LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Anders Erickson of Colorado College was voted the Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Billy Hutchison of Colorado College and Will Thompson of Southwestern University were selected the league’s Co-Defensive Players-of-the-Year in exclusive 2021 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) voting by the conference’s head coaches. Complete Release
In the same balloting, Hudson Bearden of Southwestern University was named the conference’s Specialist-of-the-Year, Ben Anastos of Colorado College and Jordan Cook of Centenary College earned Co-Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, while CC head coach Sean Woods was selected SCAC Coach-of-the-Year.
As for the All-SCAC team, Colorado College earned a league-high 10 First Team selections while Southwestern followed with four.
Erickson, a junior attacker from Lone Tree, Colo. led the league in nearly every offensive category in pacing CC to a league best 242 team goals. He finished first in goals (34), assists (36), points (70), points-per-game (5.38) and goals-per-game (2.62) through 13 games this season. He also finished second in both shots (81) and shots on goal (53) and his two game-winning-goals on the year is currently tied for second place. A three-time SCAC Offensive-Player-of-the-Week, Erickson scored two or more goals on eight different occasions this year, highlighted by a seven-goal, four-assist effort in a 22-8 win against Adams St. on March 6th. He also dished out three or more assists in eight games this season, led by a season-high six helpers in the Tigers’ SCAC Tournament Championship victory over Southwestern on May 2nd. Historically, Erickson’s 5.38 points-per-game this season is tied for the second-best single season in SCAC history, and his 70 total points is the eighth most in a single season in league history. Erickson is the third Colorado College student-athlete to earn Offensive Player-of-the-Year recognition, joining Steve Rijo (2013) and Carson Christman (2010).
Thompson, a sophomore defender from Houston, Texas was the backbone of the Pirates’ defensive unit that allowed a league low 119 goals and posted a goals-against-average of 9.92 which was good enough for second best in the SCAC. His 17 caused turnovers placed him tops in the SCAC and his 27 collected ground balls finished tied for seventh overall in the conference. Four different times Thompson caused two or more turnovers in a game, led by his five caused turnover performance in a 27-3 win over Centenary on April 2nd. Thompson anchored a defense that held opponents to five goals or less on five different times during the season which set the mark for all SCAC squads and he helped lead a Pirates backline that averaged 10.75 caused turnovers per game, also an SCAC best. Thompson is the first-ever Southwestern Pirate to be acknowledged as SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year in program history.
Hutchinson, a senior defender from Westport, Conn., and SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week for week five, was named SCAC Tournament Defensive MVP after guiding Colorado College to its sixth league title in program history back on May 2nd. He solidified a defensive unit that allowed 9.69 goals-per-game and produced an 84.3 percent success rate in penalty killing with just eight goals allowed in 51 attempts, all marks that ranked best in the SCAC. Individually, Hutchison caused 12 turnovers (7th in SCAC) and accumulated 27 ground balls (T-7th in SCAC) in 13 games, while contributing in the offensive zone with four goals from his defensive position. He hit his high-water mark with four ground balls on two separate occasions, first in a 13-12 loss to Colorado Mesa on March 29th and then again in the 31-11 SCAC Tournament championship victory over Southwestern. Hutchinson is the fifth different Colorado College student-athlete to earn Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors, joining Zach Hoisington (2010, 11), Zach Pierce (2012), Chase Murphy (2013, 14) and Jack Ammons (2019).
Bearden, a junior from Aledo, Texas, was named the league’s Specialist-of-the-Year after controlling opponents in the faceoff X throughout the season, winning 194-of-241 total attempts for a remarkable .805 average (currently second in the nation). Bearden also added a league best 124 ground balls in 10 games played for an average of 12.40 ground balls-per-game, marks that are both currently ranked top 10 in the country. His ground balls-per-game sets a new SCAC single-season record, and his 124 total ground balls is the fourth best single season mark in league history. He also added three goals and two assists for five total points to his resume. A two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week, Bearden is the first-ever Southwestern student-athlete to earn the Specialist-of-the-Year accolade.
Anastos, a first-year goalkeeper from Concord, Mass., made an immediate impact for Colorado College this year, starting a league-high 12 games in the cage for the Tigers. He is currently first in the SCAC in wins (9) and second in saves (114), goals-against-average (9.94) and minutes played (633:51) and third in save percentage (52.1). A two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week, Anastos registered eight or more saves in seven games and posted double-digit saves in four contests. He twice recorded his season-high with 18 saves, first in a 18-8 win against Colorado St.-Pueblo on March 15th and then again in an 18-16 win at Southern Virginia on April 2nd. Anastos is the second Colorado College student-athlete to earn Newcomer-of-the-Year, joining Jack McCormick who took home the honor is 2014.
Cook, a first-year attacker from Bryant Ark., led Centenary in goals (15), shots (72) and shots-on-goal (37), good enough to tie for eighth, fourth and seventh, respectively, in the SCAC. He finished tied for second in points for the Gents with 18, ranking him tied for 15th in the SCAC. He also added three assists to his rookie resume to finish tied for third on his Centenary squad. Three times this year Cook rang up multiple goals in a game, including a career-high five in an 18-8 win over Dallas on his way to being named SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week. Cook is the first player from Centenary to earn the league’s Newcomer-of-the-Year honor and his recognition is the first major award honor for the Gents program.
Finally, Colorado College head coach Sean Woods was named SCAC Men’s Lacrosse Coach-of-the-Year for the third time (2019, 2013) in his career after guiding the Tigers to their sixth SCAC Tournament title with a 31-11 victory over Southwestern on May 2nd. After leading this year’s squad to an 11-3 record, Woods, in his nine-year tenure at CC, has compiled an overall mark of 107-41, including a perfect 21-0 mark in regular season competition against fellow SCAC opponents. Earlier this month CC received an at-large berth into 31-team NCAA Div. III National Tournament, which will be the program’s eight national appearance and seventh under Woods. The No. 16/14 Tigers will face Transylvania University in a first-round game on Saturday, May 15, at 11 a.m. MT in Danville, Ky.
Woods is now the only three-time SCAC Men’s Lacrosse Coach-of-the-Year honoree in the history of the sport.
To view the entire 2021 All-SCAC Men's Lacrosse team, click here.
