SPARTANBURG, S.C. – High Point attackman Asher Nolting was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in voting of the league’s eight head men’s lacrosse coaches, who also tabbed Jacksonville faceoff specialist Hunter Forbes as the Defensive Player of the Year and the Dolphins’ John Galloway as SoCon Coach of the Year. The coaches also named two all-conference teams and an all-freshman squad.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players or themselves. The all-conference second team and the all-freshman team each contain one additional member due to ties in the voting.
High Point’s Nolting has rewritten the SoCon record book in his rookie year. The Greenwood Village, Colorado, native became the first player in league history to record at least 30 goals and 30 assists in the same season, matching the SoCon single-season record of 64 points with at least one more game to play. He trails teammate Connor Robinson by two for the league lead in goals with 30 and is 12 assists clear in race for the SoCon lead in that category with a single-season conference-record 34 on the year. A midseason addition to the Tewaaraton Award watch list, Nolting is also on pace to shatter a pair of the SoCon’s single-season averages, as his 4.92 points per game and 2.62 assists per game are well above the current marks. Nolting has scored at least three points in all 13 of the Panthers’ games this season, including at least one goal in each contest. He has helped High Point to a 6-7 overall record and a 6-1 league mark, leading the Panthers to a share of their first-ever SoCon regular-season title. Nolting was the runaway pick for Freshman of the Year, earning the maximum possible vote total in balloting for the all-freshman team, in addition to handily earning a spot on the all-conference first team.
Jacksonville’s Forbes has also made his mark on the SoCon record book this season. The senior from Woodstock, Georgia, is averaging 10.77 ground balls per game this season, third in NCAA Division I and easily surpassing the single-season SoCon record of 6.00 he set last year. Forbes has amassed 140 total ground balls this season, obliterating the previous league record of 95, and has reached double digits in eight games this season, highlighted by a single-game SoCon-record 18 in the Dolphins’ 16-8 win over Mercer on March 17. He has also become the league’s career leader in ground balls with 281 and assumed sole possession of the record for career ground balls per game at 6.69 this year. One of the elite faceoff specialists in the nation, Forbes’ .712 winning percentage is good for third nationally this year. He is 225-for-315 this season, putting him on pace for the league record in single-season winning percentage and giving him the career records for faceoffs won (556) and winning percentage (.610). Forbes has won at least 20 faceoffs in a game four times this season, including a single-game SoCon-record 23 in a 15-8 win over Detroit Mercy on Feb. 20. He was named to the USILA Team of the Week on Feb. 5 of this season and was one of three JU players selected in the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft in April. Forbes was the first-team All-SoCon selection at faceoff specialist, earning the maximum vote total possible. He has also scored seven points on four goals and three assists this season.
Galloway earned his first career SoCon Coach of Year honor after leading Jacksonville to a 7-6 overall record and a 5-2 mark in league play. The Dolphins, who were picked fourth in the league’s preseason poll, finished third, their best showing in the SoCon’s brief history. The second-year skipper has guided Jacksonville to a berth in the SoCon Championship for the second straight season and has the Dolphins assured of posting their second season at .500 or better in program history. The Dolphins went 8-5 in 2013 for their only winning season. Galloway has mentored five players that earned all-conference honors this season and saw two earn spots on the all-freshman team, both of which tied for the most in the league with regular-season co-champion Richmond. His squad leads the SoCon in several statistical categories, including goals per game (11.62), assists per game (6.54), points per game (18.15), ground balls per game (34.15, fourth in NCAA Division I) and faceoff winning percentage (.709, third in DI). Galloway also saw his team produce the only three SoCon players selected in the MLL Collegiate Draft in Forbes, midfielder Ryan Beville and midfielder McLean Chicquen.
Jacksonville and Richmond shared league-best honors with four first-team all-conference selections each, while Air Force and Mercer each had four second-team selections. The Dolphins’ Beville holds the distinction of being the first player to earn first-team All-SoCon honors at short stick midfielder, as that position was added to the all-conference team this season. Mercer’s Patrick Dehueck earned the second-team nod.
Three freshmen earned first-team all-conference honors, as Bellarmine goalkeeper John Hulsman and Richmond defenseman Jason Reynolds joined Nolting on the team. Richmond defender Matt Savoca and defenders Vince Lombardi of Air Force and Dixon Smith of Jacksonville were second-team selections as rookies.
The Southern Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship begins Thursday at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. No. 1 seed and tournament host Richmond will face No. 4 seed Furman at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, followed by No. 2 seed High Point vs. No. 3 seed Jacksonville at 8 p.m. The title game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. All three contests will air live on the SoCon Digital Network, with Jason Patterson and Phil Cox on the call.
Offensive Player of the Year
Asher Nolting, High Point, Fr., A
Defensive Player of the Year
Hunter Forbes, Jacksonville, Sr., FO
Freshman of the Year
Asher Nolting, High Point, A
Coach of the Year
John Galloway, Jacksonville
All-Southern Conference
First team
A Asher Nolting, High Point, Fr.
A Eric Applegate, Jacksonville, Jr.
A Teddy Hatfield, Richmond, Jr.
M William Holcomb, Furman, Jr.
M McLean Chicquen, Jacksonville, Sr.
M Mitch Goldberg, Richmond, Gr.
D Kevin Fahey, Bellarmine, Sr.
D Jason Reynolds, Richmond, Fr.
D Kyle Walsh, VMI, Jr.
GK John Hulsman, Bellarmine, Fr.
FO Hunter Forbes, Jacksonville, Sr.
SSM Ryan Beville, Jacksonville, Sr.
LSM Austin Cates, Richmond, Sr.
Second team
A Nick Hruby, Air Force, Sr.
A Brian Wall, Bellarmine, Sr.
A Connor Robinson, High Point, Sr.
M Cameron Carter, Air Force, Jr.
M Andrew Tien, Air Force, Sr.
M Matt Quinn, Mercer, Sr.
M Mitch Savoca, Richmond, Fr.
D Vince Lombardi, Air Force, Fr.
D Dixon Smith, Jacksonville, Fr.
D Willy Deines, Mercer, Sr.
GK Tim Troutner Jr., High Point, Jr.
FO AJ Krstulovic, VMI, So.
SSM Patrick deHueck, Mercer, Sr.
LSM Michael O'Brien, Mercer, So.
All-freshman
Vince Lombardi, Air Force, D
Asher Nolting, High Point, A
Dixon Smith, Jacksonville, D
Jeremy Winston, Jacksonville, M
Matt Hughes, Mercer, LSM
Ryan Lanchbury, Richmond, A
Mitch Savoca, Richmond, M
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