Gaffney named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for second straight season
5/1/2019 11:54:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Continuing his stellar success on and off the field, Lehigh men's lacrosse junior Conor Gaffney has been named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for a second straight season, as announced on Wednesday. Enjoying a 3.99 GPA as a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Finance, Gaffney is the fifth two-time Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree in Patriot League men's lacrosse history, and first since Brendan Buckley of Army in 2012 and 2013.
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Gaffney was also named a CoSIDA first team Academic All-District honoree and third team Academic All-American as a sophomore. The Mount Laurel, N.J. native owns multiple 4.0 semester and has been named to the Dean's List every semester. He has also been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and garnered the Faculty Athletics Council Award.
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On Wednesday, Gaffney was also named to the Academic All-Patriot League team for a second straight season; he is one of just three honorees on this year's team to also be named first team All-League on the field.
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Gaffney is now a two-time first team All-League honoree as well, winning 2019 Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year. He has proven to be one of the top players at his position, currently standing No. 4 in the country with his 69.0 percentage (216-of-313). Most recently, he won 14-of-23 (including 10-of-12 in the second half) against second team All-League faceoff specialist Dan O'Connell of Holy Cross, who also entered the contest top five nationally in faceoff percentage.
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Gaffney's resume is impressive, now owning the program record for groundballs in a game (16), season (currently 126) and career (currently 323). Against Robert Morris this season, he collected 16 GBs for the second time in his career, also winning a school-record 24 faceoffs (on just 29 attempts). Gaffney's groundball totals for this season and his career are good for second and fourth in Patriot League history, respectively. His 216 faceoff wins are No. 2 in league history and he has won at least 60 percent of his faceoffs in 13-of-15 games this season. Gaffney was named Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week three times this season, his third coming Monday.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
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The Mountain Hawks enter the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 2 seed and have earned a bye into the semifinals. Lehigh will play in the second semifinal at Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex, with opening faceoff set for 8 p.m. The Mountain Hawks could face No. 3 Boston University, No. 4 Army West Point or No. 5 Holy Cross on Friday.
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Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.Â
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Scholar-Athlete of the Year:Â Conor Gaffney, Lehigh, Jr., FO
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Academic All-Patriot League Team
Due to a tie in voting, there are 14 members on the academic team
Griffin Schultz, Army West Point, Sr., D
Joe McSorley, Boston University, Jr., GK
Reed Malas, Bucknell, Sr., M
Christian Klipstein, Bucknell, Sr., GK
Will Blumenberg, Colgate, Sr., M **
Jack Donaghue, Colgate, Sr., D
Dan O'Connell, Holy Cross, Jr., FO^
Conor Walters, Lafayette, Sr., A
Conor Gaffney, Lehigh, Jr., FO **
Kevin Lindley, Loyola Maryland, So., A **
Aidan Olmstead, Loyola Maryland, So., A
John Railey, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Christian Daniel, Navy, So., A
Nick Franchuk, Navy, So., D
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** Named to first team All-Patriot League
^ Named to second team All-Patriot League
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Gaffney was also named a CoSIDA first team Academic All-District honoree and third team Academic All-American as a sophomore. The Mount Laurel, N.J. native owns multiple 4.0 semester and has been named to the Dean's List every semester. He has also been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and garnered the Faculty Athletics Council Award.
Â
On Wednesday, Gaffney was also named to the Academic All-Patriot League team for a second straight season; he is one of just three honorees on this year's team to also be named first team All-League on the field.
Â
Gaffney is now a two-time first team All-League honoree as well, winning 2019 Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year. He has proven to be one of the top players at his position, currently standing No. 4 in the country with his 69.0 percentage (216-of-313). Most recently, he won 14-of-23 (including 10-of-12 in the second half) against second team All-League faceoff specialist Dan O'Connell of Holy Cross, who also entered the contest top five nationally in faceoff percentage.
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Gaffney's resume is impressive, now owning the program record for groundballs in a game (16), season (currently 126) and career (currently 323). Against Robert Morris this season, he collected 16 GBs for the second time in his career, also winning a school-record 24 faceoffs (on just 29 attempts). Gaffney's groundball totals for this season and his career are good for second and fourth in Patriot League history, respectively. His 216 faceoff wins are No. 2 in league history and he has won at least 60 percent of his faceoffs in 13-of-15 games this season. Gaffney was named Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week three times this season, his third coming Monday.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
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The Mountain Hawks enter the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 2 seed and have earned a bye into the semifinals. Lehigh will play in the second semifinal at Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex, with opening faceoff set for 8 p.m. The Mountain Hawks could face No. 3 Boston University, No. 4 Army West Point or No. 5 Holy Cross on Friday.
Â
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.Â
Â
Scholar-Athlete of the Year:Â Conor Gaffney, Lehigh, Jr., FO
Â
Academic All-Patriot League Team
Due to a tie in voting, there are 14 members on the academic team
Griffin Schultz, Army West Point, Sr., D
Joe McSorley, Boston University, Jr., GK
Reed Malas, Bucknell, Sr., M
Christian Klipstein, Bucknell, Sr., GK
Will Blumenberg, Colgate, Sr., M **
Jack Donaghue, Colgate, Sr., D
Dan O'Connell, Holy Cross, Jr., FO^
Conor Walters, Lafayette, Sr., A
Conor Gaffney, Lehigh, Jr., FO **
Kevin Lindley, Loyola Maryland, So., A **
Aidan Olmstead, Loyola Maryland, So., A
John Railey, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Christian Daniel, Navy, So., A
Nick Franchuk, Navy, So., D
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** Named to first team All-Patriot League
^ Named to second team All-Patriot League
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Players Mentioned
M/FO
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