Season Review: 2018 Michigan Men's Lacrosse

• Team Captains: PJ Bogle, Parker McKee, Brent Noseworthy, Chase Young
• Record: 8-6 overall, (1-4 Big Ten, 6th Place)

The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team took a significant leap towards national prominence under first-year head coach Kevin Conry, defeating a pair of ranked opponents in No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 14 Penn State, and earning the first All-America selections in program history en route to an 8-6 season.

Team Highlights

• Michigan shot out to a 7-2 record in non-conference play and ended the season with an 8-6 overall record in Conry's first season in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines set new high-water marks for highest rankings in both national polls, checking in as high as No. 15 in the Maverik media poll and 17th in the USILA poll. Wins over ranked opponents on the road vs. No. 4 Notre Dame on March 21 and No. 14 Penn State in overtime finished out the season on a high note.

• Junior Brent Noseworthy and senior Chase Young earned All-America honors, the first in program history. Noseworthy was named to the third team by Inside Lacrosse and honorable mention by the USILA, while Young earned honorable mention honors from Inside Lacrosse.

• The U-M offense excelled as a whole, setting school standards for points per game (15.42), goals per game (10.14) and assists (74).

• Michigan had a program-best 5-2 home record on the campaign, winning the first five home contests of the season at brand new U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The complex also played host to the Big Ten Tournament.

• U-M was 7-0 against teams outside of the top-20 in the RPI. Four NCAA tournament teams dotted the schedule in No. 1 Maryland, No. 3 Johns Hopkins, No. 4 Notre Dame and eventual NCAA Champion, Yale.

Individual Highlights

• Noseworthy, also Michigan's first All-Big Ten honoree, set the program's single-season record for points (48) and goals (41), while also leading the team in shots (102) and man-up goals (four). He finished the regular season leading the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally in goals per game (2.93), and ranked fourth in the league in points per game (3.43). His .410 shooting percentage checked in at No. 4 in the conference, while his man-up scores were third in the league.

• The Burlington, Ontario, native was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week following his five-goal, one-assist performance in U-M's 13-12 upset win at No. 4 Notre Dame on March 21. In all, he scored eight hat tricks on the season, had 10 multi-goal games and finished the campaign having scored a point in each of his last 28 games dating back to last season. He finished third among midfielders in the NCAA in goals and is the only player in the NCAA to have taken at least 15 faceoffs and have scored 40 goals.

• Young was selected 35th overall by the Denver Outlaws in the 2018 MLL Draft, the highest selection for a U-M player in program history. The senior tri-captain earned an honorable mention All-America nod after finishing fifth on the team in goals (13) and sixth in points (18). He finished his career with 81 ground balls and 25 turnovers while appearing in 50 contests.

• Freshman attackman Kevin Mack ended his freshman campaign third on the team in goals (21), assists (21) and points (42). The second player in U-M history to register a 20-20 season, Mack tied the U-M single-season assist record and ranked No. 6 in the Big Ten and 39th nationally in points per game (3.00). The number also put him No. 6 in the NCAA in points scored for a freshman.

• Senior goalkeeper Tommy Heidt set the U-M single-season record for goals-against average in a season (10.11). Heidt, who missed the early portion of the season due to injury, returned to start the final eight games of the season and eclipsed the 10-save plateau in all but one contest. He marked his season high of 15 saves on three occasions and finished the season with a .550 save percentage.

• The Wolverines are projected to return 87 percent of their offense and top-five point scorers next season. As a whole, the offense punch was led by the junior class with 104 total points. The freshman class boasted 73 points. Additionally, U-M will return all eight players that started at least eight contests on the season, including all three attackman, as well as close defenders.

• According to AnalyticsLacrosse.com, Michigan ranked No. 14 in shooting efficiency. The metric also rated Noseworthy as its No. 29 player in the country, and Mack the No. 59 player.

• Junior longstick Nick DeCaprio led the Big Ten in caused turnovers with 23 (1.64/game), establishing a new U-M record, and paced the Wolverines in ground balls with 46.

• Junior midfielder Decker Curran tied for second on the team in goals with 22 and led the conference with a .450 shooting percentage. Curran found the back of the net on 22 of 49 shots, and had his best game of the year in crunch time, scoring four goals -- including the game-winner -- against No. 14 Penn State in a 10-9 overtime victory.

• Another piece of U-M dynamic freshman attack duo, freshman Alex Buckanavage had 31 points on the campaign (19 goals, 12 assists), marking the third-best offensive output for a freshman in program annals.

Honors and Awards

Curran
Decker

Tommy
Heidt

Chase
Young

Nick
DeCaprio

Brent
Noseworthy

Kevin
Mack

Alex
Buckanavage

Parker
McKee

National Awards
USILA All-America: Brent Noseworthy (honorable mention)
Inside Lacrosse Media All-America: Brent Noseworthy (third team), Chase Young (honorable mention)
USILA Team of the Week: Brent Noseworthy (March 27)
Alpha Lacrosse Player of the Week: Brent Noseworthy (March 27)

Conference Awards
All-Big Ten: Brent Noseworthy (first team)
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: Parker McKee
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week: Brent Noseworthy (March 27)
Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Kevin Mack (March 13, March 20)

Academic All-Big Ten
Curtis Alexander, So., LSA Undeclared
PJ Bogle, Sr., Business Administration
Sam Bouhdary, So., LSA Undeclared
Nick DeCaprio, Jr., Sport Management
Christian Ford, So., LSA Undeclared
Justin Gibbons, Jr., LSA Undeclared
TJ Heagerty, So., LSA Undeclared
Parker McKee, Sr., General Studies
Avery Myers, So., LSA Undeclared
Brent Noseworthy, Jr., Business Administration
Ben Paris, Jr., LSA Undeclared
JM Priddy, So., LSA Undeclared
Ryan Prior, Jr., LSA Undeclared
Brandon Shima, Jr., Political Science
Matt Trowbridge, So., LSA Undeclared