Princeton University Athletics
Sims Named Ivy Lacrosse Player Of The Year
May 11, 2000 | Men's Lacrosse
May 11, 2000
Josh Sims, one of the top Ivy League midfielders of all, has been named Ivy League Player of the Year in a vote of league coaches.
Sims becomes Princeton's fourth Ivy Player of the Year, joining Kevin Lowe (1994), Jesse Hubbard (1996) and Jon Hess (1997). A senior from Edgewater, Md., Sims is Princeton's career leader in goals by a midfielder with 96, which is sixth all-time overall in the program's history.
Sims was also a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection, making him the 19th player in league history to be a three-time first-team selection. Sims, who can join Scott Bacigalupo as Princeton's only three-time first-team All-Americas, is the team's leading scorer with 29 goals and 12 assists.
Harvard's Matt Primm was named the Ivy Rookie of the Year. Primm led league rookies in scoring, despite being held without a goal in the Princeton-Harvard game by Princeton freshman Damien Davis, who held five of his six league opponents without a goal in his rookie season. Joining Sims as first-team selections were sophomore attackman B.J. Prager, who led the league in scoring in league games despite missing the almost one-third of the league season due to a torn ACL, and junior longstick Ryan Mollett, who anchored the league's best defense.
Prager scored 23 goals and had five assists before tearing his ACL in the first quarter of the game against Cornell. He had a league-best 16 goals and three assists in league games despite the missed time. Mollett was the leader of a completely rebuilt Tiger defense, which was the league's top unit despite having graduated its goalie and four starting longsticks from a year ago.
Princeton junior attackman Matt Striebel, the team leader in assists with 21, and sophomore defenseman Scott Farrell were named to the second team. Junior midfielder Matt Bailer, senior midfielder Chris Berrier, Davis and junior goalie Trevor Tierney, who leads the nation in save percentage, were named honorable mention.
The Tigers have won six straight Ivy League championships and 31 straight Ivy League games.
Tierney's goals-against average is the lowest in the Ivy League for league games only since Tom Wagner of Cornell had a 4.00 goals-against average in 1981. Since then, the five lowest goals-against averages by Ivy League goalies are all by Princeton goalies, none of whom was named first-team All-Ivy League.
Princeton, 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the league, is the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Tigers, who have won five national titles in the last eight years, will play the winner of the opening round game between Maryland and Hofstra in the NCAA quarterfinals May 20 at Rutgers.
2000 All-Ivy League men's lacrosse First team * - unanimous selection Attack B.J. Prager*, Princeton, Sean Steinwald, Cornell, Mike Monfett, Brown Midfield Josh Sims*, Princeton, Roger Buttles*, Harvard, Jim Mormile*, Brown Defense Ryan Mollett, Princeton, Don Gerne, Yale, Jeff Psaki, Harvard Goalie Keith Cynar, Harvard
Second team Attack Brian Hunt, Yale, Matt Striebel, Princeton, Pete Janney, Pennsylvania Midfield Chris Packard, Cornell, David Key, Cornell, Marko Lujic, Yale Defense Josh Heller, Cornell, Scott Kinum, Dartmouth, Scott Farrell, Princeton Goalie Justin Cynar, Cornell
Honorable Mention (Princeton only) Midfield Matt Bailer, Chris Berrier Defense Damien Davis Goalie Trevor Tierney