Menendez Named Midwest Player of the Year; Senior All-America Awards Announced

DURHAM – Incoming Blue Satan Nikolas Menendez was named USA Lacrosse’s Midwest Boys’ Participant of the 12 months as introduced in June.
A product of Culver Academy in Culver, Indiana, Menendez will arrive in Durham within the fall to assist bolster Duke’s protection after the commencement of Kenny Brower and Tyler Carpenter. The 6-foot-3 defenseman had 33 precipitated turnovers and 48 floor balls in his senior season with the Eagles.

Senior shortstick midfielder Jack Grey additionally was a Culver Academy product, graduating from the college in 2021. Menendez and Grey didn’t play collectively at Culver as Menendez didn’t make the prep crew his freshman season. He labored his manner onto the highest crew as a sophomore and rose the nationwide ranks rapidly from that time on. His path just lately was profiled by USA Lacrosse Journal.

“Earlier than Nikolas Menendez earned a fame as one of many nation’s high defensemen, he turned heads on Culver’s campus.
Earlier than the Eagles senior began rising recruiting lists, Menendez caught coach Jon Birsner’s eye with a extra refined — however equally spectacular — achievement.

As a freshman, Menendez did not make Culver’s prep crew, the one which faces high groups from all around the nation, as an alternative enjoying for varsity. That is not unusual in an extremely deep program. What was utterly out of the peculiar was what occurred subsequent.

“He was on our ‘B’ crew as a freshman when he first got here in, and I advised him on the finish of that yr, ‘You are probably the most improved participant in our program, I believe you’ll be able to actually play this recreation on the subsequent stage,'” Birsner stated. “One yr later, as a sophomore, he is beginning for us, and the remainder is historical past there.”

Menendez by no means stopped rising.”

To learn the entire function on Menendez click on right here.

5 Future Blue Devils Take Half in Nationwide Senior All-American Recreation
A few of the nation’s high gamers gathered at Tierney Area in Baltimore final week for the Nationwide Senior All-American recreation. The Blue Devils had been effectively represented with 5 incoming gamers on the 46 choices. Faceoff specialist Ben McCarthy and shortstick midfielder Connor Nolen had been on the American roster whereas attackman Austin Hicks, midfielder Ian Dykes and Menendez landed on the Nationals checklist.

McCarthy, who’s ranked fourth by Inside Lacrosse within the Class of 2024 rankings, and Nolen hail from Haverford College. The duo helped lead Haverford to an unbeaten file in Inter-AC motion. McCarthy was chosen as a captain for the All-Star recreation.

A California native, Hicks performed his highschool lacrosse for St. Margaret’s Episcopal College in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He was named the CIF DI/Orange County Participant of the 12 months after totaling 117 factors from 90 targets and 27 assists. He notched 18 targets within the three playoff video games to guide the Tartans to the CIF-SS DI Championship.

Dykes, a midfielder from Sacred Coronary heart Prep, helped lead the Gators to a 17-7 file this previous season. He’s ranked forty third by Inside Lacrosse and earned first-team West Catholic Athletic League honors this previous season after being named the San Mateo Every day Journal Boys Lacrosse Participant of the 12 months in 2023.

4 Blue Devils on Senior All-American Roster
Future Blue Devils Liam Kershis, Ben McCarthy, Nikolas Menendez and Connor Nolen are among the many 44 gamers to have been chosen to compete within the Senior All-American Recreation.

The annual all-star recreation will likely be held at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Area July 27 at 8 p.m. The ladies’ senior recreation will happen at 5:30 p.m., with each televised by ESPNU.

Kershis, an attackman, was ranked sixteenth in Inside Lacrosse’s Class of 2024 rankings heading into his senior season after main Shoreham-Wading River to the 2023 Suffolk Class C title and scoring 59 targets as a junior. The Wildcats completed this season with an 11-7 file.

To remain updated with Blue Devils males’s lacrosse, comply with the crew on Twitter, Instagram and Fb by looking “https://goduke.com/information/2024/6/25/DukeMLAX”.
Duke Centennial
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