Loyola Names 2013 Men’s Lacrosse Captains

May 26, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defense Stephen O'Hara (4) and Loyola Maryland Greyhounds attack Mike Sawyer (4) during the second half of the NCAA Division I semifinals at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

BALTIMORE – Four seniors – defender Reid Acton, midfielder Davis Butts, long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff and attacker Mike Sawyer – were named team captains for the 2013 Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team, Head Coach Charley Toomey announced.

“We are excited about these young men leading our program,” Toomey said. “They have had outstanding careers at Loyola, and we feel great about them leading the team into the 2013 season.”

All four earned All-America honors form the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association last season during the Greyhounds’ run to the NCAA Championship. Sawyer was a second-team honoree, while Ratliff earned third-team laurels. Both Acton and Butts received honorable mention.

Acton will enter 2013 having started on the Greyhounds’ defense each of the last three years. He finished the 2012 season with 44 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, while helping Loyola record a 7.21 goals allowed per game average, the fifth-best mark in Division I. The Greyhounds set a pair of defensive records during Championship Weekend, holding Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals in the two games and allowing the Terrapins just three in the title match.

Butts was a first-line midfielder for the Greyhounds for the second year in a row. He excelled as a dodger and finisher and ranked fourth on the team in points (35) and third in goals scored (21). A versatile player, Butts also saw plenty of action on the wings of faceoffs and in the defensive midfield where he picked up 40 ground balls.

Ratliff continued to be one of the top long-stick midfielders in the nation and set a Loyola scoring record for the position last year. He finished with 12 goals and seven assists, exceeding current Loyola Assistant Coach Matt Dwan’s previous record for a long-stick midfielder set in 1995. In addition to his scoring, he tallied 88 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers while earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Championships Most Valuable Player, NCAA All-Tournament Team and team co-defenisve player of the year honors.

Sawyer was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player last season when he scored 52 goals and assisted on 10 more and was named the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. During the regular-season, he led the ECAC in goals and goals per game while earning All-ECAC First Team honors. He became the second player to score 50 or more goals in a season and was joined by a third on last year’s team.

After a trio of exhibition games, the Greyhounds will open their 2013 season on Saturday, February 16, at Delaware.

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