MSU PICKED TO FINISH FIRST IN SKYLINE CONFERENCE BY INSIDE LACROSSE MAGAZINE

Montclair, NJ (12/11/07) – The Montclair State men's lacrosse team was chosen as the preseason favorite in the Skyline Conference by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. The Red Hawks had five players chosen to the publications Preseason All-Conference Team.

Seniors Bryan Klimchak (Clark, NJ / AL Johnston) and Matt Sharp (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) junior Thomas Bowers (Hamburg, NJ / Pope John XXIII) and sophomores Patrick Ferry (Clifton, NJ / Clifton) and Taylor Bonner (Old Bridge, NJ / Old Bridge) were each selected.

The Red Hawks were picked to finish first in the new-look Skyline Conference followed by SUNY Maritime, Kean, Farmingdale State, Richard Stockton and Mt. St. Vincent.

Klimchak appeared and started all 18 games last season as he was named Skyline Conference Honorable Mention. He finished second on the team in scoring (52) and led Montclair State in goals scored (36). Ranked 10th in the Skyline in goals per game, Klimchak scored a goal in 15 of 18 games and had 10 games of two more goals. Klimchakl also enters his final season with the Red Hawks ranked ninth on the scoring list with 157 points and fifth in goals scored (122).

Sharp earned Skyline Conference Second Team honors. Finishing third on the team in ground balls (53) and second in caused turnovers (20), Sharp had a season-high seven ground balls and two casued turnovers in a 13-12 win at Farmingdale State on April 1 and collected three ground balls and two caused turnovers versus Drew in a 17-13 win in the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament semifinals on May 11. Sharp posted four ground balls against Stevens in the ECAC Championship Game on May 13.

Bowers returned in 2007 after missing most of the previous year and garnered Honorable Mention Skyline Conference honors as he finished third in the league in goals against average (8.84) and saves per game and led the league in save percentage (.620). Bowers recorded the third-highest single-season save total with 248 and was fifth on the team in ground balls (52). He had 12 games of 10 or more saves, including four contests of 20-plus saves. In the ECAC Tournament, Bowers stopped 23 shots in Montclair State's 17-13 win over Drew in the semifinals and then made 24 saves versus Stevens in the championship game

The Red Hawks’ top defenseman as a freshman, Ferry anchored a defense that yielded just 129 goals in 16 games (7.73 per game), ranking third in the conference and 36th nationally. He picked up 42 ground balls and caused 21 turnovers while starting all 16 games for Montclair State. Ferry was one of only two freshmen named to the All-Skyline Second Team (none on the First Team).

Bonner appearedin all 18 games with 13 starts at midfield. He scored 17 goals and added four assists while also recording 41 ground balls and six caused turnovers. Bonner scored two goals in back-to-back wins over NY Maritime (March 28) and Farmingdale (April 1) and finished fifth on the team in ground balls. He had a goal and two ground balls versus Drew in the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament semifinals on May 11 and followed that up with one goal and three ground balls versus Stevens in the ECAC Championship Game on two days later.

The Red Hawks open their 2008 campaign on Saturday, March 1 in Oneonta, NY as they face Hartwick College.