SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Richmond’s Ryan Lanchbury and Jacob Griffin have been named the Southern Conference men’s lacrosse offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for all games March 16-22. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
Lanchbury is also the US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Player of the Week and was named to the USILA Division I Team of the Week, where he was joined by High Point’s Asher Nolting.
 
Lanchbury, a senior attack from Burlington, Ontario, Canada, scored 12 points on three goals and nine assists in Saturday’s 17-5 win at Bellarmine, setting program and SoCon records for single-game points and assists. Both totals are the top marks posted by a Division I player this season, while Lanchbury’s nine assists are tied for 11^th-most in a DI game all-time. The previous SoCon record for points was 11 by Jacksonville’s Tom Moore in 2015 and the previous record for assists was seven by Moore in 2015 and matched by the Dolphins’ Brendan McKenna in 2017. The SoCon weekly honor is the second in three weeks for Lanchbury and the fourth of his career.
 
Griffin repeated as the defensive player of the week after going 14-for-21 in faceoffs (.667) and collecting a game-high nine ground balls against the Knights. In two league games so far, the junior faceoff specialist from Skokie, Illinois, is averaging a league-best 12.5 ground balls per game and has won 36 of 47 faceoffs, good for a SoCon-best .766 winning percentage. His overall .618 winning percentage leads the SoCon and ranks 23^rd in DI this season.
 
Richmond (3-3, 2-0 SoCon), up five spots to No. 14 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine poll and which returned to the USILA/Dynamic and Inside Lacrosse polls at No. 20 this week, hosts High Point (2-4, 1-0) for a huge SoCon showdown Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern. The Panthers are receiving votes in the USILA/Dynamic and Inside Lacrosse polls and have been ranked as high as 15^th nationally this season.
 
Other offensive nominees: Asher Nolting (High Point) and Scout Ripley (VMI).
 
Other defensive nominees: Jordan Young (Jacksonville) and Colin Kelley (Mercer).
 
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
March 23 Ryan Lanchbury, Sr., 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
March 23 Jacob Griffin, Jr., FO, Richmond