Fink, McCann Headline GNAC Men's Lacrosse Year-End Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. – After the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team lifted its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship in program history, head coach Andrew Fink was named the GNAC Coach of the Year and senior goalkeeper Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) was tabbed the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year as the conference unveiled its year-end awards Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the major awards, McCann was also named to the All-GNAC First Team for the Blue Jays. Senior attackman Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.), junior midfielders Christian Decker (Bristol, Conn.) and Garrett Lazor (Monroe, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Nick Pestrichello (Newington, Conn.) were selected to the All-GNAC Second Team, while freshman defenseman Vinny Pusateri (Fitchburg, Mass.) was named to the All-GNAC Third Team. Rounding out the all-conference selections for USJ were freshman attackman Matthew Wurszt (Wilbraham, Mass.) on the All-Rookie Team and freshman midfielder Benjamin Bausch (Holliston, Mass.) to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. The awards are voted upon by the league's 15 head coaches.
McCann becomes the first player in program history to earn a major award and to be named to the All-GNAC First Team, after remarkable season in the cage for USJ. The senior started all but one game for the Blue Jays, posting a 15-3 record with an 8.54 goals-against average, 135 goals allowed, 152 total saves, and a 53.0 save percentage. This season, McCann topped the GNAC in total minutes played (948:10), goals-against average and total wins.
Paltauf was a point machine in 2024, leading the Blue Jays with 78 points, including a GNAC-best 58 assists. The assist tally matches the program-record for assists in a single season, which Paltauf set in 2022. The attackman became the first player in USJ history to eclipse the 200-career point mark this season.
Decker continued his impressive career at USJ, leading the team in goals with 45 on the season. The tally marks the seventh-most goals scored in the conference this season. Decker also dished out 10 assists to record 55 points on the year, the third most on the team.
Pestrichello followed up his stellar freshman season, with an even better sophomore campaign. The Newington, Conn., native posted 56 points, the second most on the team, off 42 goals and 14 assists. The midfielder also corralled 31 ground balls and caused 12 turnovers.
Lazor was a defensive force for the Blue Jays in 2024, earning a spot on the All-Second Team at the short-stick defensive midfielder position. The Monroe, Conn., native corralled 34 ground balls, while forcing 14 turnovers this season.
Pusateri made an immediate impact on defense in his freshman season, starting 17 games for the Blue Jays. The defenseman recorded 20 caused turnovers, the third most on the team, while corralling 43 ground balls en route to being named to the All-GNAC Third Team.
Wurszt had a solid debut campaign for the Blue Jays, finishing fifth on the team in total points, tallying 31 on the year. The Wilbraham, Mass., native scored 21 goals and dished out 10 assists, the third most on the team.
Fink earned the GNAC Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Blue Jays to their first conference championship in program history. The Blue Jays posted a program best 16-3 record and have consistently improved under the direction of coach Fink. Also, Fink notched his 200th career victory this season as the Blue Jays defeated Saint Joseph's Long Island.
For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
MAJOR AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year - Diego Alvarez-Segee, Dean
Defensive Player of the Year - Mason McMahon, Norwich
Goalkeeper of the Year - Trey McCann, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Faceoff Specialist of the Year - Tyler Benedetto, Dean
Rookie of the Year - Manny Alvarez-Segee, Dean
Coach of the Year - Andrew Fink, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Institutional Sportsmanship - Regis
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
A - Diego Alvarez-Segee, Dean
A - Michael Ference, Rivier
A - Henri Pfeifle, New England College
M - Cole Cloney, Emmanuel
M - Nathaniel Girardin, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M - Coby Mercier, Rivier
D - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales
D - Magnus Leonard, Lasell
D - Mason McMahon, Norwich
G - Trey McCann, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
FOM - Tyler Benedetto, Dean
LSM - Francis Pino, Lasell
SSDM - Chris Rivera, Dean
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
A - Tim Goodfellow, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
A - Ryan Paltauf, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
A - Landon Reyes, Lasell
M - Christian Decker, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M - Anthony DeRosa, Lasell
M - Nick Pestrichello, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
D - Connor Bogdanski, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
D - Robert DelPrete, Rivier
D - Adam Hailey, Rivier
G - Sawyer Gagnon, Rivier
FOM - Mike Catuosco, Johnson & Wales
LSM - Jackson Kain, New England College
SSDM - Garrett Lazor, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
A - Drew Fleury, Norwich
A - Donny McInnis, Johnson & Wales
A - Xavier Michaud, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M - Chris Heitmiller, Rivier
M - Mitchell McKay, Norwich
M - Jeremy Tremblay, Albertus Magnus
D - Kyle Ingram, Dean
D - Vinny Pusateri, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
D - Michael Tardibuono, Emmanuel
G - Casey Dmochowski, Elms
FOM - Thomas Muraski, Norwich
FOM - Nathan Powers, Anna Maria
LSM - Kyle Marcinko, Johnson & Wales
SSDM - Jack Donnelly, Johnson & Wales
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Manny Alvarez-Segee, Dean
Jack Davis, Johnson & Wales
Casey Dmochowski, Elms
Nate Finn, New England College
Jack Jaynes, Regis
Zander Kirk, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Colin LeBaron, Lasell
Jason Martin, Lasell
Cooper Mehlhorn, Emmanuel
Jeremy Tremblay, Albertus Magnus
Matthew Wurszt, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Albertus Magnus
Carter Hart, Anna Maria
Kyle Pianka, Dean
Brendan Campbell, Elms
Jake Cioffi, Emmanuel
Donny McInnis, Johnson & Wales
Austin Wenzel, Lasell
Dylan Kinsella, Mitchell
Joey Olsen, New England College
Matt Hannon, Norwich
Owen Harney, Regis
Alan Cozzolino, Rivier
Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Benjamin Bausch, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 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.
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