BOSTON - Six former America East men's lacrosse standouts have been named to the roster for the 2009 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game, which will take place Thursday, July 16 at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. Mike Gabel (Vermont '05), Jordan Levine (Albany '08), Brendan Mundorf (UMBC '06), Brett Queener (Albany '08), Merrick Thomson (Albany '07) and Drew Westervelt (UMBC '07) were among the 38 players selected by the league's head coaches and general managers. Levine, Queener, Thomson and Westervelt will play on the "Young Guns" team, while Gabel and Mundorf are on the "Old School" squad.
Gabel, a first-team all-conference goalkeeper for the Catamounts in 2003, is in his fourth year with the Chicago Machine and will be making his second straight all-star appearance. He currently ranks third in MLL with a 101 saves and is among league leaders in goals against average (15.00).
Mundorf, a two-time America East Player of the Year, currently ranks second in MLL with 26 goals and is tied for sixth with 32 points for the Denver Outlaws. A two-time All-America selection, Mundorf led UMBC to the league title in 2006 and was chosen the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Levine, a three-time first-team all-conference choice, is in his second season and first as teammates with Queener and Thomson in Toronto. He earned All-America honors as a junior and senior at Albany.
Queener was a two-time All-America East goalkeeper, including a first-team honoree as a junior, ranks second in MLL with a .568 save percentage and has earned all four of his team's wins this season. He is in his first season in Toronto after helping now defunct Rochester capture the 2008 title.
Thomson, four-time All-America East attack for the Great Danes, leads MLL with 31 goals and is tied for second with 35 many points. The 2008 Warrior Most Improved Player for the New Jersey Pride, Thomson was a third-team All-America selection at Albany in 2007 and was named the MOP at the America East Championship.
Westervelt, a three-time All-America East selection at UMBC, ranks second among league leaders with 14 assists, is tied for sixth with 35 points and is tied for seventh with 18 goals. He is teammates with Mundorf, a fellow Retriever, on first-place Denver.
The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. EDT with Joe Beninati and Quint Kessenich on the call.