SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Richmond’s Dalton Young and Jacob Griffin have been named the Southern Conference men’s lacrosse offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for all games March 9-15 after a record-setting win over VMI to open league play. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
Young and Griffin were also named to the USILA Division I Team of the Week.
 
The pair helped Richmond rewrite its record book over the weekend, as the squad topped VMI 23-6 on Saturday in the league opener for both teams. The 23 goals were the fourth-most in a game in SoCon history and a Richmond program record. The Spiders also turned in a program-record 27 faceoff wins (on 31 attempts), good for a tie for third in a game in SoCon history, with their .871 winning percentage ranking ninth in a game in SoCon annals.
 
Young matched the program record with a career-high six goals on Saturday, all of which came in the first 23:34 of the game. His six goals are the second-most goals ever scored by a SoCon player, trailing only five seven-goal efforts since the league began sponsoring the sport in 2015. Young, a sophomore attack from Chantilly, Virginia, who entered the game with just nine career goals, scored his six goals Saturday on just seven shots. His goal total is tied for eighth in a game by a Division I player this season.
 
Griffin also had a career day, setting program records with 22 faceoff wins and 16 ground balls. His 22 faceoff wins tie for eighth in a game in SoCon history and are tied for sixth-most in a DI game this season, while his 16 ground balls tie for fifth in SoCon history and are tied for the most in a DI game this season. The junior from Skokie, Illinois, attempted 26 faceoffs on the day, giving him an .846 winning percentage, tied for 10^th-best by a DI player this season.
 
Richmond (2-3, 1-0 SoCon), which is ranked 19^th in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine polls and is receiving votes in the USILA/Dynamic and Inside Lacrosse polls, visits Bellarmine (2-6, 0-0) for a SoCon battle in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday at noon Eastern.
 
Other defensive nominees: Eric Rubak (Bellarmine) and Jason Yoquinto (Jacksonville).
 
2021 Southern Conference Men’s Lacrosse Players of the Week
Offense
Feb. 16    Jack Dolan, R-Jr., M, Jacksonville
Feb. 23    Asher Nolting, Sr., A, High Point
March 2   Will McCarthy, Sr., M, Mercer
March 9   Ryan Lanchbury, Sr., A, Richmond
March 16 Dalton Young, So., A, Richmond
 
Defense
Feb. 16    Ashton Wood, Jr., FO, Mercer
Feb. 23    Braden Host, Sr., GK, Air Force
March 2   Jack Rusbuldt, Gr., GK, Richmond
March 9   Colin Kelley, So., GK, Mercer
March 16 Jacob Griffin, Jr., FO, Richmond