University of North Carolina Athletics
Bitter & Walterhoefer Named To All-ACC Team
April 23, 2009 | Men's Lacrosse
April 23, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Five 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy nominees highlight this year's All-ACC Men's Lacrosse Team as announced Thursday evening by the league office. The team includes a pair of North Carolina Tar Heels, sophomore attackman Billy Bitter and senior midfielder Shane Walterhoefer.
Bitter leads the Tar Heels in goals, assists and points and is second in ground balls. He is second in the ACC in goals scored per game at 2.36 and second in the league in 3.57 points per game. Walterhoefer has set virtually all the schools face-off and ground ball records with the exception of career ground balls. He is fourth in NCAA history in face-offs won and seventh in ground balls captured. He leads the ACC this year in rgound balls per game at 8.07 and in face-off percentage at .646.
Ned Crotty of Duke, who currently leads the nation in assists per game, was also named the 2009 All-ACC men's lacrosse Player of the Year.
Joining Crotty on the league's postseason team are North Carolina's Billy Bitter and Virginia's Shamel Bratton, Danny Glading and Mike Timms. All five were nominated for the nation's highest lacrosse honor, the Tewaaraton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top men's lacrosse player in the country.
All four ACC programs were represented on this year's All-ACC team, while the Cavaliers placed a league-high four representatives to the 2009 squad, which is determined by a vote of the league's four head coaches.
Earning the ACC Freshman of the Year honor is Virginia's rookie attackman Steele Stanwich. Stanwick has started all 14 games for the Cavs, registering 29 goals, 13 assists and 35 ground balls.
This year's Coach of the Year honors went to Virginia's Dom Starsia, who holds a 298-109 career record in his 16 years at the helm of the Cavaliers.
The 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship will begin Friday, April 24, on the campus of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Maryland locked in the number one seed in the upcoming two-day event, which will be held at the Tar Heels' Kenan Stadium. The Terrapins, who own a 6-4 overall record and a 2-1 league mark, will take on fourth-seed and host North Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. ET in semifinals action, while No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 seed Virginia square off at 7:30 p.m.
For more information about the 2009 ACC Men's Lacrosse Championship, please visit TheACC.com.
