May 28, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse standouts Sergio Perkovic and Garrett Epple, both USILA First Team All-Americans in 2017, were selected in the first two rounds in the 2017 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft held in Boston.
The Boston Cannons made Perkovic, the most decorated midfielder in Notre Dame history, the second overall pick and the first midfielder selected. In the second round the Atlanta Blaze took Epple off the board with the No. 18 pick overall.
With the second pick in the 2017 @MLL_Lacrosse #MLLDraft the @BostonCannons select Sergio Perkovic, M – @NDlacrosse https://t.co/oJkK8CQ2nw pic.twitter.com/2tH5tSLM1L
— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) May 28, 2017
Perkovic is the highest selection in program history for the Irish in the MLL Draft, besting former teammate Matt Landis by one spot as Landis was the third overall selection in 2016. Previous Irish first-round picks were Mike Podgajny (seventh overall) in 2008, Zach Brenneman (fifth overall), 2011 and Jack Near (seventh overall) in 2015, the aforementioned Landis (third overall) in 2016 and Matt Kavanagh (fifth overall) in 2016.
The Florida Launch selected Brown attackman Dylan Molloy with the first pick in the 2017 MLL Draft.
Perkovic (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) 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 was selected as a Senior Class Award first team member 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.
Here’s a complete history of previous Notre Dame MLL Draft selections:
| Year | Player | Round | Team |
| 2001 | Steve Bishko | 3rd | Rochester |
| Tom Glatzel | 4th | Baltimore | |
| David Ulrich | 5th | Baltimore | |
| 2002 | Devin Ryan | 4th | Bridgeport |
| 2005 | Brian Giordano | 4th | Boston |
| 2006 | DJ Driscoll | 2nd | Los Angeles |
| Pat Walsh | 4th | Long Island | |
| 2007 | Brian Hubschmann | 5th | Long Island |
| 2008 | Mike Podgajny | 1st (7th) | San Francisco |
| Joey Kemp | 3rd | Los Angeles | |
| Sean Dougherty | 4th | Washington | |
| Taylor Clagett | 5th | Los Angeles | |
| 2009 | Ryan Hoff | 3rd | Chicago |
| Regis McDermott | 3rd | Long Island | |
| 2010 | Scott Rodgers | 2nd | Toronto |
| Grant Krebs | 8th | Boston | |
| 2011 | Zach Brenneman | 1st (5th) | Long Island |
| David Earl | 3rd | Hamilton | |
| Kevin Ridgway | 3rd | Hamilton | |
| Sam Barnes | 5th | Long Island | |
| Andrew Irving | 6th | Denver | |
| 2012 | Kevin Randall | 7th | Charlotte |
| 2013 | John Kemp | 4th | Rochester |
| Matt Miller | 6th | Rochester | |
| Steve Murphy | 7th | New York | |
| Quinn Cully | 8th | Boston | |
| 2014 | Steve O’Hara | 6th | Ohio |
| 2015 | Jack Near | 1st (7th) | Rochester |
| Conor Doyle | 6th | Chesapeake | |
| Nick Ossello | 8th | Denver | |
| 2016 | Matt Landis | 1st (3rd) | Florida |
| Matt Kavanagh | 1st (5th) | Denver | |
| 2017 | Sergio Perkovic | 1st (2nd) | Boston |
| Garrett Epple | 2nd | Atlanta |
— 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.