Bucknell University Athletics
Alex Spring Selected by Florida Launch in Eighth Round of MLL Draft
1/22/2016 7:27:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Senior Alex Spring, one of the nation's top long-stick defensive midfielders entering the 2016 season, was selected by the Florida Launch in the eighth round (64th overall) of the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft on Friday. Spring's selection makes it five years in a row that Bucknell has had a player taken in the MLL Collegiate Draft.
Back in December Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook listed Spring as an Honorable Mention All-American and one of the top six LSMs in Division I lacrosse. Spring is coming off a terrific junior campaign in which he earned First Team All-Patriot League honors. He led the team in ground balls with 75, which was tied for sixth-most in a season in team history. He has topped the 50-ground-ball mark in each of his first three seasons at Bucknell, and his 185 career GBs already rank second in program history, trailing only Jake Clarke at 297.
Spring's 5.0 ground balls per game was also the fifth-best mark in the Patriot League last season, and the best among non-faceoff specialists. Spring also led the Bison and ranked third in the Patriot League with 23 caused turnovers. He finished the 2015 campaign ranked 18th nationally in caused turnovers per game and 24th in ground balls per game.
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, the Launch debuted in MLL as an expansion team in 2014. Coached by Stan Ross, the team finished 5-9 in each of its first two seasons and features stars such as 2014 MLL MVP Casey Powell and two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner Lyle Thompson.
Duke's Myles Jones was the No. 1 selection in the draft by the Atlanta Blaze. Florida's first selection was Notre Dame defenseman Matt Landis. Spring was one of six Patriot League players taken, joining Loyola's Tyler Albrecht (Round 2), David Manning (5) and Zach Herreweyers (6), Colgate's Cameron Williams (6), and Army's Austin Schultz (8), who began his collegiate career at Bucknell.
This is the fifth year in a row that Bucknell has had a player taken in the MLL Draft. Midfielder David Dickson went in the seventh round to the Denver Outlaws last season. Defenseman Jackson Place was taken by Ohio in 2014, goalie Kyle Feeney went to Charlotte in 2013, and midfielders Billy Eisenreich (Ohio) and Charlie Streep (Long Island) were both taken in 2012.
Other collegiate draftees include Michael Abou Jaoude (2006 by San Francisco), Chris Cara (2005 by Long Island) and Blaise Fletcher (2004 by Baltimore). In addition, Bucknell has had six alumni taken in the MLL's Supplemental Draft, including current assistant coach Nick Marks.
Bucknell is set to scrimmage Hobart on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, and the 2016 season starts at home on Feb. 6 against Delaware at 2:30 p.m.
