Eight Polar Bears tabbed Academic All-OAC in Men's Lacrosse

May 21, 2019

By Blake Moore

ADA — Eight Ohio Northern men's lacrosse student-athletes were named to the 2019 Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference squads for their classroom achievements during the past season, the league office announced Tuesday morning.

Seniors Matthew Laudico (Williamsville, N.Y./South), Andrew Markell (Missouri City, Tex./Ridge Point), Jackson Pfister (Upper Arlington), and Noah St. Croix (Irondequoit, N.Y.), junior Cameron Marous (Brecksville), and sophomores Joe O'Connell (Fishers, Ind.), Joshua Foster (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian), and Branden Stoeffler (Fishers, Ind.) were each honored this season for their academic success.

To receive Academic All-OAC honors, student-athletes must be a sophomore-or-higher in academic standing, maintain varsity-level status during the season, and own a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average.

The OAC office recognized 417 student-athletes from the league's 10 member institutions in 10 sports this spring for their commitment to academic excellence. In all, Ohio Northern had 57 student-athletes honored with the award.

Laudico, Markell, Pfister, and St. Croix were each honored for the third time in their respective careers.

Laudico, a senior accounting student, received his award after appearing in nine games during his final season at Ohio Northern.

From the defense position, he collected two ground balls and caused two turnovers this year.

In his four seasons with the program, Laudico has appeared in 47 games with one start. He owns 26 career ground balls and 10 career caused turnovers.

Markell is a senior goalkeeper for the Polar Bears studying chemistry. He is also a two-time OAC Defensive Player of the Week.

The Missouri City, Texas native saw 123 minutes in net this season after appearing in seven games with one start. The senior allowed just 10 goals for a 4.87 goals against average and registered a 1-0 record and 16 saves on a 61.5% save percentage.

Markell has started four contests and appeared in 31 total games for 530 minutes of action during his career. He currently leads the program with a 4.76 career goals against average, ranks second all-time in goalkeeper minutes, and sits third in wins (4) and saves (59) in program history.

Pfister, a senior defender from Upper Arlington, is a pharmaceutical and healthcare business student at Ohio Northern. He is a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree and a three-time all-conference selection.

This season, he started all 17 games in which he appeared for the Polar Bears. He ended second on the team with 17 caused turnovers while his 34 ground balls ranked third-highest.

In four seasons, Pfister has started 64 games in 65 total appearances at ONU. He graduates as the current program leader in ground balls with 141 and sits second all-time with 75 career caused turnovers.

St. Croix is a senior marketing major who serves as an attack on the Polar Bear lacrosse team.

During his senior campaign, he recorded 10 goals and tied for second on the team with 12 assists for 22 total points. In addition, he picked up 14 ground balls and caused two turnovers.

St. Croix currently ranks second all-time in career assists (70), fourth in goals (56) and points (126), fifth in shots (172) and man-up goals (13), and ranks first in school history with two man-down goals at ONU. He additionally owns 15 career ground balls and 10 career caused turnovers.

Marous, a junior marketing and finance major, is now a two-time Academic All-OAC honoree with the announcement.

In his career, he has also been named a three-time All-OAC Second-Team pick, the 2017 OAC Freshman of the Year, a 2019 CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District 7 At-Large honoree, a three-time OAC Player of the Week, and a one-time USILA Team of the Week member.

This season, the Brecksville native guided the Polar Bear offense with 34 goals, 21 assists, 55 points, and 92 total shots. The junior also chipped in 25 ground balls and six caused turnovers during the campaign.

Marous is Ohio Northern's all-time leader with 81 career assists and 190 career points. Additionally, he stands second in program history with 109 career goals, ranks third with 259 shots, and sits eighth all-time with 92 career ground balls.

O'Connell is a sophomore mechanical engineering major making his first appearance on the Academic All-OAC listing.

In 2019, he started 14 games for the Polar Bears and appeared in all 18 contests at the attack position. He finished the season ranked third on the team with 21 goals and 32 points and ended fourth on the roster with 11 assists.

O'Connell has appeared in 26 total games during his career and registered 28 career goals and 17 career assists for 45 total points. He currently ranks ninth in program history with four man-up goals and stands 10th all-time in assists (17), points (45), and shots (89).

Foster, a sophomore construction management major, receives his first award after appearing in nine games this season.

The second-year attack man posted three goals, six assists, and nine points to aid the Polar Bear offense. He also chipped in eight ground balls and contributed 14 shots this season.

In two seasons, Foster has made 12 appearances in an ONU uniform and tallied five goals, six assists, and 11 points in his career.

Stoeffler is a mechanical engineering major at Ohio Northern honored for the first time.

The Fishers, Indiana product appeared in all 18 games for Ohio Northern this season and ended fifth on the team with 27 ground balls. He chipped in a goal and also caused two turnovers.

Stoeffler has appeared in 30 total games during his first two seasons at Ohio Northern. He owns 42 career ground balls, seven caused turnovers, a goal, and an assist.

In the 2019 campaign, Ohio Northern posted a 13-5 overall record and finished third in the OAC with a 6-3 league record. With the No. 3 seed in the OAC Tournament, the Polar Bears reached the program's first OAC championship game under fourth-year head coach Nat St. Laurent.