BRUNSWICK, Maine – Bowdoin senior Will Byrne (Darien, Conn.) has been named )9the New England Small College Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year in awards announced by the league this week.
 
Byrne led a school-record eight Polar Bears in All-Conference honors as he was joined as a First Team selection by attackman Jason Lach (Washington, D.C.), midfielder Oliver Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.), defenseman Jed Hoggard (Acton, Mass.), faceoff specialist Ethan Barnard (Boxford, Mass.), and short stick midfielder Zack Goorno (Concord, Mass.). Additionally, defenseman Nate Ryan (San Diego, Calif.) and goaltender Robert Hobbs (Wayne, Pa.) were Second Team All-NESCAC choices.
 
Byrne is one of the most prolific scorers in program history, and earned his third All-NESCAC selection after leading the conference in points (92), and assists (51) this season to go with 41 goals. In just three seasons, he trails only Bowdoin Athletic Hall of Honoree Tom Ryan '93 (315) in career points (276) and his 51 assists this season are one shy of the school's single-season mark set by Jake Odden in 1990. He is the third Polar Bear to earn NESCAC Player of the Year recognition, joining Connor Fitzgerald (2006) and Donal Mullane (2022).
 
Jason Lach is enjoying another fantastic season and is on-pace to set a career high in points after a 49-goal, 10-assist campaign. Oliver Bernstein had an excellent season in the midfielder, posting 26 goals with 18 assists while also earning 13 ground balls. Zack Goorno earned third straight First Team selection as the most dominant short stick midfielder in the conference, gathering 56 ground balls, causing ten turnovers while also scoring six goals with nine assists. Ethan Barnard was the top faceoff specialist in the conference this season, winning over 60% of his draws (167-275) and racking up a team-high 92 ground balls.
 
Jed Hoggard and Nate Ryan spearheaded the Bowdoin defense with Hoggard taking in 31 ground balls and forcing eight turnovers to earn First Team honors. Ryan led the Polar Bears with 22 caused turnovers and had 25 ground balls to net Second Team recognition. Goaltender Robert Hobbs also earned Second Team honors after an outstanding year between the pipes, posting a .566 save percentage with a 10.09 GAA and 193 saves.
 
The Polar Bears (11-4) will play Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinals Saturday afternoon.