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Shawn Nadelen at Men's Lacrosse Practice

Men's Lacrosse John Stark

Men’s Lacrosse Well Represented in CAA Honors

RICHMOND, Va. – Ahead of the 2022 CAA Men's Lacrosse Championship weekend, the Colonial Athletic Association has announced its annual award winners. The Towson University men's lacrosse team was well represented in the postseason awards.

Head coach Shawn Nadelen was named CAA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, adding to his 2016 honor. Four Tigers, James Avanzato, Koby Smith, Colby Barsz, and Shane Brennan, were named First Team All-CAA. Kyle Berkeley and Matt Constantinides were named Second Team All-CAA, while the latter was also named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. Chop Gallagher joined Constantinides on the All-Rookie team.

Nadelen guided the Tigers to a share of the 2022 CAA regular season championship and earning the number two seed in the upcoming championship event. Towson was initially estimated to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Entering the CAA Tournament, the Tigers hold a 6-8 overall record as they went 3-2 in the CAA. Towson battled through one of the toughest schedules in the country, with opponent records combining to 112-84 (.571) with a 48-31 record (.608) in their respective conferences.

Avanzato is one of the top scorers in the conference, ranking third in the league in points per game (3.71). The senior has eight hat tricks in his career, including six this season. Avanzato carries a balanced point total, scoring 29 goals alongside 23 assists, while shooting at a 32.2 percent clip. Avanzato has eight man-up goals to his credit, ranking in the top five in the country in individual man-up goals.

One of the top defenseman in the country, Smith has caused 14 turnovers this season, tied for the team lead. The Lutherville, Maryland has 18 ground balls to his credit. A threat in transition, Smith has racked six points on four goals and two assists this year. Playing with aggressive control, Smith has been hit for just five and a half minutes of penalties this season.

A long stick midfielder with the ability to play down low, Colby Barsz has played in all 14 games, including two starts at close defense. The Matthews, North Carolina product has caused 11 turnovers this season, while snagging 25 ground balls as an aide on the faceoff wing. Barsz has served just four penalties this year.

A stalwart in goal, Brennan has played 662 minutes of lacrosse this season while overcoming an upper body injury. The sixth-year senior has made 143 saves this year, doing so at a 52.6 percent clip. Brennan has allowed just 129 goals this year. In league play, Brennan stopped 72 attempts with a 56.7 save percentage in his 300 minutes of play. Brennan made no fewer than 11 saves in CAA games in 2022, turning aside 16 opponent shots in three of the five games.

One of the top head-on dodgers in the conference, Berkeley ranks second on the team with 38 points and leads the team's midfielders. The Dunkirk, Maryland has a near-balanced 21 goals and 17 assists, scoring on 28.4 percent of his total shots. In his first season with the program, Berkeley posted eight games with at least three points, including four hat tricks, two of which came in league play.

Emerging as one of the top faceoff prospects at the X, Constantinides flourished in CAA action, winning 76 of his 131 draws in league games, a 58.0 percent winning rate which ranks second in the CAA. Grabbing 74 total ground balls this season, the New Fairfield, Connecticut native nabbed 46 grounders in CAA games this year, averaging 9.20 per league contest.

Bouncing back from a medical redshirt last season due to an upper body injury, Gallagher sprang into action during CAA play. Scoring six times with four assists for the entire season, Gallagher scored four times in CAA games with one assist. The redshirt freshman managed a 44.4 scoring percentage, cashing in on half his shots on goal. Gallagher was tied for fifth on the team in CAA points this season while playing one both the first and second midfield lines.

Other major award winners include CAA Offensive Player of the Year Jack Mulcahy (Drexel), CAA Defensive Player of the Year Owen Grant (Delaware), and CAA Rookie of the Year Jack McKenna (Fairfield).
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Players Mentioned

James Avanzato

#53 James Avanzato

A/M
5' 10"
Junior
Shane Brennan

#1 Shane Brennan

GK
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
Koby Smith

#26 Koby Smith

D
6' 0"
Senior
Colby Barsz

#23 Colby Barsz

D
6' 4"
Freshman
Chop Gallagher

#13 Chop Gallagher

A
6' 3"
Freshman
Kyle Berkeley

#8 Kyle Berkeley

M
6' 4"
Junior
Matt Constantinides

#51 Matt Constantinides

M/FO
5' 10"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

James Avanzato

#53 James Avanzato

5' 10"
Junior
A/M
Shane Brennan

#1 Shane Brennan

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
GK
Koby Smith

#26 Koby Smith

6' 0"
Senior
D
Colby Barsz

#23 Colby Barsz

6' 4"
Freshman
D
Chop Gallagher

#13 Chop Gallagher

6' 3"
Freshman
A
Kyle Berkeley

#8 Kyle Berkeley

6' 4"
Junior
M
Matt Constantinides

#51 Matt Constantinides

5' 10"
Freshman
M/FO