Tatro and Driscoll Highlight Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Honorees
LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE OFFICIAL RELEASE
SALEM, Mass. - The Salem State men's lacrosse team claimed a total of four awards in this year's Little East Conference (LEC) postseason awards, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Headlining the group was sophomore James Tatro (Byfield, Mass.), who was named LEC Rookie of the Year. Tatro is the first Viking to be named Rookie of the Year in program history.
In addition, head coach Stephen Driscoll was named Coach of the Year in the conference for the first time in his career. Additionally, two Vikings were named to Second Team All-LEC, and one received honorable mention.
Driscoll earned coach of the year honors after guiding the Vikings to an overall record of 8-7. It was the first time since 2013 that the Vikings finished with a winning record, and the wins are the second most in program history. During his tenure with Salem, he has now had three seasons with five or more wins. On the year, Driscoll and his staff had the Vikings ranked within the top-five in goals per game (13.47-third), goals (202-fourth), assists (118-fourth), and assists per game (7.87-third).
Along with being named Rookie of the Year, Tatro also earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. In his first year with the Vikings, Tatro put up big numbers, leading the team in goals (43) and shots (69) while tying for the team lead in points (55). In terms of the conference, he led the LEC in numerous offensive categories, including goals per game (3.58), points per game (4.58), and shots per game (10.08). Tatro is also just one of two LEC student-athletes to rank within the top-50 of the NCAA in goals (46th). In program history, his 44 goals and 55 points this year have him ranked third and ninth, respectively. Throughout the year, Tatro was named Rookie of the Week three times and Player of the Week once. He was also named to the NEILA DIII Team of the Week twice.
Joining Tatro on the LEC All-Conference Second Team is Jaxon Thomas (Beverly, Mass.). In his first year playing lacrosse, Thomas was a key contributor to Salem's defense. He led all Salem defenders with 35 caused turnovers and scooped up 48 groundballs, ranking third on the team. He also chipped in three goals on the offensive end, which led all Vikings defensive student-athletes. Thomas played a role in a Salem defense that allowed just 176 goals (sixth in the conference) and had a penalty-killing percentage of .691, also sixth in the conference.
Finally, Connor Vittands (Gloucester, Mass.) earned a spot on the honorable mention list. Vittands had a solid third year for Salem, setting multiple new career-highs in goals (33), assists (22), points (55), groundballs (25), and shots (117). On the team, he led in assists and tied for points while finishing third in goals. In the LEC, he ranked within the top-10 in goals per game (2.36-ninth), assists (third), points per game (3.93)-third), and shots per game (8.36-second). Earlier in the year, he was ranked Offensive Player of the Week once.