Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Claims 3 of 4 Patriot League Men's Lax Players of Week
4/16/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 16, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The red-hot Bucknell men's lacrosse team claimed three more Patriot League Player of the Week Awards on Monday, following an 11-5 defeat of Patriot League rival Lehigh that left the Bison with a 10-2 record and assured them of a spot in the conference tournament at the end of the month.
Sophomore Nick Sciubba (Sea Cliff, N.Y./Salisbury School) won his league-best fourth Patriot League Goalie of the Week citation, freshman Austin Winter earned his league-best third Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor, and sophomore Billy Haire (Darien, Conn./Darien) was named PL Defensive Player of the Week for the first time.
Sciubba and Haire continue to be a major reason why Bucknell ranks second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 5.8 goals per game. They have allowed more than six goals only once all season, and in Patriot League play the Bison are yielding only 5.2 goals per game.
Sciubba made 12 saves while allowing only the five goals in Saturday's win over Lehigh, and he now leads the nation in both save percentage (.676) and goals-against average (5.60). In his first year at Bucknell after transferring from UMass, Sciubba has captured goalie of the week honors two weeks in a row and four times overall, one more than Navy standout Colin Finnegan.
Haire's selection gives Bucknell the league's defensive player of the week for a third straight week. Greg Sowyrda won it on Apr. 2, and Steve Case took the honor last week. Against Lehigh, Haire helped keep the Mountain Hawks more than three goals below their season scoring average, while limiting the team's top scorer to one goal. He led all Bison defensemen with four ground balls and also went 1-for-1 at the faceoff X.
Winter captured rookie of the week honors after collecting a goal and three assists against Lehigh. His first-quarter goal put the Bison ahead 2-1, a lead they would never relinquish. He also assisted on two of the team's five fourth-quarter goals that put the game away.
Winter now has 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points on the season. He leads the Patriot League in both points and assists, and he ranks second in the nation in assists per game (2.3). Winter also leads all Division I freshmen in points per game (3.5).
With Tim Brandau also winning rookie of the week honors twice, Bucknell has claimed that award in five of the nine weeks thus far.
At 4-1 in Patriot League play, the Bison have secured a spot in the Patriot League Tournament, which will be held Apr. 27 and 29 at Navy. Bucknell will play Colgate one semifinal game, with top-seeded Navy hosting Army in the other.
For the second week in a row, Bucknell is ranked No. 12 in the USILA Coaches' Poll. The Bison host local rival Penn State in a non-conference game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, and they will finish up the regular season on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Colgate.
