2018 SUNYAC Men's Lacrosse Awards

CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) repeated as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year, and a program-record eight Plattsburgh State student-athletes were named to the two 2018 Men's Lacrosse All-SUNYAC Teams, as announced Wednesday by the conference office.
 
Representing the Cardinals on the All-SUNYAC First Team were Hubbard and senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields), while sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington), junior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), senior defenseman Sean Hayes (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue), sophomore long-stick midfielder Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East), senior short-stick defensive midfielder Brad Johnston (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland) and senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) were named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team.
 
Hubbard has now claimed each of the first two SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year awards, as the conference split up the former SUNYAC Player of the Year honor into the Offensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year prior to the 2017 campaign. Zach Hopps (SUNY Cortland, 2015 and 2016), Ryan Heath (SUNY Cortland, 2007 and 2008) and Steve Feltmann (SUNY Cortland, 2002 and 2003) were the only individuals to the SUNYAC Player of the Year award twice.
 
Earning First-Team All-SUNYAC plaudits for the third consecutive season, Hubbard finished out the year ranked second in the SUNYAC in goals (44) and fourth in the conference in points (51). He also ranked third on the team in both assists (7) and ground balls (44), and he caused seven turnovers throughout the season. Hubbard had 11 games this year with three or more points, including a six-point performance on five goals and one assist in the team's season opener against Castleton University on Feb. 28. In the program's career record book, he ranks third in goals with 164 and fourth in points with 206. He was named an Honorable Mention All-American last year by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), and earlier this week, he earned Plattsburgh State's Male Senior Achievement Award.
 
Moller earns his first-ever All-SUNYAC honor after a breakout year in which he finished second on the team in points (37), goals (29) and assists (8). His 29 goals ranked fifth in the SUNYAC, while his 37 points were good for ninth in the conference. In addition to his offensive numbers, he scooped up 17 ground balls and caused two turnovers. Moller was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team this season, as he scored two goals in the SUNYAC Tournament semifinals against The College at Brockport before scoring three times in the SUNYAC Tournament final versus SUNY Cortland. His top offensive game of the season came on April 25 against SUNY Oneonta, as he collected five points on four goals and one assist.
 
Litchauer, who picks up his inaugural All-SUNYAC nod, also had a breakout season offensively, as he finished third on the team in goals (16) while ranking fourth on the team in points (22) and tying for fourth on the squad in assists (6). He also collected 12 ground balls throughout the course of the season. Litchauer struck for multiple points on eight occasions, with his best game of the year coming in a three-point effort (two goals, one assist) against Oneonta on April 25.
 
Rupp collects his first-ever All-SUNYAC accolade after a season in which he tied for seventh in the SUNYAC in caused turnovers (20). He also scooped up 27 ground balls during the season and posted two points on one goal and one assist. Rupp's top defensive game came on April 7 against Oswego State, as he caused four turnovers and recorded three ground balls, and his lone goal of the year came on March 6 at Clarkson University.
 
Hayes merits his first-ever All-SUNYAC honor after helping solidify the defense all year. He tied for 11th in the SUNYAC in caused turnovers (18), and he also picked up 35 ground balls. Hayes had four games with multiple caused turnovers, including a performance at Cortland on March 31 in which he forced three turnovers. He also scooped up four ground balls on three occasions.
 
Smith quickly became a reliable long-stick midfielder during his sophomore campaign, and as a result, he garners his inaugural All-SUNYAC recognition. He finished the year with 72 ground balls, which ranked him second in the conference and was the highest total for a non-face-off specialist. Smith also tied for 11th in the SUNYAC in caused turnovers (18) and recorded one assist for one point. He posted two games with double-digit ground ball totals, scooping up a season-high 11 at SUNY Potsdam on April 11 before collecting 10 against Brockport in the SUNYAC Tournament semifinals. The latter performance helped him earn a spot on the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Johnston earns his first-ever All-SUNYAC nod after proving himself as one of the top short-stick defensive midfielders in the conference. A true two-way player, Johnston totaled seven points on six goals and one assist while also scooping up 23 ground balls and causing nine turnovers. Johnston's top offensive game came on April 25 when he posted his first career hat trick in a 14-2 win over Oneonta, while his top defensive performance came on March 28 with four ground balls and one caused turnover against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
 
Mauro picks up his second All-SUNYAC honor in as many seasons, as he was also named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team last year. After a 2017 campaign that saw him split time at the X, Mauro was the go-to face-off man in 2018, going 147-for-302. He tied for third in the SUNYAC in ground balls with 71, and he also caused six turnovers and posted one assist. Mauro was at his best against conference opposition, as he fashioned a .549 face-off percentage (56-for-102) in SUNYAC games. His top performance of the year came on April 28 when he went 16-for-20 at the X against SUNY Geneseo, and as a result of going 28-for-47 on face-offs during the SUNYAC Tournament, he was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Plattsburgh State went 7-9 overall (5-1 SUNYAC) in 2018, going on a six-game win streak toward the end of the season. The Cardinals earned the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament and advanced to the conference final for the fifth time in the past six seasons.