WESTERVILLE, Ohio – With Wednesday's release of the Ohio Athletic Conference men's lacrosse postseason awards, Capital University saw four student-athletes earn recognition.
Freshman Jess Lipp headlined the honors as the OAC Rookie of the Year while also earning Second Team All-OAC recognition at attack. Freddy Noday and Colton Woods were also named to the All-OAC Second Team, with Noday recognized as a face-off specialist and Woods as a midfielder. Wyatt Stemler rounded out the honors with Honorable Mention recognition at goalie.
It was a historic season for Lipp, who captured OAC Rookie of the Year honors and Second Team All-OAC accolades. The freshman finished the year with 51 goals and 20 assists for 71 total points. His performance places him eighth all-time in program history for both single-season goals and points. Lipp's top performance came against Heidelberg on April 21, when he totaled 11 points on five goals and six assists. That effort tied the program's single-game record for both points and assists. In addition to leading Capital's offense, Lipp added 25 ground balls and six caused turnovers.
Noday proved to be a steady force in the face-off circle throughout the season, earning Second Team honors after posting a 158-of-228 mark (.693). The senior also led the team with 100 ground balls. Noday leaves Capital as the program's all-time leader in both ground balls and face-off percentage, finishing his career with 394 ground balls and a .637 win percentage at the X.
Woods rounded out the Comets' Second Team selections with a strong junior campaign. The midfielder recorded 27 goals and 12 assists for 39 points. He played a pivotal role in Capital's rivalry victory over Otterbein, scoring a team-high five goals to help secure the "Battle for the Oar."
Stemler anchored the defense in goal and earned Honorable Mention All-OAC recognition following a solid sophomore season. He logged 908 minutes in the cage, recording 183 saves with a .529 save percentage. Stemler finished the year with an 8-9 record and a 10.76 goals-against average. In his first collegiate start, he set a new program record with 24 saves against Calvin on February 14, highlighting a breakout season between the pipes.
