Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Austin Winter Named PL Men's Lax Preseason Offensive Player of Year
1/27/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Jan. 27, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior attackman Austin Winter (Boonton Twp., N.J./Mountain Lakes) was named the Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Offensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, while the Bison were picked second in a preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors.
Bucknell finished 9-7 overall and a perfect 6-0 in Patriot League play last season. That earned the Bison the No. 1 seed and right to host the Patriot League Tournament, and they ended up dropping a 9-8 heartbreaker to Navy in the championship game. With the start of the 2010 season just a few weeks away, Bucknell has been picked to finish second behind Navy this season.
The Midshipmen received 11 of the 14 first-place votes and 71 total points in the poll. Bucknell earned the other three first-place nods and garnered 63 points. Colgate was third with 48 points, followed by Army (45), Lehigh (33), Lafayette (22) and Holy Cross (12).
Winter earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2009, making him the fifth two-time All-American in program history. He also became just the second Bucknell player to earn First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of his first three seasons.
In 15 starts last season he produced 17 goals, 32 assists and 49 points, and he earned the Patriot League assists title for the third straight year. He ranked fifth nationally in assists and fifth in the league in total points. Winter had multiple points in all but two contests in 2009, and his 49 points were eighth-most in program history.
A two-time Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List honoree, Winter has 56 goals, 94 assists and 150 points in his career. With a season yet to play he already ranks third on Bucknell's career assists chart and fifth on the career points list. In the Patriot League record books he ranks eighth all-time in assists and needs just 10 more points to join the top 10 in that category.
Following scrimmages against North Carolina and Fairfield, Winter and the Bison open up the 2010 season on Feb. 13 against Duke in Atlanta, Ga. The home opener will be one week later against Ohio State.
