Bucknell University Athletics
PL Men's Lax Awards: Klipstein Doubles Up Again, Spring is Defensive Player of Week
4/4/2016 5:12:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Senior Alex Spring and freshman Christian Klipstein earned Patriot League weekly honors Monday after turning in terrific performances in Bucknell's 8-7 win over first-place Army West Point, and Klipstein made a little history along the way.
Spring was chosen as the Corvias Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, and Klipstein captured both the Corvias Goalie of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors for the second time in the last three weeks. Klipstein is the first player in league history to win two awards in the same week twice in one season.
Spring contributed both defensively and on the faceoff wings in the come-from-behind win at No. 15/16 Army West Point before a large crowd at Michie Stadium. Spring finished with seven ground balls, helping the Bison go 12-for-19 on faceoffs against the second-ranked FO unit in the country. He also played long-stick defensive midfield and helped limit Army to its lowest scoring output of the season. Army came into the game averaging 13.3 goals per game, but the Bison held them to two goals in the final 21 minutes of the game to overcome a two-goal deficit in the third quarter.
A First Team All-Patriot League selection last season and a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American in 2016, Spring is one of the top ground ball artists in Bucknell history. He now has 52 ground balls in 10 games this season to rank 20th nationally, and his 237 career GBs are second-most in program history and sixth-most among all active Division I players.
Klipstein was sensational in the win over Army. Locked up in a goalie showdown with counterpart A.J. Baretto, Klipstein finished with 14 saves while limiting the high-scoring Black Knights to their lowest scoring output of the season (their previous low had been 8 goals against Syracuse, and they were averaging 13.3 goals per game coming in). Eight of Klipstein's 14 saves came in the second half, and three of his four fourth-quarter saves came with Bucknell protecting a one-goal lead.
Klipstein now has a .557 save percentage and a 9.52 goals-against average on the season. He ranks second in the league and 12th nationally in save percentage, and his 10.7 saves per game are tops in the conference.
More important than the individual honors, Bucknell improved to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Patriot League. The Bison have a 1.5-game lead over Colgate for the sixth and final Patriot League Tournament position, and they trail Boston University by just a half-game for fifth place.
Bucknell is off until Friday, when it hosts Mount St. Mary's in a non-league game at 7 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
