Bradman named Division III National Midfielder of the Year; eight Sea Gulls garner All-American honors

BALTIMORE, Md. – For the fourth straight year and 10th time in men's lacrosse program history, a Salisbury University midfielder has been named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) National Midfielder of the Year. This year's recipient is SU sophomore midfielder Sam Bradman (Canton, N.Y.).

Bradman joins an elite group of SU midfielders that have claimed National Midfielder of the Year honors. Dan Mergott first claimed the honor in 1995, before Chris Turner ('99, 2000), Andy Murray ('03, '04), Justin Smith ('05) and Kylor Berkman ('07, '08, '09) all received the distinction.

Bradman has played in all 22 games this season with three starts and has a team-high 85 points entering this Sunday's national championship contest with Tufts University. The Canton, N.Y., native has scored a team-high 58 goals this season, including two game-winners. Bradman tallied his 27th assist of the season on the overtime goal in Salisbury's 14-13 win over Stevenson University on Sunday which advanced SU to the national championship game for the 12th time in program history. The sophomore has scooped up 42 ground balls and caused 24 turnovers this season.

The No. 2 Sea Gulls (21-1) had a total of eight All-Americans which increases their impressive total to 179 All-Americans in program history. Bradman was named to the first team for the first time in his two-year career.

Senior midfielder Mike Von Kamecke (Winter Park, Fla.), senior midfielder Connor Burgasser (Mendon, N.Y.), junior goalkeeper Johnny Rodriguez (Gambrills, Md.) and junior defender Collin Tokosch (Arnold, Md.) were all named to the second team. Sophomore attackman Matt Cannone (Bayport, N.Y.), senior attackman Jake DeLillo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and senior midfielder Ryan Finch (Finksburg, Md.) were all named honorable mention All-Americans.

This marks the third straight season that Von Kamecke has garnered All-American honors after earning honorable mention accolades in '08 and '09. The Winter Park, Fla., native is third on the team in points with 70, as he has scored 40 goals and dished out 30 assists. Von Kamecke has scored one game-winning goal, scooped up 20 ground balls and caused nine turnovers this season.

Burgasser was named an All-American for the first time in his four-year career. The Mendon, N.Y., native has played in every game this season with 20 starts. Burgasser has totaled six points this season on one goal and five assists. Additionally he has caused a team-high 44 turnovers and is third on the team in ground balls with 48.  

Johnny Rodriguez earns All-American honors in his second season with the Sea Gulls as he has posted a 19-1 record this season. The Gambrills, Md., native has logged over 1,000 minutes this season as he has played and started in all 22 games. Rodriguez has posted a 7.00 goals against average while staving off 179 saves. Additionally, he has scored one goal, scooped up 72 ground balls and caused 12 turnovers.

Tokosch received All-American honors for the first time in his three-year career. The Arnold, Md., native has played in 22 games and started 21 of those contests for the No. 2-ranked Sea Gulls. Tokosch scooped up 37 ground balls, caused 35 turnovers and scored his first collegiate goal this season.

This is the second consecutive season that Cannone has been named an All-American honorable mention. The Bayport, N.Y., native has played in 22 games with 21 starts and is second on the team in points with 84; the sophomore has scored 51 goals and dished out 33 assists. Cannone has one scored one game-winning goal, scooped up 34 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers.

DeLillo and Finch garner honorable mention All-American honors for the first time in their final seasons of play. DeLillo has played and started in 21 games and totaled 63 points on 42 goals and 21 assists. The Yorktown Heights, N.Y., native has scored two game-winning goals, scooped up 32 ground balls and caused two turnovers this season.

Finch has played in 20 games this season with 19 starts as the primary face-off man for the Sea Gulls. The Finksburg, Md., native has won 204-of-336 face-offs (.607 winning percentage) and has scooped up a team-high 141 ground balls. Finch has totaled 12 points this season on seven goals and five assists.

SU head coach Jim Berkman has coached 150 All-Americans in his 22 seasons at the helm for the Sea Gulls. This marks the fifth time during coach Berkman's reign that eight players have earned All-American honors in the same season. The other four years that eight SU student-athletes earned All-American honors were '94, '99, '05 and '06.