SPARTANBURG, S.C. – High Point attack Asher Nolting and faceoff Davis Sampere have been named the Southern Conference men’s lacrosse offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for all competition April 23-28. The awards are selected by the league office and are the final ones of the 2019 season.
High Point earned the sweep of the weekly awards after taking down Richmond 15-14 Saturday with a regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship on the line for both sides.
Nolting, one of 25 Tewaaraton Award nominees nationally, scored seven points in the game, notching four goals and three assists. None was more crucial than the goal he scored with 6.4 seconds left, which snapped a 14-all tie and lifted the Panthers to a share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed. Nolting’s big day bumped his season totals to 40 goals and 43 assists, making the sophomore from Greenwood Village, Colorado, the first 40-40 man in league history. His 43 assists are a league single-season record, besting his record of 36 from last year, as are his 83 points, smashing the mark of 66 he set last season.
Sampere set three program records Saturday. The junior from Raleigh, North Carolina, had 18 ground balls in the Panthers’ win over Richmond, pushing his season total to 108. Both marks are program records, while the 18 ground balls ties for second in a game in SoCon history. Sampere was also 22-for-27 in faceoffs Saturday, setting a program mark for single-game wins with an effort that ties for fifth in a game in SoCon history.
High Point (12-2), ranked 11th nationally, will face No. 4 seed Jacksonville (6-8) in Thursday’s first semifinal at the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, followed by No. 2 seed Air Force (10-4) taking on No. 3 seed Richmond (8-6) at 8 p.m. The final will be Saturday at noon and all three games will air live on ESPN+. The championship will be played at the Panthers’ Vert Stadium in High Point, North Carolina.
Other offensive nominees: Trey Lervick (Air Force), William Holcomb (Furman), Evan Tyler (Jacksonville), Jake Priester (Mercer) and Ryan Lanchbury (Richmond).
Other defensive nominees: Trent Harper (Air Force), Ashton Wood (Mercer) and Sean Menges (Richmond).
2019 Southern Conference Men’s Lacrosse Players of the Week
Offense
Feb. 12 Asher Nolting, High Point
Feb. 19 Asher Nolting, High Point
Feb. 25 Ryan Lanchbury, Richmond
March 5 Jack Dolan, Jacksonville
March 12 Jack Dolan, Jacksonville
March 19 Trey Lervick, Air Force
March 26 Jack Dolan, Jacksonville
April 2 Ian Miller, Bellarmine
April 9 Asher Nolting, High Point
April 16 Brendan McKenna, Jacksonville
April 23 Teddy Hatfield, Richmond
April 29 Asher Nolting, High Point
Defense
Feb. 12 Tim Troutner Jr., High Point
Feb. 19 Tim Troutner Jr., High Point
Feb. 25 Sean Menges, Richmond
March 5 Brandon Jones, Air Force
March 12 Davis Sampere, High Point
March 19 Braden Host, Air Force
March 26 Ashton Wood, Mercer
April 2 Tim Troutner Jr., High Point
April 9 Ashton Wood, Mercer
April 16 Brandon Jones, Air Force
April 23 Ashton Wood, Mercer
April 29 Davis Sampere, High Point
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