May 15, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Four University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse players received Inside Lacrosse All-America honors, headlined by three second team selections in senior defenseman Garrett Epple, senior midfielder Sergio Perkovic and junior long stick midfielder John Sexton.
Sophomore short stick defensive midfielder Drew Schantz received honorable mention status from the publication.
The 2017 selections are the inaugural Inside Lacrosse Media All-America teams. The three teams are compiled by more than 30 members of the lacrosse media who vote in the weekly Maverik Media Poll and are in tune with the national college lacrosse landscape week to week. This diverse group of opinions provides a strong consensus of who’s the best of the best in DI men’s college lacrosse. Their selections were made at the conclusion of the 2017 regular season and account for performances through May 8. To view all three teams, click here.
Epple (Cockeysville, Maryland) has been a staple in the Irish defense. The senior is tied for the lead on the team in caused turnovers with 22 and is second in ground balls with 40 over Notre Dame’s 14 games during the 2017 season. Epple has 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.
Perkovic (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) has started 57 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 currently has 110 goals in his career, 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, as he scored a career-high six goals to will the Irish to victory. Perkovic is also a Senior CLASS Award finalist and is on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Sexton (Sudbury, Massachusetts) leads the Irish on the year 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) has excelled in multiple facets of the game for the Irish in 2017. The sophomore has accumulated 11 points, consisting of six goals and five assists. On the defensive end Schantz has caused seven turnovers and scooped up 20 ground balls.
Notre Dame faces the No. 5 seed Denver in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship on Saturday, May 20. The game will be played at Hofstra in Hempstead, New York, and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The game starts at either noon or 2 p.m. ET.
For an all-encompassing look at the Irish in the 2017 NCAA Championship, check out the Notre Dame NCAA Championship Central page here.
— 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.