Talkow also named Faceoff Specialist of the Year
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Juniors Cal Dearth, Sam Talkow and Greg Wozniak of the Boston University men’s lacrosse team all earned All-Patriot League honors, the league announced on Monday.
Dearth (Ridgefield, Conn.) and Talkow (Delray Beach, Fla.) were named to the first team while Wozniak (Yardley, Pa.) was a second-team selection. In addition, Talkow was named the Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year. This is the second straight year that Dearth has been a First Team All-Patriot League midfielder, while Talkow was a second-team honoree last year. This is Wozniak’s first all-league recognition.
Talkow was terrific all season for the Terriers. He ranks second in the country in faceoff percentage at .695 and is ninth in the nation with an average of 6.62 ground balls per game. Both of those numbers are tops in the conference. Talkow also tallied six goals, which is the most among the top-five faceoff men in the NCAA. The Delray Beach, Florida, native won at least 10 draws on nine different occasions and faced off at over 58 percent against the top-ranked and sixth-ranked faceoff specialists in the country this season.
Dearth had another outstanding campaign for BU, becoming the first Terrier to be a First Team All-League selection in program history. He tallied 25 points thanks to 12 goals and 13 assists in just 12 games. Dearth also gathered 12 ground balls and caused three turnovers. A dynamic playmaker from the midfield, his best game came on March 22 at then-No. 14 Harvard when he tallied four goals, including the final three of the contest, as part of a six-point night to help lead BU to a 9-8 win.
Wozniak put together his best season at BU in 2016. After beginning the season as a long stick midfielder, Wozniak started nine of the last 10 games at close defense, shining in his new role. A native of Yardley, Pennsylvania, Wozniak was second in the Patriot League and fifth in the nation with 26 caused turnovers. Wozniak also collected 55 ground balls, second on the team only to Talkow. He secured eight ground balls on three separate occasions, including once against Army West Point in a game in which he also set a new program record with six caused turnovers.
All three players helped the Terriers achieve a winning season for the first time in program history. BU won a record eight games and has a chance for a ninth win when the Terriers host Duke on May 8 at Nickerson Field.