Whipsnakes attackman Matt Rambo, who leads the Premier Lacrosse League in points (42) and assists (23), was named the inaugural PLL MVP in an awards ceremony Thursday night. Rambo edged finalists Connor Fields (Chaos) and Tom Schreiber (Archers) for the honor, named after football and lacrosse legend Jim Brown.
The PLL announced the award winners and posted videos of their acceptance speeches on social media. Teammate of the Year winner Mark Glicini’s speech tribute to the late Jimmy Regan, for whom the award is named, resonated especially.
Rookie of the Year
Tim Troutner (Redwoods)
Rookie of the Year: @T_troutner15 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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With 116 saves and an 11.4 Scores Against Average, Troutner has led the Redwoods in cage all season.
The rookie has elevated his game on the biggest stage with an impressive 57.1% save percentage in the postseason.#CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/sUifWsm0zS
Defensive Player of the Year
Jarrod Neumann (Chaos)
Defensive Player of the Year: @JNEU_XV ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Neumann emerged as a dominant defensive threat, posting lockdown performances against the stars late in the season.
Known for his transition ability, Neumann racked up 5 two-pointers over the season.⠀
⠀#CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/W5sUzpUxQT
Long Stick Midfielder of the Year
Michael Ehrhardt (Whipsnakes)
LSM of the Year: @AirHeart12 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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The reigning MVP of the World Games, Ehrhardt continued his dominant streak on both sides of the ball, causing six turnovers and scoring 13 points - the most of any longpole.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass @corninggorilla pic.twitter.com/e5BigYek75
Short-Stick Defensive Midfielder of the Year
Dominique Alexander (Archers)
George Boiardi SSDM Hard Hat Award: @Mr_Alexander23 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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The vocal leader of a dominant Archers D, Dominique excelled at guarding the league’s best midfielders. An X-factor for a unit that surrendered a league-low 10.5 Scores Against Average.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/AD2ZxuXuU0
Faceoff Man of the Year
Trevor Baptiste (Atlas)
Faceoff Man of the Year: @trevorbaptiste9 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Baptiste won a league best 62.8% of faceoffs this summer, on the way to scooping up a league high 73 groundballs. ⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/2fZN6rnHHu
Goalie of the Year
Blaze Riorden (Chaos)
Goalie of the Year: @BRiorden10 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Blaze led the league with a 55.8% save percentage as he made 153 saves, including a league-high 21 in week 4.
Blaze’s clean saves sparked the Chaos’ lethal transition game.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/VuujqlnrRn
Attackman of the Year
Matt Rambo (Whipsnakes)
Attackman of the Year: @rattmambo⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Rambo is the league leader in points and assists, all while dodging against the best defensive players on each team.
Impressively, Rambo led all high-volume passers in assist-to-turnover ratio.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/BUfZLtbyFE
Sportsmanship Award
Connor Farrell (Chrome)
Sportsmanship Award: @ConnorFarrell41 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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A fiery competitor on the field, Farrell earned the respect of the league as a rookie winning 54.5% of his faceoffs. ⠀
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Farrell is known to spend over an hour after each game signing autographs.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/PlfwiLhGL6
Teammate of the Year
Mark Glicini (Chaos)
Teammate of the Year Award: @mark_glic ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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As he throws his body in front of blazing fast shots, it’s not hard to see what makes Mark Glicini a great teammate.
His teammates praise his poise in the lockerroom and fiery play on the field.
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/EAfpnwpLPK
Powerful speech by @mark_glic on why winning the Jimmy Regan award means so much to him.
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
Chills. pic.twitter.com/dYxF2cWk5T
Midfielder of the Year
Tom Schreiber (Archers)
Midfielder of the Year: @TomSchreiber26 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Schreiber racked up 37 points, the most of any midfielder this season. ⠀
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Dishing highlight reel assists with both hands, Schreiber was the initiator of the high powered Archers offense.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/ISlhv89aLy
Leadership Award
Kyle Harrison (Redwoods)
Brendan Looney Leadership Award: @kyleharrison⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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A league veteran and advocate for the players, Harrison has led the Redwoods on the field while also driving a number of community initiatives all season.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/O6U0nBgKMx
Humanitarian Award
Scott Ratliff (Archers)
Welles Crowther Humanitarian Award: @Srat2 ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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Ratliff is the co-founder of the Give & Go Foundation, a non-profit that delivers free lacrosse instruction, equipment, and education to empower underserved communities across the globe.⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/q5N0nZFvLx
Coach of the Year
Andy Towers (Chaos)
Dick Edell Coach of the Year: @AndyTowersPLL⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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The vocal coach of Chaos, Towers led his team to a league-best 7-3 record in the regular season. ⠀
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Behind his fiery speeches, Chaos was the highest-scoring team of the regular season. ⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/Dy3lvoTBiz
MVP
Matt Rambo (Whipsnakes)
Jim Brown MVP: @rattmambo ⠀
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019
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The league leader in points and assists, Rambo stood out from the pack during the most important games of the season, leading the Whipsnakes to the Championship. ⠀
⠀#PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/FkaPvtwBB4
“Especially Coach Stagnitta over there, he’s part of my family”@rattmambo is all smiles after winning MVP #PLLAwards #CorningGorillaGlass pic.twitter.com/5E4AMItczH
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 20, 2019