CLEVELAND, Ohio – A pair of members from the 2019 Cleveland State University lacrosse team were recently recognized by a national lacrosse outlet.

Andrew Hamilton and Nick Polydoras were both selected All-Freshman Honorable Mention by College Crosse.

In its third year of existence, College Crosse seeks to recognize the best first-year players in college lacrosse, whether they are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. These are the second and third such selections for the Viking program as goaltender Caleb Espinoza earned the honor after the 2017 campaign.

Hamilton excelled at the faceoff 'X' in his first collegiate season, winning 72 of 117 attempts. His 61.5% mark would have ranked among the top 15 in Division I if he had enough attempts to qualify. He added 33 ground balls, two goals and two assists on the season. Hamilton won 13 of 22 faceoffs against Penn State All-American Gerard Arceri when the Vikings faced the nation's top-ranked team in March.

Polydoras led Viking rookies with 19 points, coming on 14 goals and five assists. He notched 18 points in the final 10 games and added a team-high six man-up strikes, which tied him for 28th nationally. Polydoras was the only Viking freshman to play in every game and moved into the starting lineup for five of the final six games. He scored a season-high four goals in the win over Canisius and added a hat trick against nationally ranked North Carolina.

Cleveland State posted a winning record in its third season by winning seven of its final 10 games. After having one DI win in their first season, the Vikings had four last season before registering eight in 2019. In its third year of existence, Cleveland State had no true seniors on its roster in 2019.

Photo courtesy of Tony Carter