FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S LACROSSE PLAYERS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

The Mountain Valley Conference announced today that three members of the SUNY Cobleskill men’s lacrosse team have been voted to the league’s 2007 All-Mountain Valley Conference Team by the conference’s coaches. Representing the Fighting Tigers this season will be senior midfielder Tom Cunningham, Skaneateles, NY, Skaneateles High School, freshman attackman Joe LaBadia, Bethel, CT, Bethel High School, and senior midfielder Matt Hughes, Wallkill, NY, Wallkill High School. The Fighting Tigers rebounded this season from not competing in 2006 to posting a 4-7 overall mark including a 1-3 record versus conference competition in 2007. This represents the most wins by a Cobleskill lacrosse team since the 1994 season when the program posted a 5-4 overall record.

During the season Tom Cunningham led the Fighting Tigers in scoring with 21 goals, in assists with 20 and in total points with 41. The Skaneateles native was a team captain for Cobleskill this season after having been named the program’s Most Valuable Player in 2005. During his career Cunningham scored 44 goals while passing out 27 assists for a total of 71 career points.

A redshirt freshman, attackman Joe LaBadia used his bull-like 5’7” 185 lbs frame to punish defenders around the goal area for the Fighting Tigers this season scoring 15 goals to go with eight assists on the year for a total of 23 points on the year.

Senior midfielder Matt Hughes overcame early season injuries to establish himself as a force on both sides of the field for the Fighting Tigers. Offensively the Wallkill High School alumnus scored 19 goals and passed out 11 assists for a total of 30 total points on the year.

“These are going to be three young men who are going to be hard to replace because they work extremely hard in practice and have provided us with exceptional leadership this season,” said first-year Fighting Tiger Head Coach Ryan Gunzinger. “This year we have started to take some important steps towards respectability and establishing a foundation to build off of and Tom, Joe and Matt were significant parts of this process.”