Brown Lacrosse Names 2010 Team Captains/Announces 2009 Team Awards
Brown men’s lacrosse coach Lars Tiffany has named seniors
Thomas Muldoon (Oakton, VA), Charlie Kenney (Jamaica Plain, MA),
Jake Westermann (Setauket, NY) and Reade Seligman (Essex Falls, NJ)
team captains for the 2010 season. In addition, the team awards for
the Bears’ 2009 NCAA Playoff team were presented at the
team’s annual banquet.
"If leadership can be defined by words such as honesty, fearless,
and love, then Brown Lacrosse has found the right four men to lead
us in 2010,” said Tiffany. “These men have unequalled
commitment to every man who wears the Brown Lacrosse uniform.
Competition has proven the captains' valor and talent. They will
lead a team of leaders, ensuring Brown Lacrosse completes its
mission of developing and molding the entire man and clarifying and
expanding his vision of the future."
An All-American and First Team All-Ivy and All-New England
attackman, Muldoon is among the top scorers in Brown lacrosse
history, and pound for pound, is considered one of the toughest
lacrosse players in the country. He’s racked-up 113 career
points for the Bears, while his 89 career goals are 12th best in
the Brown record book. Muldoon, who netted four goals in
Brown’s NCAA Playoff game against Johns Hopkins, is one of
the most lethal scorers in the Ivy League. In 2009, he netted 36
goals for the Bears, while handing out 11 assists.
Kenney netted two goals and added an assist for the Bears in 2009.
He played a key role in Brown’s face-off efforts for the
season, earning a starting role down the stretch and capturing 35
face-offs. Kenney won 11 face-offs in Brown’s NCAA Playoff
game against Johns Hopkins. He also captured 21 ground balls for
the Bears.
Westermann, who played in all 16 games a year ago, is considered
the communications director of the Bears’ defense. He picked
up three ground balls in Brown’s key Ivy victory over NCAA
finalist Cornell. Often called, Mr. Brown, for his love of the
university, Westerman is clearly looked upon as a team leader.
Seligman, Brown’s most improved player in 2009, was
Brown’s fourth leading scorer with 33 points, netting 12
goals and handing out 21 assists, the most among midfielders. He
scored the go-ahead goal against Cornell in the fourth quarter and
added two assists against the Big Red. Seligman scored a season
high three goals against UMass, and distributed four assists
against Bryant.
Team
Awards:
Most Valuable Offensive Player
Two Brown players share the Most Valuable Offensive Player award.
Points alone can define the winners, as these two were our scoring
leaders in 2009 with 58 and 48 points. But their impact to the team
goes well beyond their firepower. Each brings an intensity to the
field, with every practice and game. Both love to ride, contesting
the opposing team’s clear and relishing in the moments of
loose balls and transition lacrosse. One of the men, Andrew
Feinberg, has exploded onto the Ivy League and National scene in
his first two years at Brown. He has made a huge impact on the
offensive end of the field, leading the team in 2009 with 42 goals,
placing him in the Top 10 for the nation. Andrew had a hat-trick or
better in 11 games. Our other MVP, Kyle Hollingsworth, led the 2009
team with 27 assists. And while Kyle has accumulated a great number
of goals and assists in his career (111 points), the legend that
will follow him is his fearless heroics in late game and big game
situations. In his three years as a starter at Brown, he never
backed down from a challenge: each year he made big plays and led
us offensively against Cornell. He scored the game-winning goal
versus Yale with 11 seconds left in the Ivy League Championship
year of 2008. And there he was again, this year on Homewood,
finding a way to tie the NCAA Playoff game against Johns Hopkins
with 8 seconds left in regulation. The 2009 Most Valuable Offensive
Players: COE concentrators Andrew Feinberg ‘11 and captain
Kyle Hollingsworth ‘09.
Vincent Marinelli Award
The Vincent Marinelli Award is an annual freshman award,
distributed to the “pup,” who best exemplifies the
competitive spirit and commitment to the quality of life that
Vinnie himself demonstrated as a freshman at Brown in 1987. This
year’s winner made an array of impressions on the entire
program in his first year. Rarely bashful to speak his mind or add
some outlandish claim about the Red Sox or Patriots, he
demonstrated a comfort and undeniable personality right away.
Tough, hard-nosed, and fearless on the field, this former attackman
plays like a middle linebacker, which he was in high school. Thus,
he became a defensive player as a freshman. And he was doing double
the workouts some days, racing back and forth from ROTC sessions at
Providence College. Who does all this? By the Spring, he was a
heavily relied upon defensive midfielder who gave us a weapon in
transition. He has a nose for the ball, and more importantly a will
and drive to grind and make the difficult plays. He finished 4th on
the team with 35 ground balls and he scored 5 goals as a D-Mid,
including 2 in our 9-8 win over UMass, the back-breaker versus
Cornell, and another in the NCAA Tournament. The 2009 Vincent
Marinelli Award: Rob Schlesinger ‘12.
The Alumni Award
Presented annually to the lacrosse player who through
sportsmanship, performance and influence contributed the most to
the sport at Brown, our winner this year was a model of
consistency. Rarely phased by anything, he led by example on the
field. While many offensive players can fall into streaks, he
became a dependable threat – always there for us to provide
an aggressive dodge from the midfield, great vision, and a nasty
low to high rip regardless of having the long stick midfielder
covering him. And few will forget his patented sprints from offense
to defense, blasting past opponents who thought they had a fast
break. No one worked harder in the summers to position himself to
be the most fit and physically prepared man in the program. He did
this while sacrificing lucrative summer jobs or career-starting
internships. The commitment to his game and to Brown Lacrosse is
clearly evident as he worked his way up the playing time ladder,
culminating with his All-Ivy and Academic All-American honors while
compiling 18 goals and 14 assists his senior year. The 2009 Alumni
Award winner: history concentrator is Brady Williams ‘09.
The Dom Starsia Coaches Award
The recently named Dom Starsia coaches’ award is given by the
coaching staff to the player who best represents the spirit of
Brown lacrosse year in and year out. Thinking of the description
“spirit of Brown lacrosse” brings to mind several great
men of this program, but there is one who best characterizes the
true traits of Brown Lacrosse. What are these “True
Traits?” -- the joy of fierce competition, the endless
pursuit of physical and technical greatness, and a love of life.
This year’s winner is the face and smile of Brown Lacrosse.
His infectious devotion, commitment and loyalty to Brown University
and our Lacrosse program are the greatest. While his outstanding
play does come close to matching his over-the-top spirit and
enthusiasm (he was our 6th leading goal scorer in 2009 and 3rd for
ground balls), it is the energy and vibe he brought to each
practice, each game, each lift… always…. that made
him our spiritual and emotional leader. He returned to campus each
spring physically fit and prepared. Few pumped up his teammates
more: he understood that one of his roles as a captain was to put
personal goals secondary to the team’s goals. Few on our team
played with his intellect and creativity. He was our leader, and he
did things the right way, and all with that smile. The 2009Dom
Starsia Coaches’ Award recipient: Urban Studies graduate Jack
Walsh ‘09.
Most Valuable Defensive Player
The 2009 Defensive MVP is an unknown no longer. The man earned a
starting position half way through his freshman year and has never
looked back. He is now the most relied upon defenseman in the
clearing game, so much so that the clear is named for him in
multiple ways: “Flow” a.k.a. “Bro Bible”.
With his uncanny knack for running shots out, we were able to steal
many possessions from the opposing offenses. No one picked up more
ground balls than he did in 2009, with 59 ending up in his stick.
On top of this, he was assigned to defend some of best scoring
attackmen in the country. Through it all, others have started to
notice and the honors poured in this year: 1st Team All – Ivy
and New England, in addition to All-American honors. The 2009 Most
Valuable defensive Player: Art History aficionado and US History
concentrator Peter Fallon ‘11.
Jim Tepper Award
Established in 1991, this award is given in honor of Jimmy Tepper
to the most improved player of the program… aka - to the guy
who turned it around the most after a sluggish start to his Brown
career. While this year’s recipient did in fact have a
disappointing 2008 season due to injuries, he did make a major
statement in 2009, as he became an established offensive threat at
midfield and man-up. It all started upon his return to Brown in the
Fall of 2008, when he blew his teammates and coaching staff away,
by showing up in tremendous shape. He wanted to make an impact now
and he committed himself to making Brown Lacrosse better. 25 pounds
were gone, and a new man was born. No longer was he satisfied with
needing a lot of room and time to make plays – he was ready
to combine a run-you-over mentality with pinpoint feeds while
dodging full speed. Whereas he grew smaller physically, he grew
leaps and bounds as a player. Brown was the beneficiary of this
change, as he scored game changing goals versus UMass, gave us the
lead for good late in the 4th quarter against Cornell, and
registered 21 assists – the most by a Brown midfielder in
years. The 2009 Jimmy Tepper Most Improved Player: history
concentrator Reade Seligmann ‘10.
The Richard Q. Whelan Jr. Unsung Hero
Award
Re-named in 2005, the award is given in memory to the Brown
lacrosse player who best exemplifies Ricky’s unselfish play,
dedication to the program and overall commitment to excellence.
This year’s winner is a defenseman who definitively matches
such qualities. He has lived the story of end-of-the-bench guy to
starter, truly earning everything as he moved up the ladder on the
defense depth chart. His story is one that inspires others to do
the same, and is a testament to our program itself. Commitment to
weight loss and increased strength and athleticism paid off for him
and for Brown Lacrosse. In his senior year, he became our #1 cover
man, guarding such heralded attackmen as Rob Pannell and Ari
Sussman. And the dive he made at Harvard to win a ground ball,
while cutting up his shin, will never be forgotten. With tremendous
vision when it comes to political issues, this man has had a
crystal clear focus on his development and our program. The 2009
Ricky Whelan Unsung Hero Award: political science concentrator Ryan
Cassil '09.
The Cliff Stevenson Award
Presented annually to the most valuable player of the Brown
Lacrosse team in honor of long-time Brown lacrosse and soccer coach
Cliff Stevenson, this year’s choice was not an easy one. It
was so tough, that the coaching staff decided that we needed two
winners. During the 2009 season, there was a great deal of
leadership provided by many men, from both starters and reserves.
Two specific men were not only great leaders, but their superb play
spearheaded the season that found us earn our first NCAA Tournament
appearance in 12 years. First, the goalie. Serving as the backbone
of the defense and team, he amazed us all by consistently competing
at the highest of levels. Outstanding performances against UMass,
Yale, Harvard and Cornell led us to victories. The first ever
lacrosse winner of the Brown Athletic Department’s Fritz
Pollard Award and a 2nd Team All-American in 2008, accolades
continued to pour in this year, repeating as first team All-Ivy and
All-New England honors, Ivy League Player of the Year, and this
time earning 1st Team All-American recognition – our first
First Team All-American since David Evans and Greg Cattrano in the
mid 90’s. He was also named the USILA Goalie of the Year,
earning the C. Markland Kelly Junior award. Next, the attackman.
Readily known for his hard charging and shoot first mentality, his
teammates know him better as a relentless rider who will follow up
a slash with a bone-crunching cross-check. No practice is safe with
him there, and just his presence alone ensures everyone else is
alert and ready to play. Five times he scored four goals in a game
in 2009, including the NCAA Tournament game at John Hopkins. He now
has 89 career goals and 116 points overall. Again, he has been
named 1st team All-Ivy and New England. But new this year is the
recognition as an All-American. 2009 Cliff Stevenson Award Winners:
COE concentrator Jordan Burke '09 and Religious Studies
concentrator Thomas Muldoon '10.
