WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – Freshman William Snelders was named East Coast Conference men's lacrosse Rookie of the Year to lead a group of eight Pioneers named to the all-conference team as announced by the league office May 3.
 
Snelders was outstanding in his rookie campaign, leading Division II in goals per game, scoring over four times per contest. The local product had a record-breaking day at Roberts Wesleyan, scoring the sixth-most goals in a single-game in Division II history with 10 tallies. Snelders has scored in all 14 contests this season, including six games with four or more goals.
 
The Rookie of the Year was part of three Pioneers on the All-ECC first team, including senior Kris Alvarado and junior Connor Farrell. Named a captain as a senior, Alvarado has helped anchor a midfield unit that has assisted in holding opponents to just above eight goals per game and causing 235 turnovers. Alvarado ranks third on the team with 35 ground balls and has added a goal and two assists offensively. In the face-off circle, few have been better than Farrell in 2018. The junior has compiled over 200 face-off wins and a winning percentage just shy of 70 percent. In a win against Post, Farrell finished a perfect 23-for-23, becoming one of eight players in Division II this season to finish without a loss and at least 10 face-off wins in a game. Farrell also ranks in the top-five in ground balls per game at over 10 per contest.
 
Seniors Dylan Harned, Ryan Baker, and Eric Donahoe along with juniors Bryan Ochs and P.J. Usak all captured second team accolades. Usak has been a force on the defensive unit, leading the team with 19 caused turnovers and sitting second with 38 ground balls. Baker and Donahoe have also aided in the defensive efforts, combining for 16 caused turnovers and 48 ground balls.
 
Harned has made big contributions offensively yet again for the Pioneers as a captain in his senior season. Ranking second on team in scoring, Harned has tallied 17 goals on the year, including seven multi-goal contests.
 
Between the pipes, Ochs has had a big season after taking over the main duties as a junior. Ochs ranks second in the conference with a .558 save percentage and has compiled a league-best 8.06 goals-against average. In the regular season finale against Mercy, Ochs made a career-high 16 saves to help the Green and Gold clinch a home playoff game and most recently made nine saves to earn the win in the semifinals to lead LIU Post to a title game appearance.
 
The Pioneers will look to capture the ECC title on Saturday, May 5 when they travel to neighboring NYIT for a Battle of the Boulevard matchup beginning at 3:00 p.m.