May 24, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse players earned United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike All-America honors, headlined by three first-team selections Garrett Epple (Sr./D), Sergio Perkovic (Sr./M) and and John Sexton (Jr./LSM).
Drew Schantz (So./SSM) merited third-team recognition and Ryder Garnsey (So./A) received honorable mention accolades. Perkovic earned first team All-America honors for the third consecutive year while Sexton and Epple were recognized as an All-American for the second time in their careers. Sexton received second team recognition in 2016 and Epple was named honorable mention in 2015.
This marks the 13th consecutive season Notre Dame has produced multiple USILA All-America selections. In 29 seasons under head coach Kevin Corrigan, the Irish have had 43 different players earn 80 All-America citations.
Perkovic (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) finished his Notre Dame career as the most decorated midfielder in program history. Perkovic started 62 games during his career at Notre Dame. Earlier this season the senior became the seventh player in program history to reach the 100-goal milestone. Perkovic ended his career with 111 goals, which represent the most ever by a Notre Dame midfielder. Perkovic turned in the greatest goal-scoring performance of his illustrious career in an 11-10 win over Marquette on April 11 during his senior season, as he scored a career-high six goals to will the Irish to victory. Perkovic is also a Senior CLASS Award finalist and earned a spot as one of the final 25 Tewaaraton Award nominees. The senior is a three-time ACC All-Academic recipient. Perkovic also served on the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee as the lone student representative in 2015-16.
Epple (Cockeysville, Maryland) was a staple in the Irish defense during the 2017 campaign. The senior led the team in caused turnovers with 27 and ground balls with 47 over Notre Dame’s 15 games during the 2017 season. Epple earned two ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors this season for the job he did against Michigan (February 26) and No. 1 Maryland (March 4). The defenseman’s best performance of the season came against the Terrapins. Epple shut down Maryland’s prolific attackman Matt Rambo, holding him scoreless in the game, and caused four turnovers.
Sexton (Sudbury, Massachusetts) was a force for the Irish on both the defensive and offensive ends of the field. The junior was second on the team in ground balls with 46, thanks to his strong wing play on face-offs and his ability to cause turnovers at a high rate. He also has excelled in the attack, scoring four goals on the season. He earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 27 after recording a goal and an assist while scooping up a season-high five ground balls to lead Notre Dame to a 12-7 win over No. 4 Ohio State. Sexton is also tied for the team lead in caused turnovers with 22 in 2017.
Schantz (Allentown, Pennsylvania) enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, excelling in multiple facets of the game for the Irish in 2017. The sophomore accumulated 11 points, consisting of six goals and five assists. On the defensive end Schantz caused seven turnovers and scooped up 20 ground balls.
Garnsey (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire) paced the Irish in points all season, racking up 43 over 14 games played. The sophomore scored 20 goals and registered a team-high 23 assists. Garnsey totaled four points or more in five games in 2017 and recorded multiple points in 11 outings.
The Irish finished the 2017 campaign with a record of 9-6. Notre Dame made the NCAA Championship quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive season, the most of any program in the country.
— ND —
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
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Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.