honors in week 7, as he averaged 3.67 kills per set while hitting .419 in a two wins against Albertus and Rivier. MacDonald concluded the year with an averaged 3.16 kills per set, ranking him fourth overall among GNAC stat leaders.

Jackson also appeared in 100 sets for the Lasers, swinging into 254 kills for a combined 601 in his career. Jackson hit 464 career digs with 155 recorded this season, and jumped up for 27 total blocks for 118 total. In a four-year span, Jackson competed in 110 total matches and 361 sets as a crucial outside hitter for the Lasers.

First Team
Jared Gross, Emerson (Sr., L, Wexford, Pa.)
Barrett Wingard, Emmanuel (Sr., OH, York, Pa.)
Patrick MacDonald, Lasell (Jr., RS, Floral Park, N.Y.)
Grant Andler, Rivier (So., OPP, Chicago, Ill.)
Tyler Blank, Rivier (Jr., S, Rochester, N.Y.)
Alex Potts, Wentworth (Jr., MH, Niverville, N.Y.)
Jake Reed, Wentworth (Jr., OH, Arvada, Colo.)

Second Team
Jackson Wiley, Emerson (Sr., OH, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Ryan Jackson, Lasell (Sr., OH, Canton, Ohio) 
Kyle Eva, Johnson & Wales (Sr., MB, Charlestown, R.I.)
Cameron Ponce, Johnson & Wales (Fr., S, San Jose, Calif.)
Sean Mullen, Wentworth (So., OH, Longwood, Fla.)
Jon Roat, Wentworth (So., OPP, Macedon, N.Y.)
Mike Rogachefsky, Wentworth (Jr., L, Rochester, N.Y.)

Third Team
Brendan McGonigle, Emerson (Sr., S, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Kevin Gallegos, Emmanuel (Sr., L, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Brendan Baker, Johnson & Wales (Jr., OPP, Providence, R.I.)
Ryan Kennedy, Johnson & Wales (Sr., OH, West Barnstable, Mass.)
Rakeem Malone, Johnson & Wales (Sr., MB, St. Thomas, USVI)
Matt Heckler, Rivier (So., MH, Simi Valley, Calif.)
Ian Wolski, Rivier (Jr., OH, Westfield, Mass.)

Offensive Player of the Year – Barrett Wingard, Emmanuel
Defensive Player of the Year – Jared Gross, Emerson
Rookie of the Year – Cameron Ponce, Johnson & Wales
Coach of the Year – Craig Kolek, Rivier
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Mount Ida College

All-Sportsmanship Team
Ben Spilka, Albertus Magnus
Ben Hillman, Emerson
Barrett Wingard, Emmanuel
Raheem Malone, Johnson & Wales
Andrew Glenn, Lasell
Nathan Sprengle, Mount Ida
Garrett Bucklin, Rivier
Zach Newhouse, Wentworth