FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —  Navy senior defenseman Andy Tormey (Syracuse, N.Y.), a 2009 Honorable Mention All-American, was named to 2009 Men’s Lacrosse Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award First Team, it was announced Saturday in between the 2009 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Semifinal Games in Foxborough, Mass. Tormey, the only defenseman among the list of 10 finalists, is the first Navy lacrosse player to have received distinction as a candidate for the award.

Joining Tormey on the five-man first team were 2009 Men’s Lacrosse Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner Max Seibald of Cornell, along with Matt Abbott of Syracuse, Jordan Burke of Brown and Michael Colleluori of Hofstra.  The second team was comprised of Brandon Corp of Colgate, Joel Dalgarno of Ohio State, Danny Glading of Virginia, Ryan Hoff of Notre Dame and Grant Zimmerman of North Carolina.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of coaches, media and fans, is presented annually to college lacrosse’s outstanding NCAA Division I senior student-athlete. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award has grown into the nation’s premier tribute to college seniors. The award identifies personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete, with criteria including excellence in the classroom, in character and community service, as well as in competition on the field.

“To be one of the finalists for such a prestigious award as the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Tormey in early April upon learning he was a finalist.  “I am honored to be considered with these nine individuals, all of whom are more than deserving of this achievement. With the many prominent institutions being represented, I am proud to represent the United States Naval Academy. The opportunities that the Academy has given me are limitless and have allowed me to be the person I am today.”

Tormey set upon his senior year with several challenges laid in front of him.  Not only was he selected by his peers to lead the team as its captain, but he also was called upon by head coach Richie Meade to mentor a defense that juggled four different starting combinations over the course of the season and featured only one returning starter, Tormey.

The All-American not only anchored a defense that is ranked seventh in the nation (7.69 GPG), he played an instrumental role among the Mids’ No. 1-ranked man-down unit that surrendered just six goals on 40 attempts (.850).  The 85.0 success rate is tied as the 12th best in NCAA?history and best since the 2005 St. John’s squad squelched 86.2 percent of its opponents extra-man opportunities.

A first-time First-Team All-Patriot League selection, Tormey led the Midshipmen to their fifth Patriot League Tournament title in Navy’s six-year membership of the conference.  He was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team after two stellar defensive performances against Colgate and Bucknell.  He opened the tournament by holding Colgate’s Kevin Colleluori without a shot until the fourth quarter.  Colleluori, who scored his only point of the game in the final period, came into the semifinal contest ranked fourth nationally in points per game and third in goals per game.  Tormey followed up with an equally impressive effort against Bucknell’s top goal producer Joe Mele, whose only shot came with 1:10 remaining in the game.

Tormey paced the Mids in caused turnovers, forcing the opposition to cough up the ball 32 times, nearly twice as many as Tormey’s next closest teammate.  Additionally, along with faceoff specialist Frankie Coppola (Bethesda, Md.), he led Navy with 44 ground balls.

Over the course of the season Tormey picked up several honors, including being named to the 2009 Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Not only has Tormey been acknowledged for excelling on the field, his teammates provided the ultimate show of respect by electing him team captain.  It’s a position not only respected among his teammates, but it holds great merit within the walls of Bancroft Hall.  Tormey held the rank of Midshipman Lt. Cmdr. within the Hall and spoke on behalf of all the captains for Navy’s 32 varsity sports during the 2008-09 academic year.

Added Tormey,?“There is nothing like being a senior at the Naval Academy. Throughout the first three years at the Academy you learn about respect, honor and commitment. These are the values that are prevalent in our team culture, starting with the seniors. Being elected the captain of our team has been the biggest honor of my life. The seniors we have here are incredible, soon to be representing nearly all warfare communities in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, including the SEAL and Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) communities; the leadership that they exude on a daily basis is unmatched. To be the leader in such prestigious company is not only humbling, but important in keeping in mind that lacrosse is a top priority now; however we are all at the Academy working towards becoming a part of something greater than ourselves upon graduation. I have truly been blessed with this opportunity.”

Tormey received his diploma from the Naval Academy on Friday and as an Ensign in the United States Navy, he will serve as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the USS?CARTER HALL.

### Go Navy ###