Havalchak, Britts Selected In Major League Lacrosse Draft
Jun 01 | Men's Lacrosse
FAIRFIELD, CT - Two members of the Rutgers men's lacrosse team -- goalie Greg Havalchak (Corning, NY) and midfielder Devon Britts (Scottsville, VA) - were selected in Wednesday night's Major League Lacrosse Draft. Havalchak went to the Baltimore Bayhawks with the 32nd overall pick (fourth round) while the Los Angeles Riptide snatched Britts with the 45th selection (fifth round).
Havalchak and Britts bring the number of Rutgers players on active MLL rosters to four. They join Nick Schmidt (2000-2003) of the Los Angeles Riptide and the Long Island Lizzards' Keith Cromwell (1998-2001). Cromwell is RU's all-time leading scorer with 266 points (152 goals, 114 assists). Delby Powless, who scored 63 goals in his 29-game career (2003-04), was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2004 National Lacrosse League Draft by the Buffalo Bandits.
A four-year starter, Havalchak played in 55 career games and finished with a 7.91 goals-against average, .600 save percentage and 663 saves. His 663 saves are the second most in school history, behind only John Kidon (1992-95). He graduated with a resume that includes back-to-back ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors (2003, 2004). This season, he ranked in the Top 10 nationally in goals-against average (7.44) and save percentage (.616) while making 16 or more saves in a game four times. He was a two-time ECAC Defensive Player of the Week, winning the honor for the final time after a 21-save effort against eventual NCAA finalist Massachusetts on May 6.
Havalchak burst onto the scene as a freshman, finishing with 188 saves and a 7.64 goals-against average as Rutgers went 10-5 overall and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Inside Lacrosse Magazine named him as the Freshman of the Year as he ranked fourth nationally in save percentage (.627) and 12th in goals-against average. In his sophomore campaign, he was a second-team All-America selection and one of 15 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy as college lacrosse's top player. He had a .628 save percentage and 7.35 goals-against average in once against leading the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Tournament.
Britts, regarded as one of Rutgers' best all-around athletes, played in 51 career games and finished with 21 goals and seven assists. He was the Scarlet Knights' fourth-leading scorer in 2006 with 16 points (11 G, 5 A) and also led the team with three game-winning goals. Britts saw major statistical improvements in nearly all categories as a senior, increasing his point total (7 - 2005, 16 - 2006), goals scored (6 - 2005, 11 - 2006), assists (1 - 2005, 5 - 2006) and shots (25 - 2005, 66 - 2006).
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was successfully launched in June 2001 as a single entity ownership structure to showcase the best professional outdoor lacrosse in the world. MLL was founded by Jake Steinfeld with founding partners Dave Morrow, Tim Robertson and Jim Davis. In 2006, the MLL expanded to include the Chicago Machine, Denver Outlaws, Los Angeles Riptide and San Francisco Dragons. The new teams will form the Western Conference while the six original teams - Baltimore Bayhawks, Boston Cannons, Long Island Lizards, New Jersey Pride, Philadelphia Barrage and Rochester Rattlers - are members of the Eastern Conference. Rutgers' Yurcak Field is currently in its first season as the full-time home for the New Jersey Pride.
Rutgers finished 5-9 overall in 2006 but played in six one-goal games, winning just two of those contests. The Scarlet Knights featured as many as six freshmen in its lineup against a schedule that included games against four NCAA Tournament teams, two of which advanced to the Final Four (Syracuse, Massachusetts). RU will return eight of 10 starters next spring and add a talented freshman class.
