VENDITTI, MORAN AND BULKEN NAMED BEST AT THEIR POSITION BY USILA
Perry, N.Y. – Le Moyne College men's lacrosse seniors Jack Venditti (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker), Pat Moran (Troy, Mich./Detroit Jesuit) and Corey Bulken (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) have received player of the year awards at their respective positions from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), as announced by the association on InsideLacrosse.com.
Venditti received the Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award as the nation's most outstanding attackman. Venditti, previously selected to the USILA All-America First Team, USILA Scholar All-America Team, Northeast-10 Conference First Team and as the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, is the second straight Dolphin (Jack Harmatuk) and fourth Dolphin (Mike McDonald – '07 & '08) in five years to be named the top attackman in Division II. Venditti finished his final campaign on the Heights tied for the team lead in goals scored with a career-best 26, which ranked ninth in the conference. A two-time All-America honoree, Venditti dished nine assists for 35 total points, the third-best total on the team. The conference's player of the week after recording seven points (6g, 1a) in wins over #6 Adelphi and Bentley, Venditti posted a point in all 14 games started and tallied at least two goals in eight games, including a career high-tying four in victories over Lees-McRae and Bentley. Venditti completed his 65-game career with 81 goals (tied for 12th in Le Moyne's history) and 54 assists (tied for 10th) for 135 points (11th).
Moran was tabbed the William C. Schmeisser Award as the most outstanding defensive player in Division II. Moran, who was named the Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and to the USILA All-America First Team and Northeast-10 First Team earlier this month, is the fifth Dolphin in the last seven years (Drew Bezek – '09 & '10, Travis Tarr '05 & '06) to garner top defenseman accolades. Moran, who anchored a defense that allowed a national-best 4.64 goals per game, registered 14 caused turnovers, the second most on the team. In his first year as a starter at close defense after serving as a long-stick midfielder, Moran recorded 17 ground balls, including a career-best four in a victory over Saint Anselm on March 26.
Bulken was honored as the top specialty player in the country. Bulken, a USILA All-America and Northeast-10 Conference First Team selection, is the second Le Moyne player to be named specialist of the year (Brian Griffin '07). Bulken, an All-America selection each of his two years as a starter, led the country in face-off win percentage (.692) by winning 144 of his 208 attempts. One of the nation's top short-stick defensive midfielders, Bulken ranked second in the conference and 12th in the country in ground balls with 88, the second-best total on the program's single-season charts. In transition, Bulken registered 12 points on three goals and nine assists, tied for the third highest assist total on the team. Bulken finished his 63-game career with 234 ground balls, the second-highest total in the program's history, and a .642 face-off win percentage, the fourth-best in the history of the program.
Venditti, Moran and Bulken led the Dolphins to a 12-2 record this season, including a perfect record in Northeast-10 Conference games (10-0) for the 11th time in 12 years. The trio helped post a 58-7 record in their four years at Le Moyne, won four Northeast-10 Conference regular season championships, one Northeast-10 Conference tournament championship and appeared in three NCAA National Championship games.
