Despite a disappointing first-round playoff loss, there was no shortage of individual accolades for the men's lacrosse team this spring. Senior midfielder and co-captain Devin Clarke was named NESCAC Co-Player of the Year, splitting the award with Amherst sophomore attackman Derek Cherney.
Clarke led a group of five Tufts players who were honored by the NESCAC. Only Middlebury had more award-winners, with six. Clarke's co-captain and classmate Bryan Griffin was the other player named to the All-NESCAC first team. Sophomore Brett Holm earned second team long-stick midfielder honors, junior defenseman Ave Cook earned second team honors, and junior midfielder Rory Doucette was named to the second team as a "specialty player" for his success in the faceoff circle.
Clarke led the Jumbos with 28 goals, also tallying eight assists for a total of 36 points. Late in the season, he was consistently the go-to guy for the Jumbos. His ability to score in the clutch was highlighted in an Apr. 27 loss to Wesleyan. With Tufts down 7-1 at the half, Clarke scored four fourth-quarter goals to pull the Jumbos within one goal of winning, and had five on the day. One game later, he would score four goals against Conn. College to ensure Tufts' playoff berth, including the game-winning rip 1:17 into overtime.
"Obviously it's a great honor to have, but at the same time, it's really bittersweet," Clarke said, referring to the team's disappointing finish. "Overall it was a great four years for me - this season was just a disappointing one."
According to coach Mike Daly and the entire team, Clarke's leadership abilities bound the team together.
"Last year, Devin received a unanimous vote for captain and he exceeded everything we asked of him," Daly said. "He is everything I hope Tufts and our lacrosse program [are] about. He is hard working, dependable, personable, and tough as hell." "Oh, and he is one of the best lacrosse players in the country," Daly added, lest anyone overlook his accomplishments on the field. Clarke's teammates heap on similar praise.
"Devin was the heart and soul of this team," Holm said. "He carried the team on his back. It's tough to carry 40 guys on your back, but Devin did. For a role model, everyone on the team looks to Devin. When we need a goal, everyone's looking to Devin."
"He's just a great player, a great guy and a great friend. I've never played with anyone like him," Holm continued.
Junior attackman Mike O'Brien echoed Holm's sentiments more succinctly:
"Devo's just the man."
In winning the award, Clarke followed in the footsteps of Griffin, who has taken home the prize in each of the last two years. Despite missing significant time this season with a torn meniscus, Griffin still led the Jumbos in points, scoring 51 points on 22 goals and 29 assists, while missing all or most of five games.
Griffin is Tufts' all-time leading scorer with 235 points. Both Clarke and Griffin were pre-season All-Americans.
Cook was the team's third All-American, and he too suffered from injury this season. The transfer from Bates suffered a hamstring injury in the team's Apr. 6 loss to Bowdoin, and remained unhealthy for the remainder of the season, playing only in limited man-down situations.
Still, Cook's gritty, bruising defensive play was recognized by the conference in the second team honor. His abilities were on display in Tufts' most impressive win of the season, a 9-2 drubbing of Amherst on Mar. 30. Cook, along with the rest of the Tufts defense, held Cherney to a single goal, shutting down the powerful Amherst offense.
Holm won the second team honor as a sophomore, one of only three honored in the conference. He was a fearless defender throughout the year and used his athleticism and speed to contribute on the offensive end as well. He finished with seven goals and two assists on just 15 shots.
"It's a great honor to be mentioned in such a good league," Holm said. "We played against a lot of good players, and its very flattering, and also a reflection on our entire team."
Doucette, who earned second-team specialty player honors, will be a key component on next year's team. He was a faceoff phenom for the Jumbos, winning 58 percent of the time. He also led the Jumbos with 81 ground balls.
"If there was an unsung hero award, he'd get it," O'Brien said. "He does everything on the field, winning faceoffs and playing great defense. He's definitely one of the most valuable players on the team."
Doucette's scrappiness was evident at all times, as the junior could be seen checking opponents at just about any point in the game.
"He does a little bit of everything for us and I would trust Rory to play any position on the field," Daly said. "He is a lacrosse player, not a specialist or a one dimensional player," he said, in reference to the title of the award that Doucette won.
After the season ended, Doucette was named the captain for 2006. He will lead a corps of 12 returning seniors who hope to push the Jumbos over the top for the team's first NESCAC championship. Middlebury has won the conference title every year since the introduction of the tournament in 2001.
