Bucknell University Athletics
Justin Sussman Repeats at PL Men's Lax Defensive Player of the Year
5/6/2003 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
May 6, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's lacrosse co-captain Justin Sussman (Towson, Md./Friends) capped a magnificent senior season with his second straight Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honor, the league office announced Tuesday. Sussman, who was also selected to the All-Patriot League first team, was one of five Bison to be selected for all-star honors by the conference's head coaches.
Joining Sussman on the first team were junior defenseman Blaise Fletcher (Glen Mills, Pa./Archmere Academy) and sophomore attack Chris Cara (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford). Senior co-captain Worthy Sanders (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) and senior midfielder Andrew Copelan (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford-Mendon) were named to the second team.
For the three Bison seniors named to the All-PL squad, the honor followed an unprecedented four-year run in Bucknell lax annals, in which BU won or shared the Patriot League championship all four years. This season Bucknell finished 9-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference, tying Army for the league title.
Sussman, who was also a second-team pick as a sophomore, became Bucknell's first three-time All-Patriot Leaguer since defenseman Hugh Donovan 1994-96. Donovan was also the last Bison to earn defensive player of the year honors until Sussman's back-to-back trick in 2002-03. Sussman is also the first player in Patriot League history to win the defensive player of the year award twice.
A preseason honorable mention All-America, Sussman enjoyed perhaps his best season in Orange and Blue this spring. He ranked either first or second in the nation in save percentage virtually all season and finished with a stellar .664 mark, the sixth-best single season percentage in school history. He led the Patriot League in save percentage, goals-against average (6.88), saves per game (12.92) and wins (9), while holding the opposition to four goals or less in six of his starts.
The winner of the Bison Club Award, presented to a member of the Bucknell senior class who best exemplifies the winning spirit of Bison Athletics, Sussman's 30 career victories are the most ever by a Bison goalie. His 572 career saves rank third all-time, as does his .628 lifetime save percentage.
Sussman joined Army's Mike Kamon and Hobart's John Bogosian as three-time all-league picks in this year's class.
Fletcher, a towering physical presence in front of Sussman's crease, earned his second All-Patriot League citation after being named to the second team in 2002. Fletcher was a major reason why Bucknell ranked first in the league and fourth nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 7.00 goals per game. At 6'6" and 225 pounds, Fletcher was routinely assigned to the opposition's best offensive player, and typically that player was held in check. A perfect example was in Bucknell's key 9-8 win over Hobart, when Fletcher kept Bogosian off the scoreboard in a crucial conference win.
The Patriot League's second-leading scorer in 2003, Cara was a clear choice for first-team all-star honors. The reigning conference rookie of the year and a second-team pick in 2002, Cara suffered no sophomore jinx, registering 19 goals and 30 assists this spring. With 61 career assists, Cara already ranks sixth on Bucknell's all-time assist chart with only two seasons under his belt.
Copelan and Sanders, Bucknell's two second-team selections, earned well-deserved nods in the final seasons. Copelan a key member of Bucknell's all-senior No. 1 midfield line, and he nearly doubled his previous scoring high with 29 points on 11 goals and 18 assists. He managed one of the team's most important goals of the season, netting the tiebreaker with just over a minute to play in the one-goal win over Hobart.
Sanders was Bucknell's third-leading scorer behind Cara and Copelan, scoring 25 points on 14 goals and 11 assists. Sanders totaled 65 points during an outstanding four-year career for the Bison.
Army midfielder John Ryan was named the league's offensive player of the year, while Army attack John Walker and Colgate goalie Andrew Jarolimick were selected as co-rookies of the year. Colgate's Jim Nagle earned his first coach of the year nod.
FIRST TEAM
Jeff Bryan, Army, Attack
Chris Cara, Bucknell, Attack
John Bogosian, Hobart, Attack
John Ryan, Army, Midfield
Nick Gerken, Colgate, Midfield
Tim Booth, Hobart, Midfield
Nick Auletta, Army, Defense
Blaise Fletcher, Bucknell, Defense
Andrew Houston, Colgate, Defense
Scott Carpenter, Lehigh, Defense
Mike Kamon, Army, Def. Midfield
Justin Sussman, Bucknell, Goalie
SECOND TEAM
John Walker, Army, Attack
Worthy Sanders, Bucknell, Attack
Jason Vasas, Colgate, Attack
Tony Lowe, Lehigh, Attack
Chris Woods, Army, Midfield
Andrew Copelan, Bucknell, Midfield
Nate Hill, Hobart, Midfield
Aaron Paskalis, Army, Defense
Brad Neuberth, Hobart, Defense
Shawn Powers, Hobart, Specialist
Andrew Jarolimick, Colgate, Goalie
Mike Borsz, Hobart, Goalie
