St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Earns Three All-BIG EAST Team Selections
5/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
BIG EAST Official Announcement
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's redshirt senior attackman Eric DeJohn was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, while redshirt senior midfielder James Bonanno and sophomore attackman Jason DeBenedictis were awarded second team honors, as announced by the BIG EAST Conference office on Tuesday afternoon. This marks the fifth season in a row that at least three members of the St. John's lacrosse team have been named to the All-Conference teams.
DeJohn makes his second appearance on the All-BIG EAST First Team in as many years, as the attackman became the fourth player in program history to earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades in 2015. Bonanno and DeBenedictis collect their first all-conference accolades after impressive campaigns as important members of the Red Storm's offense.
"We are very proud of all three guys, and very pleased that the coaches in the conference recognized their impact on the field," said Head Coach Jason Miller. "I'm really happy for Eric to be named twice to the first team. James has been our work horse for two years now, and Jason did a great job of adapting to a different role this year. I couldn't be more proud of the three of them."
In his third and final season with the Red Storm, DeJohn solidified himself as one of the most prolific scorers in St. John's history. The Syracuse, N.Y., native finished the regular-season ranked third in the conference in points per game (4.00), first in assists per game (1.91), and sixth in goals per game (2.09). His 4.00 points per game rank tied for 15th-best in NCAA Division I, while his 1.91 assists per game ranks 19th and his 2.09 goals per game puts him in the top-50 for that category. The attackman was honored several times by the BIG EAST including two BIG EAST Weekly Honor Rolls nods and one BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week selection. Throughout the season, DeJohn notched four or more points in seven of 11 contests in which he played and finished with a team-leading 44 points on 23 goals and 21 assists.
DeJohn's senior campaign was a memorable one as the attackman successfully penciled his name into the St. John's record books. In three years and 38 career-appearances, DeJohn scored 115 points on 63 goals and 52 assists. During St. John's thrilling last-minute victory over Siena on March 5, DeJohn became just the eighth player in program history to join the prestigious 40-40 club, scoring 40 goals and 40 assists throughout a career. DeJohn's 115 career-points puts him eighth all-time in school history and his 52 assists rank fifth. In January the attackman became just the sixth St. John's lacrosse player to be selected in the Major League Collegiate Lacrosse Draft as the attackman was selected by the Rochester Rattlers in the seventh round.
As a speedy, aggressive midfielder, Bonanno played the role of "quarterback" for the Red Storm's attack for much of 2016. The redshirt senior co-captain tallied the third-highest point total on the team this season (22) on 14 goals and eight assists. Bonanno made his impact on the team since his first day on campus, as the redshirt season appeared in every contest throughout his four years, including starting every game this season. The Wantagh, N.Y., native made his impact both on and off the field, and was honored by the St. John's Athletic Department with The Francis A. McCall Memorial Award during the 2016 Athletic Awards Banquet. This award is given to the player on the men's lacrosse team that is looked upon as the biggest role model both on and off the field.
DeBenedictis, a sophomore attackman, enjoyed a breakout 2016 campaign in which he led the Red Storm in goals scored with 33 and was second on the team in point with 40. The Holbrook, N.Y., native added seven assists and led the team with six man-up goals. DeBenedictis notched 2.36 goals per game throughout his sophomore campaign, which ranked fifth in the BIG EAST and 29th in NCAA Division I. His three man-up goals in conference play placed him tied for first in the BIG EAST. While playing an important role in the offense as an explosive shot taker in front of the net, DeBenedictis notched seven hat tricks and enjoyed two career-high six-point games. In March, DeBenedictis was named to his first-career BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after registering eight goals and two assists during a 1-1 week for the Johnnies. He also enjoyed a career-high five goal game against Villanova on April 23.
2016 Postseason Men's Lacrosse All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Offensive Player of the Year
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver, Jr., A
Defensive Players of the Year
Liam Byrnes, Marquette, Grad Student, D
Co-Midfielders of the Year
Trevor Baptiste, Denver, So., FOS
Jack Curran, Villanova, Sr., M
Goalkeeper of the Year
Alex Ready, Denver, Fr.
Freshman of the Year
Daniel Bucaro, Georgetown, Fr., A
Coaching Staff of the Year
Denver (Head Coach Bill Tierney)
All-BIG EAST First Team *
Tate Boyce, Providence, GK
Alex Ready, Denver, GK
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver, Jr. A ^
Ryan McNamara, Marquette, Jr., A ^
Eric DeJohn, St. John's, RS-Sr., A
Jake Froccaro, Villanova, Jr., A ^
Zach Miller, Denver, Jr., M ^
Tyler Pace, Denver, Jr., M ^
Jack Curran, Villanova, Sr., M ^
Christian Burgdorf, Denver, Jr., D ^
Liam Byrnes, Marquette, Grad., D
Jarrod Neumann, Providence, Jr., D^
Trevor Baptiste, Denver, So., FOS ^
Sean Mayle, Denver, So., LSM
Charlie Ford, Georgetown, Jr., LSM
All-BIG EAST Second Team ** (listed alphabetically)
Cole Blazer, Marquette, So., GK
Jack Bobzien, Denver, Sr., A
James Bonanno, St. John's, RS-Sr., M
Daniel Bucaro, Georgetown, Fr., A
Joe Bucci, Georgetown, Grad., M
Jason DeBenedictis, St. John's, So., A
Joey Froccaro, Villanova, Jr., M
Conor Gately, Marquette, Sr., A
B.J. Grill, Marquette, Grad., D
Devin McNamara, Villanova, Jr., A
Will Mazzone, Providence, Sr., A
Zachary Melillo, Marquette, So., FOS
John Moderski, Villanova, Sr., D
Mike Perettine, Providence, Sr., M
Jacob Richard, Marquette, Sr., SSDM
* - due to a tie in voting, there are two first team goalkeepers and two longstick midfielders making up a 15-member all-conference team. There will be no LSM represented on the All-BIG EAST second team
^ - denotes unanimous selection
** - there are 15 members on the All-BIG EAST Second Team due to a tie in the at-large voting process
