May 7, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team recently had its annual team picnic and the team handed out six post-season awards at the event. Senior Charley Henneghan (Beverly Hills, Mich.) and sophomore Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) each won two awards.
The Nick Thiel Award for the most improved player went to freshman goalie Dave Baker (Havertown, Pa.). Baker stepped in and earned the goalie spot outright early in the year and ended the campaign with an 11.56 goals against average, 116 saves and a .481 percentage.
The Andrew Lockhart Award for the top defensive player went to junior close defender Matt Bernier (Drexel Hill, Pa.). Bernier started all season long for Penn State and ended the year with 23 ground balls and scored a goal as well.
Henneghan won the George Pittenger Award for most valuable senior and the ground ball award. Henneghan was among the nation's best in face-off percentage with a .600 mark, winning 90 of 150. He also led the team with 47 ground balls and had one assist.
Mackrides won the Friends of Penn State Lacrosse Top Scorer Award and the Friends of Penn State Lacrosse Team MVP honor. Mackrides, a sophomore, led Penn State with 44 points off 36 goals and eight assists. He was among the CAA's leaders in both goals and points as well. Mackrides had 43 ground balls and a .605 shot-on-goal percentage.