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Men's Lacrosse Awards Announced for 2001 Season
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Sept. 24, 2001
Charlottesville, Va. – David Jenkins, the lone senior captain of the 2001 edition of the University of Virginia men’s lacrosse team, and 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year Tillman Johnson shared the Dr. Allen Voshell Award as team’s most valuable players for the 2001 season as head coach Dom Starsia announced the team’s award winners today.
As the team’s primary face-off specialist, Jenkins claimed 57.9 percent of his draws during the spring and finished 16th in the nation. He also led the ACC for the second year in a row with 106 ground balls. One of the top face-off men in school history, Jenkins finished his career second in school history with 426 face-off wins.
Johnson became the first goalie in ACC history to garner the league’s top rookie award. As one of the top freshmen in the nation, the Annapolis, Md., native lived up to his billing with an excellent freshman campaign. An honorable mention All-American, he started all 14 games in the cage and allowed an average of 8.34 goals per game.
Jenkins also received the Harry Gaver Award for leadership for the second year in a row. Playing as a defensive middie, in addition to his role as the team’s face-off leader, Jenkins scored four goals and added two assists last spring.
Senior attackman Conor Gill and junior Chris Rotelli were named co-recipients of the team’s offensive MVP award. Gill, a two-time first-team All-America, led the ACC in scoring (3.77 ppg) and assists (2.62 apg), and finished second nationally in assists. Rotelli, who alternated between midfield and attack throughout the season, was named an honorable mention All-American after scoring a team-high 28 goals.
Senior defenseman Mark Koontz and Johnson anchored a defense that allowed an average of 8.29 goals per game and shared the team’s defensive MVP Award. Koontz, a first-team All-American in ’01, snapped up 67 ground balls to lead all ACC long sticks for the second year in row. Johnson finished with 152 saves and posted a save percentage of 57.1 percent-the top mark by a Cavalier netminder since 1991.
Midfielder James Kenny received the Tom Rixey Award for spirit and inspiration. One of the most popular players on the team, Kenny constantly strived to do whatever it took to make himself and his teammates better. He graduated in May with a degree in history.
Senior midfielder/attack Eric Leibowitz won the Lawrie Riggs Award for committment and citizenship. A hard worker on and off the field, he scored two goals last spring in his role as one of the team’s top offensive reserves.
Sophomore defenseman Kevin McGrath was awarded the Doyle Smith Award for compiling the highest GPA (3.63) on the team. A civil engineering major, he was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll last season.
Attack/midfielder Jamison Mullen was named the team’s most improved player. Mullen used his senior experience to be a steadying presence on a relatively young offensive group. He finished the season with nine goals and seven assists, both career high figures.
The “Class of ’99 Unsung Hero Award” was presented to defenseman John Harvey and middie Evan Mancini. The duo who received their degrees last May proved to be valuable contributors in reserve roles.
“We are very proud to announce the recipients of our 2001 Team Awards. This was a young team that worked hard to earn its way back to the NCAA playoffs,” said Starsia. “Beating Johns Hopkins and Maryland were two of the special moments in an exciting spring.”