CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is excited to announce the 2019 Men's Lacrosse Offensive, Defensive, Rookie, and Coach of the Year awards as well as the 2019 All-Conference teams. These awards were nominated and voted on by conference coaches.

Offensive Player of the Year - Stephen Panno, Oneonta

Panno, a senior attacker from Holtsville, started all 16 games for the Red Dragons and totaled 57 points on 49 goals and eight assists. In the 2017-18 season, Stephen was selected to the SUNYAC All-Conference second team, but upped his performance this year and has been selected to the SUNYAC All-Conference first team. He was able to illuminate the scoreboard in more games than one, scoring six in the team's opener against Bard College, five against Skidmore, and an impressive nine against Potsdam. 

Defensive Player of the Year - Kyle Smith, Plattsburgh
Smith, a long-stick midfielder from Holbrook, was a force in the midfield and was able to tally 86 ground balls and cause 17 turnovers in 16 games for the Cardinals this year. He was named to the SUNYAC All-Conference first team for his performances this year. The criminal justice major and the rest of the team's season unfortunately ended with a tough last second loss to Geneseo in the SUNYAC tournament, but the Cardinals will be happy to have their midfield general back for another year. 

Rookie of the Year - Marc Esposito, Cortland

Esposito had a breakout first season for the Red Dragons and led them in goal to a victory in the SUNYAC Championship. Esposito made 109 saves on the year, had a 7.09 goals against average, and a .634 save percentage. The West Babylon native has also been named to the SUNYAC All-Conference first team. Esposito played all 60 minutes in the championship game while making four saves, earning the Red Dragons another title. The freshman goalie will look to hold down the net for Cortland next season. 

Coach of the Year - Steve Beville, Cortland

Beville, in his 13th season as head coach of the Red Dragons, was able to lead his team to their 26th overall SUNYAC title beating Geneseo 13-9. He earned the honor last year as well and Cortland also won the SUNYAC Championship. The win against Geneseo improved the team's record to 14-4 and earned the Red Dragons an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament. Beville has won more than 200 games during his time at Cortland.

2019 Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams (VIEW PDF)