Devano Clarke Named NECC Offensive Player of the Year; Men’s Lacrosse Garners Four All-NECC Nods

MANSFIELD, Mass.- Senior Devano Clarke (Lucea, Jamaica) of the Eastern Nazarene College men's lacrosse team has been tabbed the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Offensive Player of the Year, headlining the Lions' four All-NECC selections as the league office announced its end-of-season awards.

Joining Clarke on the All-NECC team are Matt Cawthorne (Norwell, Mass.), Xavier Depina (Whitman, Mass.), and Jamar Griggs (Stamford, Conn.) while senior Clevince Bogle (Lowell, Mass.) earned a spot on the NECC Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team. Clarke becomes the first NECC Offensive Player of the Year in program history and Depina becomes the program's first two-time All-NECC performer.

Clarke paced the league with 26 assists while leading the squad with 44 points. He also ranked sixth in the NECC with 18 goals on the year. Clarke also chipped in with 45 ground balls and 15 caused-turnovers. In conference play, Clarke registered 26 points with 11 goals and 15 assists.

Cawthorne ranked third on the team with 31 points, netting 18 goals and adding 13 assists. He paced the Lions and ranked fourth in the NECC with 71 ground balls to go with 24 caused-turnovers. In league action, Cawthorne notched 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists while collecting 32 ground balls.

Depina started all nine games in which he saw action, contributing to Eastern Nazarene's defensive unit. He has scooped up 37 ground balls this year, including 14 ground balls in league games.

Griggs ranked second in the NECC with 32 goals and tallied a league-high 13 man-up goals. He scored 16 goals in four conference contests this spring.

Eastern Nazarene finished the regular season with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-2 mark in conference action. The Lions will battle New England College in the NECC championship game April 29 in Henniker, N.H.