There is little question that former America East men's lacrosse standouts -- John Grant, Brendan Mundorf, Brett Queener, Merrick Thomson and Drew Westervelt -- have impacted the 2008 Major League Lacrosse season. This week, two of them, Grant and Thompson, received major end-of-the season awards, while the other three, along with Grant, will vie for the MLL championship this weekend at Harvard Stadium.
Grant, the 1999 America East Player of the Year, earned Most Valuable Player honors from the league and was named the Warrior Offensive Player of the Year after leading MLL with 64 points on 51 goals and 13 assists. He leads his team, top-seeded Rochester, into the championship weekend with a 9-3 mark, the best in the league.
Thomson, a four-time All-America East attack for the Great Danes, earned Warrior Most Improved Player accolades. He finished the season ranked second in the league with 42 goals and 52 points. A second-year player for the New Jersey Pride, Thomson was a third-team All-America selection at Albany in 2007 and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the America East Championship.
Thompson and Grant were both named to the All-MLL Team.
Mundorf, an attack for the second-seeded Denver Outlaws, was a two-time America East Player of the Year for UMBC. He completed 2008 tied for sixth in MLL with 44 points and was among the Top 10 with 30 goals. A two-time All-America selection, Mundorf led UMBC to the league title in 2006 and was chosen the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Westervelt, a member of the Outlaws, was three-time America East all-conference performer for the Retrievers. He ranked fourth among team leaders with 32 points and was tied for second on his team with 24 goals this season.
Queener, a three-time all-conference honoree from Albany, is the Rattlers backup goaltender after being chosen by the team in the fifth round of the 2008 MLL Draft.
Grant and Queener's Rattlers take on fourth-seeded Philadelphia on Saturday at 12 noon, while Mundorf and Westervelt's Outlaws take on third-seeded Los Angeles at 3 p.m.