Thursday, May 8, 2003
Written by Michael Douglas

GRIFFIN NAMED MEN'S LACROSSE NESCAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Three Jumbos in all named to All-NESCAC Men's and Women's Lacrosse teams

MEDFORD - The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its selections to the All-Conference lacrosse teams for the Spring 2003 season on Thursday. Three members of the Tufts University teams were named, highlighted by sophomore attack Bryan Griffin's (West Islip, NY/West Islip) selection as the NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year.

Griffin was also one of three attack players named to the All-NESCAC First Team. Classmate David Taylor (Burke, VA/Landon) was named to the Second Team, while senior co-captain Kathy Kenney (Needham, MA/Needham) of the Women's squad was named to that All-NESCAC Second Team.

Griffin led all NESCAC scorers with 64 points on 41 goals and 23 assists, including 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in nine conference games. His 64 points tied the school's 26-year-old record for points in a season, set by Dan German in 1977. He surpassed 100 career points during the year and has 71 goals and 37 assists for 108 points in 31 games with the Jumbos overall. . He was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year last season, after leading the Jumbos with 44 points on 30 goals and 14 assists, including 27 points (19 goals, 8 assists) in conference play.

Griffin was named the NESCAC Player of the Week on April 28 after scoring 10 goals and eight assists in four games including regular-season victories over Wesleyan (11-7) and Williams (7-6) and Tufts' first-round conference tournament victory over Bowdoin (14-13). He scored the game-winner against Bowdoin while falling to his knees with only 40 seconds remaining in the contest. Tufts advanced to its first NESCAC final by defeating Wesleyan in the semi-finals behind four goals and one assist from Griffin.

"I really think he's the hardest player in the league, and beyond that he's the leading scorer," Head Coach Mike Daly said. "He broke his thumb in the conference semi-final against Wesleyan and still scored four goals and one assist in the game. Then he scored two goals in the final. He's just a tough, hard-working kid, so I'm happy that was recognized."

Taylor came onto the Tufts lacrosse scene this season as a transfer who hadn't played since 2000. A top national recruit coming out of Bethesda, Maryland's Landon School in 1999, Taylor played a year for the nationally ranked Division I program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He then spent a year studying abroad in China before transferring to Tufts this year.

After working off the rust from not playing competitively in three years, he was the squad's second-leading scorer with 50 points on 28 goals and 22 assists, including 24 points on 16 goals and eight assists in conference play. Taylor was ninth in the conference in points per game (3.13) and fifth in assists per game (1.38). He led the Jumbos with three goals and added two assists in their first-round victory over Bowdoin. He also scored a season-high four goals in Tufts' 15-13 loss at Amherst on April 16.

Kenney was selected to the All-NESCAC team for the third straight season. Recognized for her play on defense the previous two years, she moved to midfielder this spring and didn't miss a beat. The team's MVP in ‘03, she scored three goals and three assists, all in NESCAC games. The strength of her game has always been defense. The team finished fifth in the NESCAC with an average of 9.08 goals allowed per game this year. She compiled 12 caused turnovers and 19 ground balls, while adding 10 draw controls. A four-year starter, she scored 25 points on 16 goals and 9 assists in 50 career games.

The Men's squad (12-5 overall, 6-3 NESCAC) made huge strides this season, finishing with a school-record 12 wins and advancing to the NESCAC Championship game for the first time in school history before losing to two-time defending champion Middlebury, 15-10. On the Women's side, Head Coach Carol Rappoli's team finished with a 6-6 record (2-6 NESCAC) to continue the program's streak of never having a losing season in its 28 years.

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