COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland men's lacrosse team has had at least five student-athletes named USILA All-America for the fifth straight season under head coach John Tillman as announced Thursday.
Junior goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr and senior defender Casey Ikeda were named to the First Team, junior defender Matt Dunn and senior midfielder Joe LoCascio were named to the Third Team and senior faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa earned Honorable Mention honors. It is Raffa's second All-America honor in as many seasons.
Maryland has had 30 All-Americans under Tillman's tutelage since 2011, including eight players on the First Team.
Bernlohr has made quite an impact in his first season as a full-time starter for the Terps, leading the nation for the entire season in goals-against-average (6.57) and ranking third in the country in save percentage (.589). The Akron, Ohio, native is on pace to be the first Maryland goalkeeper to lead the nation in GAA since Dan McCormick (6.73 GAA) accomplished the feat in 2002.
Ikeda's All-America nod adds to a bevy of honors for the senior captain throughout the 2015 season, including being named a USILA Scholar All-American. The 2015 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Ikeda has scooped 25 ground balls and caused 16 turnovers. He has also started 48 consecutive games for the Terrapins dating back to the beginning of his sophomore season.
Dunn overcame a midseason injury to become one of the nation's best lockdown defenders over the past few weeks, shutting down both top scorers from Yale and North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. The junior captain has caused 11 turnovers and gathered 11 ground balls on the season.
LoCascio has been one of the most consistent offensive threats from the midfield for the Terrapins in 2015, notching a career-high 41 points on 29 goals and 12 assists. The Lindenhurst, N.Y., native has saved some of his best performances for the biggest stage this season, totaling nine points in two wins against North Carolina and adding five points against Johns Hopkins in the regular season finale.
Raffa earned his second consecutive All-America nod despite missing five games this season to injury. When healthy, the senior has displayed his excellence at the faceoff X, winning 60 percent of his faceoffs and collecting 38 ground balls. The Syossett, N.Y., native currently ranks third in Maryland history in ground balls (267) and fourth in faceoffs won (475).
The 6th-seeded Terrapins are set to take on Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Final Four Saturday at 3:30 pm at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The winner will face either Notre Dame or Denver in the national title game at 1 pm. All games will be featured live on ESPN2.
