Ethan Rall and Brian Brecht Earn Major ECAC Awards

Jun 07 | Men's Lacrosse

Rall (Defensive Player of the Year) and Brecht (Coach of the Year) recognized by ECAC

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers men's lacrosse earned two major awards from the ECAC, the organization announced. Ethan Rall was honored as Defensive Player of the Year and Brian Brecht was named Coach of the Year.

Rall stated his claim as one of the top long-stick midfielders in the country this season, as he was named a First Team All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine and Second Team All-American by the USILA and the Inside Lacrosse media vote. A First Team All-Big Ten selection, he led the conference with a program record 31 caused turnovers. The Islip, N.Y. native notched career-highs in ground balls (51), goals (two) and assists (four). He was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Brecht led the Scarlet Knights to a historic 2022 season. With Brecht at the helm of the program, the Scarlet Knights made the program's first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Final Four. The Scarlet Knights set a new program record with 15 wins, smashing the previous record of 11. RU downed a record six ranked foes during the season (No. 10 Army, No. 19 Loyola, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 14 Harvard and No. 3 Penn), while advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game for the first time since 2016. Rutgers hosted an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2003 and defeated Harvard in front of 5,212 fans, the third largest crowd for an NCAA Tournament First Round game since 2003. RU then defeated No. 3 Penn in the NCAA Quarterfinals to match the highest ranked win in program history. Seven Scarlet Knights were named All-Americans.

The Scarlet Knights also had a total of eight players named All-ECAC. Six players were named First Team All-ECAC: Rall, Colin Kirst, Mitch Bartolo, Ross Scott, Ronan Jacoby and Shane Knobloch. Jaryd Jean-Felix and Brennan Kamish were recognized as Honorable Mention All-ECAC. No other team had more than two players on the all-ECAC teams.

Bartolo excelled in his lone season as a Scarlet Knight, posting 45 goals and 17 assists for 62 points. The Norwalk, Ct. native finished with the 5th most goals in a single-season in RU program history. A member of the Tewaaraton Award Watch List and Big Ten All-Tournament Team, he also collected 31 ground balls.

Kirst stamped himself as one of the nation's top goalkeepers as a Second Team All-American. The Bernardsville, N.J. native had a 11.08 goals-against-average, .540 save percentage and scooped 46 ground balls.

Knobloch excelled as a sophomore, following up his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign with new career-best outputs. The Moorestown, N.J. native posted 32 goals and 16 assists for 48 points, including a team-best three goals in the NCAA Quarterfinal win. He also collected 19 ground balls and six caused turnovers.

Jacoby made an instant impact after transferring to Rutgers. The Glastonbury, Ct. native produced 37 goals and 11 assists to lead the RU midfield.

Scott had a breakout season in transitioning to a new role as a starting attackman as a Third Team All-American. The West Linn, Ore. native led the Scarlet Knights in scoring, as he posted 50 goals, tied for the program's single-season record.

Jean-Felix has made an impact as the Scarlet Knights' top defenseman. The Cumming, Ga. native was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, with career-bests in caused turnovers (19) and ground balls (24).

Kamish proved himself as one of the top short-stick defensive midfielders in the nation. The Wixom, Mich. native had career-bests with 21 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers, also adding four goals and three assists.

ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men's and women's sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.