Five Blue Jays Land on Men's Lacrosse All-GNAC Teams
WINTHROP, Mass. – Sophomore midfield Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team headlined a flock of five Blue Jays named to the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Teams, it was announced Monday by the league's front office. Senior attack Evan Baden (Burlington, Conn.), senior defense Michael Callahan (Hampton, N.J.) and freshmen Nick Pestrichello (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Cam Fonseca (Saunderstown, R.I.) also made All-GNAC, as the conference unveiled its year-end awards, which are voted on by the league's head coaches. Senior Jordan Banik (Hamden, Conn.) received All-Sportsmanship Team honors for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays capped off a historic 2023 season with a remarkable postseason run to the GNAC Championship game as the six-seed. However, USJ would fall in the title game to top-seeded Emmanuel College, finish the year with an 11-9 record, the best in program history. Baden finished with a team-high 70 points and 53 goals, the second highest scoring tallying the conference, to receive third team distinction. Decker had a great debut campaign after transferring from Springfield College ahead of the 2023 season, leading the team with 20 assists, while finishing second with 65 points and 45 goals to earn a spot on the second team. Callahan was the anchor of the USJ defensive unit, causing a team-high 34 turnovers, the sixth most in the GNAC, to receive a spot on the third team. Pestrichello was an all-around presence on the field for USJ in his freshman season, collecting a team-high 70 ground balls, winning 57 of his 94 faceoff attempts and placing third on the team with 41 goals and 53 points to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Fonseca also enjoyed a stellar debut season, finishing fourth on the team with 22 goals to join Pestrichello on the All-Rookie Team.
For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
FIRST TEAM
A - Diego Alvarez-Segee, Dean
A - Michael Ference, Rivier
A - Tiger Hopkins, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M - Cole Cloney, Emmanuel (Mass.)
M - Jeffrey Potter, Rivier
M - Coby Mercier, Rivier
LSM - Eli Arsenault, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
SSM - Derek Delvecchio, Emmanuel (Mass.)
F/O - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D - Magnus Leonard, Lasell
D - Adam Hailey, Rivier
GK - Randy Castle, Emmanuel (Mass.)
SECOND TEAM
A - Ryan Castle, Emmanuel (Mass.)
A - Patrick Mulhern, Lasell
A - Tim Goodfellow, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M - Andrew Vasile, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M - Landon Reyes, Lasell
M - Christian Decker, St. Joseph (Conn.)
LSM - Francis Pino, Lasell
SSM - Zach Mills, Lasell
F/O - Matthew Carbone, Lasell
D - Mason Colwell, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D - Mason McMahon, Norwich
D - Kevin Wood, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
GK - Sawyer Gagnon, Rivier
THIRD TEAM
A - Alec Speirs, Dean
A - Xavier Michaud, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
A - Evan Baden, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M - Thomas Quigley, Emmanuel (Mass.)
M - Mitchell McKay, Norwich
M - Chris Heitmiller, Rivier
LSM - Riley Cranson, Emmanuel (Mass.)
SSM - Ryan Bogdanski, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
F/O - Nathan Powers, Anna Maria
D - Tyler Rose, Lasell
D - Anthony Samiotes, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
D - Michael Callahan, St. Joseph (Conn.)
GK - Michael Catalano, Lasell
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Michael Ference, Rivier
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales (RI)
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Magnus Leonard, Lasell
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR - Randy Castle, Emmanuel (Mass.)
FACEOFF PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales (RI)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Tiger Hopkins, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
COACH OF THE YEAR - Trevor Craven, Emmanuel
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - Regis
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Matthew Hutchings, Albertus Magnus
Cole Cloney, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Jack Tauson, Lasell
Matthew Carbone, Lasell
Alex Johnston, Norwich
Nick Klein, Regis (Mass.)
Owen McDuffie, Rivier
Tiger Hopkins, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Matt Denman, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Nick Pestrichello, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Cam Fonseca, St. Joseph (Conn.)
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Jack Ferrio, Albertus Magnus
Ricky Rosado, Anna Maria
Devon Peroni, Dean
Ryan Etzo, Emmanuel (Mass.)
Andrew Carroll, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Kyle Charlot, Lasell
Anthony Larson, Norwich
Zach Sweeney, Regis (Mass.)
Alan Cozzolino, Rivier
Scott Lynch, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Jordan Banik, St. Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays