University of North Carolina Athletics
Eight Heels Tapped For USILA All-America Teams
May 21, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eight members of the University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team were named Thursday to the 2015 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-America Teams. The All-America Team members will be honored at the USILA All-America Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Philadelphia on Sunday, May 24 at 10 a.m.
Carolina had two selections to the first-team – senior midfielder Chad Tutton of Courtice, Ontario and senior long-stick midfielder Ryan Kilpatrick of West Chester, Pa. Second-team selections included senior attackman Jimmy Bitter of Stowe, Vt., senior attackman Joey Sankey of Warminster, Pa., and sophomore defenseman Austin Pifani of Roslyn, Pa. Third-team selections were sophomore short-stick defensive midfielder Tate Jozokos of Wolfeboro, N.H. and senior defenseman Jake Bailey of Fairport, N.Y. Sophomore attackman Luke Goldstock of Niskayuna, N.Y., was named to the honorable mention team.
Tutton, Kilpatrick, Bitter, Sankey and Bailey were all named All-Atlantic Coast Conference earlier this spring. Tutton and Kilpatrick are Carolina's first first-team All-America selections since attackman Marcus Holman in 2013. This marks the first time since 2010 that UNC has had two players on the first-team All-America squad when attackman Billy Bitter and defenseman Ryan Flanagan were named to the team.
This also marks the first year Carolina has had three players on the second team since the 1983 team had four selections. Carolina has never had three third-team selections. Altogether, UNC's eight selections are the most since the 1982 team had nine players named to the All-America Teams.
Tutton had 33 goals and eight assists in 2015 and was Carolina's fourth-leading scorer with 41 points. He finished his career as UNC's ninth-leading career goal scorer with 104. He scored more goals than any midfielder in UNC history. Tutton had been a second-team All-America in both 2013 and 2014. Kilpatrick made an All-America team for the first time in his career after a spectacular senior year in which he scored three goals, had two assists, scooped up 39 ground balls and had 11 caused turnovers while playing in all 17 games for the 13-4 Tar Heels.
Bitter and Sankey end their careers as two of the most decorated Tar Heels in program history. As a senior, Bitter led UNC in assists with 41 and in points with 78 while being the second-leading goal scorer with 37. He also finished second on the team in ground balls with 51. Sankey was second on the team in assists with 38 and in points with 72. He ranked third on the squad in goals with 34 and in ground balls with 49.
Sankey and Bitter, who started together on attack since the middle of their freshman seasons in 2012, finished first and third in career points with 229 and 208, respectively. Bitter was Carolina's second-leading all-time goal scorer with 126 while Sankey ranks third with 125. Sankey also finished third in career assists with 104. Bitter earned All-America status for the fourth straight year – he was honorable mention in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Sankey had been a third-team selection in both 2013 and 2014.
Pifani is an All-America for the second time in his career. He was an honorable mention choice in 2014. He started all 17 games for the Tar Heels in 2015 and led the team in caused turnovers with 19 while ranking sixth in ground balls with 41. Jozokos had an outstanding sophomore season in the short-stick midfield. He was fifth on the team in ground balls with 43 while causing 12 turnovers. He also scored five goals and had five assists. Bailey joined Jozokos as a first-time All-America honoree. Bailey ranked fourth on the team in ground balls with 44 and he was second in caused turnovers with 17.
Goldstock closed out the list of UNC honorees. His 50 goals in 2015 were a new school record, breaking the previous mark of 47 goals scored by Dennis Goldstein in 1991. He was third on the team in assists with 17 and also third in points with 67. He tied for sixth on the squad in ground balls with 41.
