(Story courtesy of Colorado College Athletic Communications)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Senior defender Billy Hutchison became the first Colorado College men's lacrosse player to earn a spot on an All-America team, while eight Tigers and the CC coaching staff scored all-region recognition from the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association after helping the team reach the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship for the first time in program history.
Hutchison, a second-team All-American, also was named the Region 5 Defensive Player of the Year as well as a first-team all-region selection. He tied for second on the team with 13 caused turnovers and finished sixth with 33 ground balls, both of which were career highs.
The two-time captain anchored CC's man-down unit that ranked 22nd nationally among Division III programs with a .825 success rate and led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 10.15 goals-against average.
Hutchison, a four-year starter who played nearly every defensive position, finished his career ranked No. 11 in program history with 33 caused turnovers and No. 21 with 83 ground balls.
Anders Erickson, who was named the region's Offensive Player of the Year, tied for 20th in Division III averaging 2.75 assists per game and finished 31st with an average of 5.38 points per outing. The junior attackman led the Tigers with 42 goals, 44 assists and 86 points, and became just the second player in program history to record 40 or more goals and assists in the same season. His point and assist totals rank third on the program's single-season lists, while his goal total is tied for 14th.
Erickson was named the MVP of the SCAC Championship after recording five goals and six assists during the 31-11 victory over Southwestern University. He set the tournament and championship-game record with 11 points and shared the mark for assists with junior attackman Elliot Nelson.
Also earning first-team all-region honors are senior defender Isaac Atencio, junior long-stick midfielder Sam DiMaio, junior short-stick defensive midfielder Charlie Gans and sophomore midfielder Dylan Wells.
Atencio led the Tigers with 17 caused turnovers and finished seventh with 28 ground balls. He recorded a season-high four caused turnovers and four ground balls at No. 5 University of Lynchburg on April 25, and scored a goal at eventual national champion RIT in the quarterfinal of the NCAA Tournament.
DiMaio finished third on the team with 39 ground balls and tied for sixth with eight ground balls, both of which were career highs. He grabbed a career-best six ground balls in the 18-16 win at Southern Virginia University. DiMaio also set personal highs with five goals, three assists and eight points.
Gans was a force for the Tigers at both ends of the field. He tied for seventh on the team with seven caused turnovers and picked up 10 ground balls. In transition, he produced the first six points of his career with four goals and a pair of assists.
Wells finished the season ranked third on the team with 15 assists, fourth with 32 points and sixth with 17 goals, each of which were career highs. He scored a season-best three goals in the 20-12 win over Transylvania University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded a goal and two assists against both Centre College and RIT.
Sophomore midfielder Jack Haims and freshman goaltender Ben Anastos were named second-team all-region selections.
Haims ranked fourth on the team with 22 goals, fifth with 31 points and tied for fifth with nine assists, all of which are career highs. He produced five points with three goals and a pair of assists in the 12-11 overtime victory at No. 5 Christopher Newport, and recorded four goals and five points in the NCAA Tournament win at Center College.
Anastos started 15 of 17 games and posted a 10.45 GAA and .500 saves percentage that included four games against top-four opponents and both teams that played for the Division III national championship.
He made double-digit saves on five occasions, including 14 during the loss at No. 4 Salisbury, the 12-11 overtime victory at No. 5 Christopher Newport and the 19-13 loss at No. 3 RIT in the national quarterfinal game of the NCAA Tournament.
Last but not least, CC was recognized as Coaching Staff of the Year for leading the Tigers to a 13-4 record, their first victory over an opponent ranked in the top five of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's (USILA) Division III Poll, and the program's first appearance in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.
Colorado College's coaching staff consists of head coach Sean Woods, assistant coach Scott Popelar, assistant coach Chris Maves, assistant coach Nicola Bevacqua and assistant coach Ira Huff.
