Date: May 28, 2002
Contact: Brian Laubscher (540) 463-8676
Release: Upon Receipt

W&L PLACES FOUR ON USILA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Kontargyris Named To Second Team; Conners Named To Third Team

Senior Defenseman Eric Kontargyris

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The 2002 USILA Division III Men's Lacrosse All-America teams have been announced and Washington and Lee claimed four players on the list, including senior defenseman Eric Kontargyris (Woodstock, Vt./Loomis Chaffee) and junior defenseman Matt Conners (Burke, Va./Robinson), who were named to the second and third teams, respectively.

Additionally, senior attackman Andrew Barnett (Darien, Conn./Darien) and junior midfielder Tom Melanson (Baltimore, Md./Loyola) were named to the honorable mention squad.

Kontargyris garnered second team honors after earning First Team All-ODAC accolades and spearheading a W&L defense which allowed an average of just 5.95 goals per game. He has been selected to play in the 2002 North-South All-Star game and was an Honorable Mention All-America selection by 360Lacrosse.com following the 2001 campaign.

Conners, a long-stick midfield specialist, also earned First Team All-ODAC honors during the 2002 season. He tallied one assist and collected 73 ground balls in helping the Generals' defense rank among the Top 5 in Division III in scoring defense.

Barnett earned First Team All-ODAC honors this season after placing second on the team with 47 points on 33 goals and 14 assists. In addition, he has also been selected to play in the North-South All-Star game. He ends his career with 118 points, the 23rd highest total in W&L history.

Melanson earned honorable mention honors for the second consecutive season after recording eight goals and one assist. He also won 61.4 percent of his faceoffs (172-108) en route to garnering Second Team All-ODAC laurels. Melanson will enter his senior season with a 588-268 (.687) career record on faceoffs.

Washington and Lee finished the 2002 season with a 14-4 overall record and a No. 5 ranking in the final USILA Division III poll. The Generals claimed the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals before falling to eventual national runner-up Gettysburg College.

-- GENERALS --