Catuosco Wins Rookie of the Year, 11 Total CCC Champions Earn All-CCC Honors

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 10, 2023) – The Western New England men's lacrosse team, coming off their CCC Championship over the weekend, has earned 11 total spots on the All-CCC Teams, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon. 

Chris Catuosco earns one of two major awards for the Golden Bears, picking up CCC Rookie of the Year. Catuosco is the first Golden Bear to win Rookie of the Year since 2019 when Catuosco's teammate Mike Bannon won the award. To go along with Rookie of the Year, the Commack, New York native picks up All-CCC Second Team as a specialist after winning 201/302 faceoffs on the season. Catuosco played in all 19 games on the season for Western New England, making 15 starts. Catuosco won the most faceoffs for the Golden Bears this season and sat fourth among faceoff specialists in the CCC on the year. Offensively, Catuosco scored his first career collegiate goal at Salve Regina University in a 15-12 win for WNE while also collecting three assists on the season. Catuosco retrieved 133 ground balls and caused two turnovers on the season. 

The Western New England men's lacrosse team was also awarded with the Team Sportsmanship award for the seventh time in program history. 

Senior attack Dylan Hanley picked up All-CCC First Team accolades after a career year for the Golden Bears, which included breaking records. Hanley broke the single season points record for Western New England this season, amassing 116 total points thus far through all 20 games played. Hanley has scored 48 goals and picked up 68 assists, which is a single season program record for Western New England. Hanley scored four goals while a player up, while scooping 63 ground balls, and causing 16 turnovers on the season. Hanley took 130 shots during the season, placing 73% of his shots on goal, 95 total. The New Fairfield, Connecticut native recorded at least one point in all 20 games this season and recorded at least two points in every game but one this season. 

Graduate Student Mike Bannon received All-CCC First Team honors for the fourth time in his career. Bannon was also the CCC Rookie of the Year (2019), and All-CCC First Team in 2019, 2021, and 2022. On the season, the Edmond, Oklahoma native scored 41 goals and assisted on 32 goals, grabbing 73 points on the year. Bannon broke the career points record in Western New England men's lacrosse history, which was a record held since 2007 by Adam Cherry (267 points). Bannon now has 279 points throughout his career, scoring 138 goals and picking up 141 assists. In 2023, Bannon scooped 30 ground balls while causing three turnovers, taking 117 shots, shooting 80 times on goal. 

Senior defender Anthony Gamba earns his third All-CCC recognition of his career, earning his second All-CCC First Team honors. Gamba played in 17 games this season for the Golden Bears, making all 17 starts. The Oyster Bay, New York native registered his first career collegiate assist against No. 7 Saint Lawrence University. Gamba scooped 28 ground balls this season while causing a career high 25 turnovers, which included a career best four caused turnovers twice, one against Nazareth College and the other against Springfield College. Over his four-year career, Gamba has caused 49 turnovers through 52 games played. 

First Year Jack Gara also joins his teammates on the All-CCC First Team list. Gara was impressive over his 20 games played with Western New England this season to earn a spot on the First Team. Gara scooped 62 ground balls this season, fourth most on the team and tops amongst defenseman for WNE. Gara also caused 19 turnovers, including causing four turnovers during the championship week for Western New England. Gara collected six games of causing two turnovers while scooping a career best six ground balls in a win over the University of New England during the regular season.

Sophomore midfielder Zachary Mein earned his first CCC acknowledgement of his career, being named to the All-CCC Second Team. Mein played in all 20 games this season for Western New England, scoring 28 goals while picking up ten assists, good for 38 points on the year. Mein contributed heavily for Western New England down the stretch and into the playoffs, scoring 18 goals in his final eight games of the season. Mein helped Western New England on their playoff stretch run by scoring eight goals and picked up three assists to help guide WNE to back-to-back championships. Mein scooped 11 ground balls on the season and caused six turnovers. 

Joining Mein on the All-CCC Second team is defenseman Michael Knapp. Knapp put together a career year, playing in 18 games for Western New England. Knapp scored his first career goal against Curry College (April 4), scoring two goals while picking up three assists on the season. Knapp scooped 33 ground balls during the year while causing 20 turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. The Wellington, Florida native put together a goal, five ground balls and four caused turnovers in a 15-12 win over Salve Regina during the regular season (April 18). Knapp took three shots during the season, placing all three shots on goal. 

Short-stick midfielder TJ Dalicandro earned his first All-CCC selection after playing in 16 games for the Golden Bears, making 14 starts. Dalicandro scooped 38 ground balls for Western New England this season while causing 14 turnovers. Dalicandro opened the season by scooping a combined ten ground balls while causing four turnovers against Keene State and Coast Guard Academy. 

Sophomore attack Jack Houlden was named to the All-CCC Third Team after putting up 70 points for the Golden Bears this season. Houlden made starts in 18 games for Western New England, tallying 57 goals, a team high as well as a CCC best, while also recording 13 assists on the season. Houlden notched 15 goals in the 3-0 championship week for Western New England, including four goals in the CCC Championship game against Endicott. Houlden is just six goals away from the single season career goals record for the Golden Bears. The Peabody, Massachusetts native scooped 34 ground balls for WNE this season while causing six turnovers. Houlden took 116 shots, placing 90 on goal. 

Graduate Student midfielder Noah Rust earns his third All-CCC honors, earning an All-CCC Third Team distinction this season. Rust, the sole captain for Western New England this season, collected 16 goals while assisting on ten others, collecting 26 points on the season. Rust grabbed 13 ground balls on the season while causing five turnovers. The Windham, New Hampshire native took 47 shots on the season, putting 33 on goal.

Senior goalkeeper Carter Randall earned his second All-CCC destinction, picking up All-CCC Third team for 2023. Randall played in 12 games for the Golden Bears this season, collecting an astonishing 11-1 record. Seven of 12 starts for Randall came with double digit saves, including a 17 save effort in a win over Salve Regina University (April 18). Randall came around with 16 saves in the CCC Championship win for the Golden Bears at Endicott while allowing just nine goals to the Gulls. Randall put together a 9.20 GAA on the season while making 132 saves, dotting a 56.2 save percentage. 

After securing the CCC Championship, the Western New England men's lacrosse team received an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships and drew No. 17 Union College in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Second Round. The Golden Bears are 5-3 all-time against the Dutchmen. Union defeated WNE last season in the same setting, at the NCAA Championships in the third round. The Dutchmen advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships a year ago before falling just short, 12-10, to eventual champions RIT. To view the tournament page for the 2023 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships at Union College, click here.