Putzier Defends POY Award, WPU Collects Nine All-Heart Awards
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s lacrosse team was well represented as the 2024 all-Heart of America Athletic Conference teams were announced last Friday.
William Penn had nine individuals garner some kind of recognition, including having eight of the 14 first-team honorees. WPU had one additional second-team award winner, while a total of 12 players were picked for the second squad.
On the first squad, Breck Putzier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science) and Wyatt Christensen (So., Madison, Wis., Biology) were named as Attackers, while Boston Romero (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) and Kenny Bohney (So., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) earned the laurels as Midfielders.
The other four first-teamers were lauded for their work in their specialty areas with Eric Garigan (Grad., Tucson, Ariz., Master’s of Organizational Leadership) as Goalkeeper, Collin Baliva (Sr., St. Louis, Mo., Industrial Technology) as Short Stick Defensive Midfielder, Max Standage (So., Gilbert, Ariz., Public Accounting) as Long Stick Midfielder, and Ryan Swarts (Sr., Boise, Idaho, Industrial Technology) as Face Off Specialist.
Finally, Noah Braegger (Fr., West Point, Utah, General Accounting) picked up a second-team nod as a Midfielder.
Putzier was not only a first-team selection, but also defended his Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards. Garigan collected a top laurel as well as he shared the Defensive Player of the Year accolade with CJ Besuzzi of Benedictine.
The nine Statesmen award winners have helped William Penn to a 16-2 record (4-1 Heart), a Heart Championship crown, and a berth in next week’s NAIA National Invitational.
Putzier is now a three-time first-team all-conference player (twice from the Heart). He has also been honored as Offensive POY all three seasons of his career.
The junior has once again been an offensive juggernaut, entering nationals having already scored 65 goals with 75 assists for 140 points. He has also tallied 59 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers.
The three-time Heart Player of the Week has scored a goal in all but one game this spring and has hit double figures in points on four occasions. His high of 17 points (10 goals, 7 assists) came against Mount Vernon Nazarene on March 28.
Now a two-time first-team honoree from the league, Christensen has scored 88 points on 47 goals and 41 assists. Additionally, he has 28 ground balls and four caused turnovers.
The sophomore, who won one Heart POW laurel, has a high of 11 points versus Mount Vernon Nazarene on March 28.
Romero’s honor is the third of his career (second from the Heart, both on the first squad). He heads to Georgia with 50 goals and 17 assists (67 points), while also producing 20 ground balls and three caused turnovers.
The senior, who is a winner of one Heart POW honor, has scored a goal in every contest in 2024. He tallied a season-best seven points against Siena Heights on February 24.
Bohney’s award is his first and comes on the heels of him thus far tallying 47 points this year (36 goals, 11 assists). He has managed 41 ground balls and six caused turnovers as well.
The sophomore’s best game was on April 13 against Clarke when he posted seven goals and one assist for eight points.
Twice a Heart Defensive Player of the Week in 2024, Garigan’s award is the first of his career. He enters nationals with a 6.09 Goals Against Average and 151 saves.
Garigan has only allowed two of 17 opposing teams to reach double figures against him.
Baliva, who is now a two-time first-teamer from the Heart, won one league Defensive POW award this season. The senior has scored 11 goals with 13 assists, while also posting a team-high 101 ground balls along with 15 caused turnovers.
Baliva has three games with double-digit ground balls, including a high of 14 against Clarke on April 13.
The recipient of his first conference honor, Standage enters nationals with 11 goals, four assists, 69 ground balls, and 20 caused turnovers.
The sophomore has tallied at least one point in 10 contests with a season high of three versus St. Ambrose on April 6.
Swarts is now a three-time award winner with two coming from the Heart; this is the first time he has been named to the top squad. The senior has claimed wins in 200 of his 329 faceoffs for a 60.8% success rate. He also has 55 ground balls and two caused turnovers to his credit.
Swarts has owned a 50% success rate in 13 of WPU’s 18 games, headlined by a 21-for-22 effort against Missouri Valley on April 10.
Braegger gained an award is his first season in the navy and gold due to 34 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers. He has also assisted one Statesmen score.
Of the 11 games in which he has a caused turnover, the freshman twice has recorded four.
Billy Dineen of Benedictine and Tucker La Belle of Clarke were tabbed as Co-Coaches of the Year.
