Weis, Randolph Earn Player of Month
SPARKS, Md. – After leading their teams through April and to the 2019 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour, South Carolina sophomore attackman Sam Weis and North Florida senior midfielder Jason Randolph have been named the US Lacrosse MCLA Player of the Month in Divisions I and II, respectively.
South Carolina was a perfect 8-0 in April, including a run of three games in the SELC tournament in which the Gamecocks knocked off the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the country on the way to a title. Weis was in the thick of all of it, accumulating 30 goals along with eight assists.
The Charleston, S.C., product had a hat trick in seven of the eight games while dropping seven each on No. 18 Clemson and No. 3 Liberty.
"Sam Weis exemplifies the beauty of lacrosse,” said South Carolina coach James Harkey. “He’s one of eight South Carolina guys on our roster, all of whom contribute. Lacrosse continues to grow in popularity all over our country and the whole Southeast will become a hotbed of college lacrosse recruiting at all levels.
“Not only is Sam a great individual talent, but a phenomenal glue guy. Sam had really come into his own as a vocal leader on the field in the latter half of the season."
North Florida was unblemished in April thanks to the play of its dangerous midfielder. During a 5-0 month, Randolph scored 16 goals and dished out five assists as the Ospreys qualified for nationals for the first time in program history.
In the SELC tournament, which UNF won for the first time, Randolph struck for five points (3g, 2a) against UNC-Charlotte in the semifinals before roasting Kennesaw State for another five (4g, 1a).
"Jason has grown exponentially this season, both as a player and as a person,” said North Florida coach Tucker Clancy. “He and his teammates have developed a great chemistry. He is not only exploiting his opportunities, but he is sharing those opportunities when teams collapse on him. As a coach, it is exciting to see a player develop and grow as he has this season."
For their efforts, both Weis and Randolph will receive a one-year membership to US Lacrosse, the national governing body of the sport. Membership includes on-the-field insurance coverage, discounted tickets and apparel, along with a subscription to US Lacrosse Magazine.
US Lacrosse MCLA Monthly Honor Roll
Division I
Nick Gilbert, Sr., Midfield – Oregon
Parker Halaburda, Jr., Faceoff – Chapman
Conrad McEvoy, Jr., Attack – Georgia Tech
C.J. Nichols, Sr., Midfield – Liberty
Sean Young, Sr., Midfield – New Hampshire
Division II
Berklee Baskin, Sr., Goalie – Utah State
Brett Dolan, Soph., Attack – Rhode Island
Dom Piombo, Jr., Long-stick Midfield – UC Davis
Raphael Vargas, Jr., Attack – Northern Arizona