MLAX: Rivier Headlines MLAX Major Awards; All-Conference Teams Announced
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2026 Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Monday afternoon. Rivier had nine selections, the most of any school this year.
Voting was conducted by the league’s 12 men’s lacrosse head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
Dean's Manny Alvarez-Segee was named Offensive Player of the Year while Rivier secured four major awards as sophomore Jake Lydon was named both the Defensive Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year. His teammate Owen McDuffie was named Faceoff Specialist of the Year and freshman Conor Walsh was named Rookie of the Year. Raiders head coach James DeLanoy was named Coach of the Year. Colby-Sawyer earned the Institutional Sportsmanship award.
The full list of All-Conference honorees and the representatives on the All-Sportsmanship Team can be viewed below.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Manny Alvarez-Segee, Dean
Manny Alvarez-Segee orchestrated a Dean offense that was top-three offensively in the conference. The junior from Saugus, Mass. led the conference in goals with 61 (42 in conference) while leading the league in points at 97 (70 in league) which his 3.88 goals per game average and 6.13 points per game average led the league and placed him 11th and sixth in DIII in those categories. Alvarez-Segee was also second in the league in assists with 36 (28 GNAC), averaging 2.25 a game. In 11 of his 16 games, the junior had four or more goals scored and had five or more points in all but two of his games played.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER/GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Jake Lydon, Rivier
Jake Lydon had a dominant sophomore campaign after leading a Rivier defense that was statistically the number one scoring defense in the conference this past season. The Rowley, Mass. native led not only the league in goals against average at 5.05 (5.17 GNAC) and save percentage at 66.5 (64.7 in conference play) but also led the nation in both statistics. Lydon went undefeated in net at 18-0 on the season before being named tournament MVP this past Saturday, guiding the Raiders to their second consecutive GNAC title. In eight of his 18 games, Lydon had double-digit saves for Rivier as he was named Goalkeeper of the Week six times this season.
FACEOFF SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR
Owen McDuffie, Rivier
Owen McDuffie was outstanding in the circle for the Raiders as the senior from Gray, Maine had a 71.7% faceoff winning-percentage (75.3% in conference), which placed him in the top-15 in the nation. McDuffie also had scooped 111 ground balls for the Raiders, providing an impact on earning possessions for the Raiders throughout the season. The senior was named Player of the Week once this past season and was named to the All-Tournament Team this past weekend.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Conor Walsh, Rivier
Conor Walsh played the playmaking role in his first collegiate season for the Raiders as the Amesbury, Mass. freshman finished sixth in the conference in assists with 28 (20 in GNAC), which equated 63 points (42 in GNAC) and was good for eighth in the league as he had six games with five or more points. Walsh added 35 goals as well to provide the balance offensively for the undefeated Raiders. The freshman was named Rookie of the Week three times this year and was a member of the All-Tournament Team this past weekend as well.
COACH OF THE YEAR
James DeLanoy, Rivier
James DeLanoy earns his second Coach of the Year honors after he led the Raiders to an undefeated season in GNAC play (12-0; 18-0 overall). Under his leadership, Rivier was the league leader in many offensive and defensive categories, including a nation's best scoring defense in which they allowed only 4.76 goals per game. Offensively, they had a scoring margin of 10.35, which was outstanding for fourth in DIII. In 12 of their 18 games, the Raiders gave up five goals or less while they reached double-digit goals in 15 of their 18. DeLanoy and his team earned their second consecutive GNAC title this past weekend and will host the first round upcoming this week against Rhodes.
2026 Men's Lacrosse All-GNAC Teams
MAJOR AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year - Manny Alvarez-Segee, Dean
Def. Player/Goalkeeper of the Year - Jake Lydon, Rivier
Faceoff Specialist of the Year - Owen McDuffie, Rivier
Rookie of the Year - Conor Walsh, Rivier
Coach of the Year - James DeLanoy, Rivier
Institutional Sportsmanship - Colby-Sawyer College
FIRST TEAM
A - Manny Alvarez-Segee, Dean
A - Jason Martin, Lasell
A - Drew Fleury, Norwich
M - Aiden Conley, Rivier
M - Nick Klein, Regis
M - Nate Campbell, Lasell
D - Nick Wesley, USJ
D - Logan Layton, Rivier
D - Kevin Wood, SJC
GK - Jake Lydon, Rivier
FOM - Owen McDuffie, Rivier
LSM - Colin Foley, Rivier
SSDM - Christopher Hamblett, Emmanuel
SECOND TEAM
A - Nick Pestrichello, USJ
A - Cole Cloney, Emmanuel
A - Jack Condon, Lasell
M - Julian Vogel, Lasell
M - James DelPrete, Rivier
M - Henri Brochu, Rivier
D - Dom Dionisio, Lasell
D - Shawn Beebe, Dean
D - Tyler Chiccino, Lasell
GK - Noah Isleib, USJ
FOM - Matthew Carbone, Lasell
LSM - Vinny Pusateri III, USJ
SSDM - Cole Ronalter, Rivier
THIRD TEAM
A - Conor Walsh, Rivier
A - Brandon Cavicchi, SJC
A - Jake Marcotte, Norwich
M - Brenden Tedeschi, USJ
M - Ethan Madura, Emmanuel
M - Brody McGonigle, NEC
D - Robert Carr, Norwich
D - Ian Silva, Emmanuel
D - Mason Koloski, USJ
GK - Nate Finn, NEC
FOM - Evan Zonderman, NEC
LSM - Ronan Cafferty, Dean
SSDM - David Myers, Norwich
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Derrick Mejia, Albertus Magnus
Eric Deschner, Colby-Sawyer
Zach Weigold, Dean
Brandon Shuman, Emmanuel
Liam O’Brien, Lasell
Graham Brown, Mitchell
Tony Leary, New England College
Jack Bailey, Norwich
Matt Cabassa, Regis
Luke Armano, Rivier
David Cook, Saint Joseph’s (Maine)
Jase Cronin, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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