The 2022 MCLA season is officially in the books which means it is time to honor the All-Americans. While I could sit here and list out every single player who made an All-American team, I thought it would be more impactful to look at the storylines that came with the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors in both Division 1 and 2.
Division I
BYU goalie, Mason Moon, was named the MCLA DI Player of the Year. Moon graduated from Allen High School in Texas and became the starter for BYU his freshmen year in 2017. He earned first ream All-RMLC and third team MCLA All-American for making 207 saves with a 63.9% save percentage. BYU earned the No.1 seed in the MCLA National Tournament but lost to Chapman in the first round. He missed the 2018 and 2019 seasons because he was on an LDS Church Mission but came back for the 2020 season as the starter again. He had 68 saves with a 65% save percentage including an assist in the seven games BYU was able to play before COVID-19 hit, which was the fourth highest save percentage amongst goalies with at least 50 saves. In the shortened 2021 season, he had 119 saves with a 73.9% save percentage and helped BYU win the MCLA Invitational. This season he had 216 saves with a 64.1% save percentage and led BYU to a Final Four appearance.
Virginia Tech Head Coach, Panchito Ojeda, was named the Flip Naumburg MCLA DI Coach of the Year. He became head coach for the Hokies in 2020 after coaching at Sonoma State from 2011-2019. In his first full season with Virginia Tech, the northern Virginia native and Bishop Ireton alum led the team to a 15-2 record with their only losses coming from the eventual MCLA National Champions, South Carolina, in the regular season, and National Championship runner-up, Georgia Tech, in the second round of the tournament. The team ended the regular season first in the polls and got the No.1 seed in the National Tournament for the first time ever.
Division II
UNC Charlotte attackman, Nick Ferens, was named the MCLA DII Player of the Year. The North Carolina native led the 49ers in scoring his freshmen year with 12 goals and 10 assists and earned third team All-SELC DII Midfield. His sophomore season, he switched the attack and again led his team in scoring with 37 goals and 32 assists and earned first team All-SELC DII and third team MCLA All-American. Charlotte was only able to play two games in 2020 and zero in 2021, but the team and Ferens came back strong in 2022. The 49ers finished 12-2 with their only losses coming to DI NC State and to URI in the second round of the tournament. They pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MCLA history, beating No.2 College of Idaho as a No.15 seed. Ferens finished with 56 goals and 46 assists and was the only player to break 100 points in DI or DII.
Rhode Island Head Coach, Larry Madeira, was named the Flip Naumburg MCLA DII Coach of the Year. He took over in 2020 and led the team to a 3-3 record before COVID-19 hit, and the team finished 3-1 the following season. In his first full season, the team finished 12-3 with their only regular season losses coming to DI Northeastern and UConn. They drew the No.7 seed in the tournament and would go on to beat No.10 Utah State, No.15 UNCC, and No.6 Montana on their way to a National Championship appearance. They ultimately lost in the finals to No.1 Utah, but it was the furthest URI had ever made it.
