Four Canisius College men's lacrosse players were placed on
the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook
Preseason All-MAAC Team, as voted on by the league's coaches. Junior attackman Nick
LoCoco, junior midfielder Adam Jones,
senior face-off specialist Tim Rowley
and senior Matt Barkas were all
honored with the preseason distinction.
A two-time first-team All-MAAC honoree and the conference's
Rookie of the Year in 2008, LoCoco led the Griffs with 39 points last season,
scoring eight goals and recording a team-best 31 assists. The Cicero, N.Y.
native ranked third nationally and led the MAAC with 2.38 helpers per game.
Through just two seasons at Canisius, LoCoco already ranks seventh in the
school's record book with 65 career assists.
Jones, who was also named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American, led the team with 33 goals
in 2009. A two-time first-team All-MAAC honoree, he finished his sophomore
campaign ranked sixth nationally and first among midfielders with 2.75 goals
per game. Jones became the first
Griff to earn All-America honors following the 2008 season and has accumulated
85 points and 71 goals during his career.
Rowley was named to the Inside
Lacrosse All-MAAC Preseason Team for the third-consecutive season at the
faceoff X. Rowley ranked 11th nationally last season by winning 56.6 percent of
his faceoffs and 11th with 6.08 ground balls per game. The West Seneca, N.Y.
native ranks third in the program's history by winning 56.2 percent of his
draws.
A second-team All-MAAC selection following his junior season,
Barkas has anchored the Canisius defense during his career. Barkas led the
Griffs with 22 caused turnovers last season and finished second on the team
with 68 ground balls. He finished 22nd in the country, and sixth among long
poles, with 5.23 ground balls per game. Barkas also added six points in 2009,
scoring four goals and recording two assists. His six points were the most by a
Griff defender since the 1997 campaign.
As a team, Canisius was selected to finish third behind
Siena and Manhattan. The Griffs' four honorees to the preseason team are tied with
the Saints for the most selections. Canisius opens the 2010 campaign on Feb. 27
at Harvard before returning home to face perennial power Cornell on March 2.
