Roberts named MLC Coach of the Year, four Falcons earn MLC honors
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse head coach Jeff Roberts was named Midwest Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year, the league office announced Thursday afternoon. In addition, Danny Dahms led a list of four players who earned MLC postseason honors.
Roberts, in his second year at the helm, directed CUW to a program record nine victories and it's first-ever berth in the conference tournament. The Falcons finished the 2012 campaign with a two-win improvement in MLC play.
"I am honored that my colleagues voted for me as the MLC Coach of the Year," Roberts said. "I want to thank not only the coaches in the MLC, but also Director of Athletics Dr. Rob Barnhill and President Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry for giving me the opportunity two years ago to start the men's lacrosse program here at CUW.
"We took huge strides this season in many areas and kept improving throughout the season. We are headed in the right direction and with continued hard work we are going to do great things in the future."
Sophomore midfielder Dahms (Calgary, Alberta) was named Second Team All-MLC after leading the team in goals (33). The 5-foot-6 righty finished the season with 16 assists and scored seven times in man-up situations. It is the second year in a row the he was named All-MLC.
In addition, sophomore midfielder Justin Krause (Hartland, Wis.), freshman long-stick midfielder Ben Sitek (Edina, Minn.) and freshman attackman Derek Brueske (Hopkins, Minn.) earned MLC Honorable Mention accolades.
Krause concluded the year with a team-high-tying 19 assists and 16 goals, to go along with 44 faceoff wins. The 5-foot-10 righty had five multi-goal games and four games with three assists this season.
Sitek was crucial in helping the Falcons hold opponents to single digits in eight games. The 5-foot-10 righty picked up a season-high six ground balls in a victory over Albion College in a midseason win and ended the year with three or more ground balls in six contests.
Brueske led the team with 51 points, including 32 goals and team-high-tying 19 assists. He also scored a team-best 11 times during man-up situations. He finished the season with 10 multi-goal games, including a five goal performance during a road victory at Fontbonne University. Brueske also had 10 games with a goal and an assist.
