April 21, 2011

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GREENSBORO, N.C. - >Maryland placed three players on the 2011 All-ACC Men's Lacrosse Team, which was announced today by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior All-American Brett Schmidt made the team for the second-straight season, while junior midfielder Joe Cummings and redshirt freshman goalie Niko Amato are first-time selections.

All four ACC men's programs are represented on the annual All-ACC team, which was determined by a vote of the four head coaches. Maryland's four honorees were the most by any school. Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia each had three selections, while Duke had two players make the team.

Schmidt repeats as an all-conference selection as one of the nation's top shutdown defenders. The Dublin, Pa., native leads the Terps with 20 caused turnovers and is second on the squad with 42 groundballs.

Cummings makes his first All-ACC team as the team-leader in goals with 24. He currently ranks third in the conference with 2.18 goals per game and leads the ACC with a .462 shooting percentage. In three ACC games this season Cummings led the team with seven goals. His 24 goals are the most by any full-time Maryland midfielder since first team All-American Bill McGlone scored 26 goals in 2005.

Amato has been tremendous in his first season as the Terps' starting goalie. He has led Maryland to an 8-3 record and is tops in the conference in goals-against average (6.65) and save percentage (.584). Amato has played his best in big games, including a 19-save performance at Duke and 12 saves in a win at then-No. 4 Virginia.

Virginia's Steele Stanwick garnered ACC Player of the Year accolades, while North Carolina's Nicky Galasso was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. Duke's John Danowski was selected as the ACC Coach of the Year.

The 2011 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship will begin Friday, April 22, at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. Maryland, the No 3 seed, will face No. 2 seed North Carolina in the tournament's first semifinal game at 5 p.m. No. 1 seed Duke battles No. 4 seed Virginia in the second semifinal, which is slated for a 7:30 p.m. face-off.