May 2, 2002

EDISON, N.J. -- The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced it's selections for the 2002 All-MAAC post-season men's lacrosse honors at the MAAC Championship banquet, held in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Thursday, May 2.

Sophomore Brian O'Rorke (Montclair, N.J.) earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year and All-MAAC First-Team honors. Senior midfielder Kyle Ojakian (Cheshire, Conn.) and freshman attack Dan Giuntini (Flora Park, N.Y.) also earned First-Team accolades.

O'Rorke, a 6-3, 225-pound long-stick defender, was honored as MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2001. He has played in all 15 games for the Friars this season, and is third on the team with a career-high 44 groundballs. Head Coach Chris Burdick repeatedly describes O'Rorke as the team's best take-away man, and one of the premier defenders in the game. O'Rorke also has taken on limited face-off responsibilities when needed, winning three of seven opportunities for a 42.9 face-off percentage. O'Rorke lettered in lacrosse and ice hockey at Montclair High School. He captained both teams during his senior year, and was a two-time All-State selection in lacrosse, while earning All-Conference honors in hockey. He is the son of Richard and Mary-Ann O'Rorke.

Ojakian, PC's first-ever All-MAAC First-Team selection in 2001, finished the regular season first on the team with 62 points and 41 assists, and third on the team with 21 goals. He ranks first in the nation among NCAA Division I players in assists (41) and assists per game (2.73 apg). Ojakian set the single-season assist record and single-season scoring record at Providence, during the final regular-season game against Mount St. Mary's. He ranks 11th all-time at PC in career points (109) and fourth all-time in career assists (80), after just two seasons. Ojakian spent two years at Dean College before transferring to Providence in the fall of 2000. At Dean, he set the single-season assist record with 55 in 2000, and ranks first all-time in career assists with 85. He attended Cheshire High School and is the son of Jacki and Mark Ojakian.

Giuntini is the first PC freshman to earn All-MAAC First-Team honors, and joins O'Rorke and Ojakian as the only players from Providence College to be named to the league's First Team in the seven-year affiliation with the MAAC. Giuntini finished the regular-season first on the team in goals scored (25), second on the team in scoring (37 points) and tied for second in assists (12). He played four years of varsity lacrosse and earned two varsity letters at Chaminade High School. As a senior at Chaminade, Giuntini scored 42 goals and registered 23 assists, and earned all-league honors. He is the son of Margaret and Stephen Giuntini.

The Friars finished the 2002 season with a 9-6 overall record and placed second in the MAAC with a 5-2 mark. The team's second-place finish earned PC it's highest finish ever in conference play (second), and it's second-consecutive invitation to the MAAC Championship. The team is scheduled to face third-seeded Mount St. Mary's in the semifinals of the MAAC tournament on Thursday, May 3, at 3:00 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. If the Friars advance to the finals, they will face the winner of No. 1 Manhattan versus No. 4 St. Joseph's on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m.