Seven Scots Named All-NCAC for Men's Lax, Led By Hassan

Hisham Hassan, pictured here during a 17-6 win against Whittier College, was Wooster's lone representative on the All-NCAC First Team this year.

Seven College of Wooster men’s lacrosse players were selected All-North Coast Athletic Conference, highlighted by junior attacker Hisham Hassan (Winchester, Mass. / Winchester) earning first-team honors, announced the league office on Monday (May 22).

In addition to Hassan, senior midfielder Nick Cross (Lexington, Mass. / Lexington), freshman midfielder Chris Curran (South Portland, Maine / North Yarmouth Academy), junior defender David Loudenslager (Hudson, Ohio / Hudson), and freshman attack Mark Weschler (Silver Spring, Md. / Our Lady of Good Counsel) picked up second-team all-conference recognition, while sophomore goalie Matt Biester (Wallingford, Pa. / Strath Haven) and senior attack Shawn Handy (Carrboro, N.C. / Chapel Hill) received honorable mention.

Hassan had a breakout season, tying for second in the NCAC in scoring with teammate Weschler, as they both averaged 3.64 points per game. Hassan nearly doubled his career scoring total entering 2006 (27), tallying 51 points in all on 29 goals and a squad-high 22 assists. He played a key role on the Fighting Scots’ extra-man unit, with eight of his goals coming during man-up opportunities. Hassan, who also picked up 35 groundballs, produced seven-point outings (five goals, two assists) in two of the last four games.

Cross, a team tri-captain, is a first-time all-league honoree as well. The four-year letterwinner played an integral role on a Wooster defense that held opponents to 7.07 goals per game, which was nearly a 2.5-goal improvement (2.36) over last year. Statistically, Cross collected 28 groundballs during 2006 and finished his career with 55 games played.

Curran provided the Scots a spark, as he entered all 14 contests and ranked as the squad’s fifth-highest scorer with 20 points. The offensive-minded middie threw in 14 goals and assisted on six others, including a pair of season-high four-point games (two goals, two assists) against Whittier College (April 5) and Oberlin College (April 26). Curran also contributed 10 groundballs.

Loudenslager, who returns to the All-NCAC Team after being a first-team honoree as a freshman, was the anchor of Wooster’s backfield, which limited 10 of its 14 opponents to less than 10 goals and ranks 19th in the latest NCAA Div. III statistics in scoring defense (7.07 gpg). Individually, he gained credit for 16 groundballs and was only penalized three times, and has now started all 39 games of his career.

Weschler exploded on to the scene in his first year, leading the Scots in scoring for most of the season before ending up in a tie with Hassan for second in the NCAC (3.64 points per game). He was Wooster’s No. 1 scoring option as he led the team in shots taken and connected on 34 goals, while also passing out 17 assists for 51 points. Weschler, who added 24 groundballs, posted five games with five or more points, highlighted by a season-high seven (four goals, three assists) against Colorado College April 29.

Biester won the starting goalkeeper position from a three-year starter and went on to register the second-highest save percentage in the conference at .612. He made 137 saves overall, compared to 87 goals allowed, all while accumulating a 7.54 goals against average during 692 minutes of action. Biester recorded a season-high 22 saves while leading the Scots to a 9-8 overtime victory at McDaniel College March 4.

Handy becomes the first in school history to become a four-time all-conference player (second-team as a freshman and first-team as a sophomore and junior) after a third consecutive 40-point season, finishing with a career-high 27 goals as well as 13 assists. He had six hat tricks on the year, highlighted by a seven-point outing (four goals, three assists) against Colorado College. Handy wraps up his career as Wooster’s sixth all-time leading scorer with 164 points on 91 goals and 73 assists over 55 games.

In 2006, the Scots went 8-6, however, their record was nearly significantly better as five of those losses came by a combined eight goals. In fact, Wooster was leading or tied in the fourth quarter of all of them. The Scots placed fourth in the conference with a 2-3 mark.