Nine members of the GCC men's lacrosse team received recognition from Region III for their performance during the spring season, earning a place on the All-Region III Men's Lacrosse team for 2017. Davis Prince, Bailey Skye and Pat Van Bortle were selected to the All-Region III First Team, Patrick Bilbrey, Chance Gates and Alex Mack were named second team all-region, and Baden Boyenko, Darin Eakins and Connor Harman received all-region honorable mention.
Prince led Genesee and the region in points this spring with 91. The sophomore attack scored 42 goals, the second most on the team, and assisted on 49, which led the Cougars and tied for the lead in the region. He set the single game record for most assist this year when he had a hand in 10 goals in a win over SUNY Broome on Apr. 12. Prince fired 93 shots this season, 65 of which were on target, and appeared in all 14 of GCC's games this spring.
Skye caused a team leading 19 turnovers from his defensive position this season and was second in ground balls with 58. The sophomore accounted for six points, one goal and five assists, and appeared in all 14 games, making 13 starts.
Van Bortle racked up 71 points at attack this season, the fourth most in the region, scoring 40 goals and adding 31 assists. The target of most opposing team's best defender, Van Bortle made the most of his attempts, scoring on better than 66-percent of his shots on net during his sophomore campaign. He caused eight turnovers and collected 23 ground balls and started all 13 of the games he played in.
Bilbrey scored 25 goals as a midfielder and assisted on five to finish the year with 30 points. The freshman collected 20 ground balls and was 15-42 on face-offs. He caused five turnovers and played in all 14 games this spring.
Gates helped lead the GCC defense, which limited opponents to 8.07 goals per game this season. The sophomore appeared in every game this season and collected 22 ground balls, caused 12 turnovers and assisted on one goal.
Mack led the Cougars in goals with 49, the third most in the region, and was third on the team in points with 67. He tied the single game record for most points with 14 in a win over Hudson Valley CC on Mar. 31, scoring eight goals and assisting on six. The freshman started all 14 games and scored on 79-percent of his shots on goal.
Boyenko put together a solid freshman season at attack, finishing the year with 30 goals and nine assists. He appeared in 12 games, collected nine ground balls and caused three turnovers.
Eakins was the starting goalkeeper in every game this spring for GCC. He allowed the second fewest goals (89) in the region and held the second lowest goals-against average (8.96). Eakins made 123 saves, the eighth most in the region.
Harman scored three goals as an LSM and assisted on one to finish the spring with four points. He appeared in 11 games, collected 37 ground balls and caused 18 turnovers, the second most on the team.
Genesee finished the season 11-3 and won a share of the Region III title for the first time in the program's history. The Cougars advanced to the NJCAA National Final Four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons and held the No. 1 national ranking for three consecutive weeks in 2017.
