ANNVILLE, Pa. - On Tuesday morning the Middle Atlantic Conference released the 2019 Men's Lacrosse All-MAC Commonwealth teams. Included on the teams were a half dozen members of the Messiah men's lacrosse team. The Falcons earned four selections to the First Team with
Garrett Amsbaugh,
Hunter Bellows,
Joseph Franken, and
Quentin Johnson all earning top individual honors. Additionally,
Dylan Gillisse was named Second Team and
Mitch Salanty picked up an Honorable Mention.
The Falcons will begin the MAC Commonwealth Tournament tomorrow night when they host the third-seeded Lycoming Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf in the conference semifinals.
For four of the six Falcons honored on Tuesday, this is the second or third All-Conference accolade of their career. Franken and Johnson claim their third-straight All-Conference honor while Gillisse and Bellows claim the first nods of their career.
As mentioned, Franken earns the third-straight First Team accolade of his career in 2019 after leading the team with 68 points in the regular season on 46 goals and 22 assists. He played in all 16 games for the Falcons this season, notching multiple goals in each of the first 15 games of the season before being shutout in the regular season finale. Against Stockton in a non-conference game, Franken connected on six goals and added three assists for a season-high nine points on Apr. 16. He's registered nine hat tricks on the season.
Garrett Amsbaugh claimed his second-straight First Team All-Conference nod this year. The junior attack was second on the team in goals scored with 38 tallies while also registered seven assists for 45 total points. A consistent torn in other team's side, Amsbaugh scored in all but one game this season, but popped off for five-plus goals on four different occasions. His highest scoring game came against Alvernia on Mar. 30 when he tallied six scores and added three assists for nine points in a 23-12 victory.
Also in the junior class,
Hunter Bellows earned his first All-Conference honor with a First Team accolade on Tuesday. Like Franken and Amsbaugh, the midfielder was a constant offensive threat this season, scoring in 15 games. He too showed the ability to produce high-scoring games, netting a season-high six goals against Lycoming in a 12-8 victory against the Warriors on Mar. 27.
Quentin Johnson joined his offensive-minded teammates on the First Team after a stellar season anchoring the Falcons' defensive line. After earning Second Team honors in each of the last two seasons, Johnson was moved to First Team after leading the team with 27 caused turnover and finishing second on the squad with 70 groundballs. In addition to his strong defense, Johnson scored two goals on the season against Grove City (Mar. 16) and Albright (Apr. 6).
Senior
Dylan Gillisse claimed the first All-Conference honor of his career with a Second Team honor this season. He started all 16 games on attack this year scoring at least one goals in all but one game on the season. On the year he registered nine multi-goal games, including a five-goal performance on the road at Alvernia on Mar. 30.
Mitch Salanty makes his second career appearance as an Honorable Mention after earning the same accolades in his freshman year. Now a junior, Salanty patrolled the midfield, picking up 23 groundballs and forcing seven turnovers on the season. He also scored two goals while starting eight games and appearing in 13 on the season.
Messiah will take the field in the MAC Commonwealth semifinals on Wednesday night against the Lycoming Warriors. Check out a full preview of the Tournament later this afternoon.
