Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
/
Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Photo by: Duke Athletics
O’Neill Named Freshman of the Year; Duke Lands 5 on All-ACC
5/12/2021 2:37:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
DURHAM – Duke attackman Brennan O'Neill was named the ACC Men's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year to headline the Blue Devils' five All-ACC selections as announced Wednesday by the league office. Duke tied North Carolina with five selections apiece as voted by the league's head coaches.
Joining O'Neill on the All-ACC squad are attackman Michael Sowers, midfielder Nakeie Montgomery, defenseman JT Giles-Harris and goaltender Mike Adler. Giles-Harris is the lone Blue Devil to earn repeat honors as the other four players garner All-ACC recognition for the first time in their careers. The five honorees are tied for the most in Duke history, matching the 2005, 2017 and 2018 seasons.
O'Neill is the sixth Blue Devil to earn the ACC Freshman of the Year award and the first since Justin Guterding in 2015. In addition, O'Neill is just the third freshman in Duke history to capture All-ACC recognition, joining Jordan Wolf and Zack Greer on the short list.
A native of Bay Shore, N.Y., O'Neill is third on the team in points with 38 goals and eight assists for 46 points. His 38 markers rank second in the ACC and seventh nationally, while his 2.71 goals per game average is third in the league and the best among all freshmen in the country.
After spending some time in the midfield early in the season, the rookie attackman found a home on attack with Sowers and Joe Robertson starting with the game at Towson where he had four goals. He truly started to hit his stride in the middle of March with five goals against both High Point and Jacksonville and finished the six-game ACC gauntlet with 16 goals and three assists for 19 points.
A three-time ACC Offensive Player of the Week honoree, Sowers headlines the Duke attack with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points. His 37 assists currently rank ninth in Duke single-season history. He has scored at least three points in 12 of Duke's 14 games this season and most recently had seven in the setback to North Carolina. In his previous three outings, the Dresher, Pa., native has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. Overall, Sowers had scored five-plus points in nine games, including six against Syracuse and five in the win over Notre Dame.
Joining the Blue Devils after four seasons at Princeton, Sowers has scored at least one point in all 61 games of his career and has 369 for his career. He currently ranks third in NCAA history in career points and fourth in career assists (218). Sowers is one of five players in NCAA history to record 200 career assists and is 14 shy of the record held by Pat Spencer. His career scoring average of 6.05 ranks fifth all-time.
Duke's midfielder leader, Montgomery has been instrumental in Duke's success this season. He ranks fourth on the team in points with 34 (14g, 20a) and is one of three Blue Devils to have double-digit goals and assists this season. Possessing great vision, Montgomery has dished out multiple assists in six games and had a season-best four at Notre Dame. The Dallas, Texas native owns three hat tricks on the year, including one in Duke's improbable comeback victory over Notre Dame in Durham.
Playing in 57 career games, Montgomery has 57 goals and 46 assists for 103 points. He is one of 48 Blue Devils in program history to record 100 career points.
Giles-Harris is the anchor to Duke's defensive efforts. An outstanding close defenseman, the graduate student captain garnered his second career All-ACC award. He has started every game this season and is second on the team with 13 caused turnovers and second among non-faceoff specialists with 24 ground balls. Often drawing the opponent's best attackman, Giles-Harris is a major key to Duke possessing the ACC's No. 2 defense. He has at least one ground ball in 12 games and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after helping Duke to victory at Virginia with two ground balls, one caused turnover and a game-changing assist.
The 2019 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Giles-Harris has started 77 of his 78 games and has 137 ground balls and 83 caused turnovers. He is six shy of breaking the caused turnover record held by Luke Duprey.
In his first season as a Blue Devil, Adler has been stellar between the pipes, sporting a 9.98 goals against average and a .538 save percentage. Adler came to Durham after four seasons at Saint Joseph's and has picked up right where he left off with the Hawks.
A starter in 13 of the 14 games this season, Adler has made 10-plus saves eight times and had a season-best 17 in the win over North Carolina in Durham. He garnered his first ACC Defensive Player of the Week award after making eight saves and allowing just two goals at Towson. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native picked up two more awards with phenomenal outings versus Richmond and UNC.
Adler has played 49 career games, has made 555 saves, and owns a 9.51 goals against average and a .561 save percentage.
Duke is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play High Point in the opening round this Sunday, May 16. Faceoff is set for 5 p.m., at Dorrance Field on the campus of North Carolina. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
#GoDuke
Joining O'Neill on the All-ACC squad are attackman Michael Sowers, midfielder Nakeie Montgomery, defenseman JT Giles-Harris and goaltender Mike Adler. Giles-Harris is the lone Blue Devil to earn repeat honors as the other four players garner All-ACC recognition for the first time in their careers. The five honorees are tied for the most in Duke history, matching the 2005, 2017 and 2018 seasons.
O'Neill is the sixth Blue Devil to earn the ACC Freshman of the Year award and the first since Justin Guterding in 2015. In addition, O'Neill is just the third freshman in Duke history to capture All-ACC recognition, joining Jordan Wolf and Zack Greer on the short list.
A native of Bay Shore, N.Y., O'Neill is third on the team in points with 38 goals and eight assists for 46 points. His 38 markers rank second in the ACC and seventh nationally, while his 2.71 goals per game average is third in the league and the best among all freshmen in the country.
After spending some time in the midfield early in the season, the rookie attackman found a home on attack with Sowers and Joe Robertson starting with the game at Towson where he had four goals. He truly started to hit his stride in the middle of March with five goals against both High Point and Jacksonville and finished the six-game ACC gauntlet with 16 goals and three assists for 19 points.
A three-time ACC Offensive Player of the Week honoree, Sowers headlines the Duke attack with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points. His 37 assists currently rank ninth in Duke single-season history. He has scored at least three points in 12 of Duke's 14 games this season and most recently had seven in the setback to North Carolina. In his previous three outings, the Dresher, Pa., native has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. Overall, Sowers had scored five-plus points in nine games, including six against Syracuse and five in the win over Notre Dame.
Joining the Blue Devils after four seasons at Princeton, Sowers has scored at least one point in all 61 games of his career and has 369 for his career. He currently ranks third in NCAA history in career points and fourth in career assists (218). Sowers is one of five players in NCAA history to record 200 career assists and is 14 shy of the record held by Pat Spencer. His career scoring average of 6.05 ranks fifth all-time.
Duke's midfielder leader, Montgomery has been instrumental in Duke's success this season. He ranks fourth on the team in points with 34 (14g, 20a) and is one of three Blue Devils to have double-digit goals and assists this season. Possessing great vision, Montgomery has dished out multiple assists in six games and had a season-best four at Notre Dame. The Dallas, Texas native owns three hat tricks on the year, including one in Duke's improbable comeback victory over Notre Dame in Durham.
Playing in 57 career games, Montgomery has 57 goals and 46 assists for 103 points. He is one of 48 Blue Devils in program history to record 100 career points.
Giles-Harris is the anchor to Duke's defensive efforts. An outstanding close defenseman, the graduate student captain garnered his second career All-ACC award. He has started every game this season and is second on the team with 13 caused turnovers and second among non-faceoff specialists with 24 ground balls. Often drawing the opponent's best attackman, Giles-Harris is a major key to Duke possessing the ACC's No. 2 defense. He has at least one ground ball in 12 games and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after helping Duke to victory at Virginia with two ground balls, one caused turnover and a game-changing assist.
The 2019 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Giles-Harris has started 77 of his 78 games and has 137 ground balls and 83 caused turnovers. He is six shy of breaking the caused turnover record held by Luke Duprey.
In his first season as a Blue Devil, Adler has been stellar between the pipes, sporting a 9.98 goals against average and a .538 save percentage. Adler came to Durham after four seasons at Saint Joseph's and has picked up right where he left off with the Hawks.
A starter in 13 of the 14 games this season, Adler has made 10-plus saves eight times and had a season-best 17 in the win over North Carolina in Durham. He garnered his first ACC Defensive Player of the Week award after making eight saves and allowing just two goals at Towson. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native picked up two more awards with phenomenal outings versus Richmond and UNC.
Adler has played 49 career games, has made 555 saves, and owns a 9.51 goals against average and a .561 save percentage.
Duke is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play High Point in the opening round this Sunday, May 16. Faceoff is set for 5 p.m., at Dorrance Field on the campus of North Carolina. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Lacrosse
D
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's LacrosseDuke Men's Lacrosse: Excellence on and off the field defined
Friday, August 29
Duke Men's Lacrosse Recruiting Video
Friday, August 29
Andrew McAdorey Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
John Danowski Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
