June 7, 2004
Notre Dame senior goalie Stewart Crosland (Bethesda, Md./Landon School) was named to the 10-member Academic All-District V University Division Men’s At-Large Team based on voting by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), it was announced recently. He is one of just five Division I lacrosse players – and the only goalie – to earn academic all-district honors in the at-large program, which features athletes from 13 men’s sports. Crosland now moves on to the national ballot in a bid to become Notre Dame’s fourth men’s lacrosse Academic All-American since 1997.
Crosland, a management entrepreneurship and history double major who will return for a fifth year of eligibility in 2005, carries a 3.571 cumulative grade-point average in the Mendoza College of Business. During the 2003-04 school year, he posted a 3.926 GPA in the fall and a 3.778 during his in-season semester. Crosland, who has been named to the Dean’s List on six occasions, also is a two-year member of Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, serving on its community service subcommittee.
The Landon School graduate has been the starting goalie in each of the last 27 Irish games, and he stands sixth on Notre Dame’s career saves list with 357. In 2004, he finished 11th in Division I with a .599 save percentage and had a 9.08 goals-against average. Crosland led the Great Western Lacrosse League in both categories in ’03, finishing fifth in save percentage (.626) and 11th in GAA (7.49) in the nation. His higher goals-against mark this season was due largely to Notre Dame’s wide-open playing style that saw the Irish finish second in the nation in scoring offense (12.50 goals per game).
Crosland, named by Inside Lacrosse as a GWLL “Player to Watch” in 2004, was a second-team all-league honoree as a junior. This season, he anchored the best back-to-back defensive performances in school history, as the Irish gave up just five total goals in consecutive contests against Dartmouth and Air Force. In those tilts, Crosland surrendered just three goals and made 26 saves for a 1.56 GAA and .897 save percentage. He stopped 12 of 13 (.923) shots by the Big Green, which had the seventh-ranked offense in Division I at the time.
On four occasions this season, Crosland and the Irish defense held an opponent scoreless for a stretch of more than 25 minutes: 28:47 vs. #17 Ohio State, 40:37 vs. Dartmouth, 48:14 at Air Force, and 25:42 vs. Fairfield.
During his career, Crosland has led the Irish to seven wins over ranked teams, held foes to five goals or fewer on nine occasions and posted a .650 save percentage or better in 13 games.
The at-large program allows each school to nominate three male and three female athletes among 25 Olympic sports. Voting determines the academic all-district teams for each of the eight districts. Those 80 men and 80 women move on to the national ballot, where three teams of 15 will gain recognition. The men’s CoSIDA Academic All-America teams for the at-large division will be announced on June 15, with the women’s honorees announced two days later.
The last Irish men’s lacrosse player to earn Academic All-America honors was defenseman Mike Adams, a first-team honoree in 2001, who also was named honorable mention All-America for his athletic accomplishments. Defensemen Dave Cashen (1997) and Steve Fiamingo (2000) were both second-team Academic All-Americans.
The other lacrosse players on the university division’s men’s at-large Academic All-America ballot are junior midfielder Mark Rotella of Providence, junior faceoff middie Ryan Goodman of Bucknell, and a pair of defenseman: Cornell senior Tim DeBlois and junior Chris Watson from Johns Hopkins.
Notre Dame finished the season 7-5 (4-1 GWLL) and just missed the 16-team NCAA Championship despite being ranked 11th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll and 12th by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The Irish lost 9-8 on a goal with 12 seconds remaining on March 31 against Ohio State in what proved to be the game that would determine the GWLL champion and the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAAs. Notre Dame, riding a five-game winning streak at the time, just missed a major upset in its final game, but the Irish were unable to hold an 8-7 lead in the final minute at #3 Maryland, eventually falling 9-8 in double overtime.
Notre Dame loses 10 seniors to graduation, but will return six starters, as well as a number of other experienced contributors, for the 2005 campaign.