CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A total of five Harvard men’s lacrosse student-athletes were voted to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association first and second teams which were released on Wednesday, highlighted by Devin Dwyer and Matt Ryan who each received first team honors.
The duo was joined by second team honorees Joe Lang, Ian Ardrey and Walker Kirby. This is the second consecutive season that Dwyer has been selected to the All-NEILA first team, and marks the first All-NEILA accolades for his teammates.
Dwyer, a second team All-Ivy League selection, led the team in scoring for a third-consecutive year, turning in career bests in points (49) and goals (20) while contributing 29 assists. His 29 helpers were the third most in the Ancient Eight and 10th highest single-season total in program history, with his 49 points ranking seventh among the conference. Also named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List midseason, Dwyer enjoyed a historic day when the team took the field at Holy Cross, tying the all-time program records with 12 points and eight assists. A native of Garden City, New York, Dwyer already ranks fourth in the Harvard record book with 91 career assists and has scored at least one point in 33 consecutive games dating back to 2013, the 12th-longest active streak in the nation.
Ryan’s aggressive style of play resulted in 25 caused turnovers, which led the Crimson on the season and were the most-ever by a student-athlete under Chris Wojcik ’96, The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Lacrosse. As a sophomore, the Ipswich, Massachusetts, native collected 49 ground balls, good for second most on the squad. He displayed his best game of the season when Harvard hosted Albany, setting career highs in ground balls (8) and caused-turnovers (5). Posting career-highs in goals (5) and assists (3), Ryan led all defensive players with eight points, the most by a defensive student-athlete under the direction of Coach Wojcik ’96.
Ardrey, a second team All-Ivy League honoree, enjoyed a breakout year en route to his first All-NEILA accolade. The Deerfield, Connecticut, product ranked second on the team in goals (24), assists (8) and points (32), turning in career-highs across the board after moving to the midfield this season. As a junior he scored at least one point in 13 of 14 games and tallied at least one goal in 12 games, including 10 multi-point and six multi-goal performances. He also contributed three hat tricks, scoring four goals against Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Albany.
Kirby joined Ryan at close defense, starting all 14 games for Harvard after moving to the position from the defensive midfield due to injuries. Despite the position change the junior set career-highs all around, causing 13 turnovers, collecting 33 ground balls and scoring four goals in transition. A Morristown, New Jersey, native, his best performance came at home against Cornell when he forced four turnovers and recovered six ground balls to help the Crimson to victory. Kirby was named an All-Ivy League honorable mention.
An All-Ivy League honorable mention selection, Lang made an immediate impact as a freshman, ranking third on the team in points (28) and goals (21), and fourth in assists (7). He scored at least one goal in six straight games to begin his career and finished the season with points in 12 of 14 contests. A product of Mill Valley, California, Lang turned in the first two hat tricks of his career in back-to-back games against Quinnipiac (3g, 2a) and Penn State (4g), and was rewarded by being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week. He later added another three-goal, two-assist performance at Brown, before scoring a pair at both Dartmouth and Boston University.
Harvard has earned a total of 92 All-NEILA awards since 1982, with 17 honorees being named under Coach Wojcik ’96.
