April 17, 2003

Photo Gallery

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Maryland led the way with four representatives on the 2003 All-ACC Men's Lacrosse Team as voted upon by the leagues' head coaches. The Virginia Cavaliers placed three players on the 11-member team, while the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels each had two members make the squad.

Duke's Kevin Cassese, Maryland's Michael Howley (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Virginia's Chris Rotelli are each being named to the All-ACC team for the third successive year. Virginia's Tillman Johnson and John Christmas along with Maryland's Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) and Chris Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) are making their second consecutive appearance on the team. Midfielder Ryan Moran (Setauket, N.Y.) was also named to the All-ACC team for the first time in his career for the Terps. ACC Player, Coach and Rookie of the Year Awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 22.

Howley's third consecutive honor marks the first time Mark Douglas (1989-91) that a Terp was named to the All-ACC Team for three years in a row. A national finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy as lacrosse's top player, Howley has led the Terps defense to a 7.25 goals against average. He is a two-time USILA All-American and helped Team USA to the gold medal at the 2002 World Games last summer in Australia. This season, he has 21 groundballs, 10 caused turnovers along with a goal.

Mollot is also a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy. He has been versatile this season at midfield for the second year in a row scoring seven goals and adding 13 assists. He was a second team All-American last season and named to the All-ACC team for the first team. Mollot is currently the 16th all-time leading scorer in Maryland history with 153 points, which also makes him the active career points leader in the ACC.

Moran's honor is the pinnicle for a player who has made a successful transition from face-off specialist to offensive midfielder. Moran has all 27 of his career goals in his last 20 career games. This season he has 12 goals and four assists for 16 points. He has also returned to face-off duty winning 52.2 percent and ranking second on the team in groundballs with 29.

Passavia has been honored by the ACC for the second year in a row, as he combines with Howley for the league's top defensive punch. Passavia was a third team USILA All-American last season and a preseason first team All-American this season. He has 24 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers.

2003 Men's Lacrosse All-ACC Team Player, Class, Position, School
Kevin Cassese, Senior, Midfield, Duke
John Christmas, Sophomore, Attack, Virginia
Austin Garrison, Senior, Midfield, North Carolina
Michael Howley, Senior, Defense, Maryland
Tillman Johnson, Junior, Goalkeeper, Virginia
Mike Mollot, Senior, Midfield, Maryland
Ryan Moran, Senior, Midfield, Maryland
Chris Passavia, Junior, Defense, Maryland
Chris Rotelli, Senior, Midfield, Virginia
Jed Prossner, Sophomore, Attack, North Carolina
Matt Rewkowski, Sophomore, Attack, Duke

The 15th annual ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship will be held April 18 and 20 at the University of Virginia. Maryland will face Duke in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. while Virginia and North Carolina battle in the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. The Championship game will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday.