Six Blue Devils Named to U.S. Training Team

DURHAM, N.C.?A combination of six current and former members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team were selected to the pool of 40 players picked for the 2010 U.S. men's national training team following a three-day tryout at Bryant University, US Lacrosse announced on Wednesday.

Kevin Cassese '03, senior Ned Crotty, Matt Danowski '08, senior Parker McKee, Nick O'Hara '07 and Matt Zash '06 will compete for a spot on the U.S. national team that will compete in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Manchester, England.

All 40 players, tabbed by a 14-member player selection committee, advance with an opportunity to compete in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Manchester, England from July 10-24, 2010. Team USA will compete in three training weekends during the fall of 2009. After those three weekends, the roster will be cut to the FIL-mandated size of 23 players for the 2010 FIL World Championship in Manchester, England.

The six players from Duke are the most from any individual university, while Crotty and McKee are the lone current college players in the 40-player pool.

Duke's Cassese is one of three players who were members of the 2002 squad that took home the world title in Australia. He was a two-time All-America first team selection for the Blue Devils and currently serves as the head coach at Lehigh University and plays for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.

Danowski left Duke as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer with 353 career points. A two-time USILA Player of the Year and three-time first team All-America, he is a current member of the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse.

A standout defenseman for Duke, O'Hara was voted as the USILA National Defenseman of the Year in 2008. He earned first team All-America recognition in 2007 and 2008 and is playing for the MLL's Toronto Nationals.

Zash was a two-time All-America recipient and helped anchor Duke's midfield in its run to the NCAA title game in 2005. He also is a current member of the Long Island Lizards.

Crotty and McKee were part of the 2009 team that captured the ACC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the third consecutive season.

Crotty headlined the Blue Devil offense in 2009, winning the USILA Lt. Col. J.I. Turnbull National Attackman of the Year award. He tallied a nation's-best 78 points from 23 goals and 55 assists. A first team All-America selection, Crotty will return to Duke for his final season in 2010.

McKee helped anchor Duke's defense this past season. He led all defensemen in ground balls with a career-best 93. The Blue Devils allowed just 8.42 goals per game in 2009 as he captured All-America second team recognition.

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