Bucknell University Athletics
Jarett Witzal Named Patriot League Men's Lax Faceoff Specialist of the Week
4/11/2016 3:15:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell freshman Jarett Witzal picked up his second Corvias Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week honor on Monday after his record-setting performance in Friday's night's 15-10 victory over Mount St. Mary's.
Witzal set a Bucknell single-game record for faceoff wins with 21 in 27 attempts against the Mountaineers. He also picked up six ground balls in a dominant performance that helped spark a big second-half rally. The Bison trailed 8-6 at halftime, but Witzal won 10 of the first 11 draws in the second half as Bucknell outscored Mount St. Mary's 9-2 after the break.
The previous team record for faceoff wins was 20, set by Jake Clarke in a 20-for-21 performance against Penn State in 2009.
Witzal is 122-for-202 (.604) on the season. Since faceoff statistics began being kept regularly in 1999, Clarke is the only Bison player to finish a season at over 60 percent (.617 in 2010) with a minimum of 50 attempts.
Witzal ranks 17th nationally in faceoff percentage, even though he has already opposed five of the top 16 and eight of the top 35 ranked draw specialists in the country.
Bucknell is 7-4 on the season and 3-3 in the Patriot League. The Bison host Lafayette on Friday at 7 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium and can clinch a Patriot League Tournament berth with a victory.
