Sanders, Serrell Named Players of Month
ATLANTA – After leading their respective teams to success last month with dominant performances, Cal Poly’s sophomore attackman Ryan Sanders and Montana State’s junior attackman Jonathan Serrell have been named the MCLA March Players of the Month presented by Lacrosse Specialties.
Cal Poly was a perfect 6-0 in March thanks in large part to the play of the Alamo, Calif., product. Over the winning streak, Sanders scored 27 goals while dishing out 13 assists. He’s most clutch performance came in the triumph against No. 13 California when he struck for five markers along with a trio of helpers.
For the season, Sanders has posted 43 goals along with 16 assists and 23 ground balls for the No. 15 Mustangs.
“It truly is amazing to see just how much impact a player can have on a game,” said Cal Poly coach Morgan Weireter. “Ryan competes against every team's best defensive player, and he is still able to score at will.
“What separates Ryan from a lot of players with talent is that he is never satisfied. He is always pushing himself and his teammates to get better. There is not a single day that Ryan isn't the first one to the field, working on something."
"I sometimes forget that Ryan is only a sophomore because of the things this kid is able to do. Ryan has developed into that dual threat, not only being able to score multiple times each game, but finding his teammates and allowing us to score from anywhere on the field.”
Montana State also had a 6-0 March, bolstered significantly by the play of the Draper, Utah, native. In those six contests, Serrell amassed 23 goals along with nine assists.
In ranked victories against Utah State, Northern Arizona and Montana, he averaged nearly six points per game.
For the season, Serrell has 42 goals and 13 assists along with 31 ground balls.
“Jona has been electric this month,” said Montana coach Chris Kelley. “He's been finding the back of the net consistently, but also finding ways to involve his teammates in our style of play. He is a two-time captain leading by example, laying it all out there during practices and particularly on game days.
“He has had huge nights for us lately against two big rivals in USU and Montana. Particularly against the Griz, he wasn't feeling great the week leading into it, but he showed ‘Flu Jordan’ type of resilience, contributing on half of our total goals one way or another.
“Jona is relentless on the ride, too. He’s usually in on multiple caused turnovers per game, sparking the transition game. He’s one of the smartest guys on the team as well, always wanting more out of himself and his teammates.”
For earning Player of the Month honors, Wickman and Suh will receive a customized plaque from Lacrosse Specialties, the official trophy and award sponsor of the MCLA.
Lacrosse Specialties Monthly Honor Roll
Jake Halversen, Brigham Young
Karl Hedberg, San Diego State
Sterling Hupp, Texas
Keaton Mohs, Liberty
Aidan Smith, Virginia Tech
Dylan Weinberg, Florida
Division II
Keaton Bean, Northwest NazareneEthan Buskey, St. Thomas
Eric Fruge, UNC-Wilmington
Ryan Kerr, Florida Atlantic
Ian Schermerhorn, Rhode Island
Mitch Taylor, Kennesaw State