Three Bellarmine Knights taken in lacrosse draft
TORONTO-Three Bellarmine University lacrosse players reached their dreams on Wednesday night when the National Lacrosse League held their 2010 Draft. Former Knights Jarrett Davis, Derek Hopcroft, and Chase Williams were all drafted in the five round draft held in Toronto.
Davis was the first Bellarmine player taken when the
Rochester Knighthawks took him in the First Round with the fifth
overall pick. The midfielder from Port Moody, British Columbia
finished his career at Bellarmine with 39 goals and 44 assists,
which ranks him third on the career assists list. Davis looks to
help jump-start the Knighthawks' offense which ranked last in the
NLL in goals scored. Paul Tutka of NLLInsider.com
called Davis, “one of the most pro-ready ‘O'
(offensive) guys in the draft.” He will join
former Bellarmine star Shawn Evans on the Knighthawks' roster.
The Calgary Roughnecks took midfielder Derek Hopcroft with their second round pick. The high scoring, Toronto native was selected No. 17 overall and considered a steal for the Roughnecks to get him at that pick. He was ranked in the top five in most pre-draft rankings after his excellent career at Bellarmine. The Roughnecks finished the season 10-6 last season and with four picks in the first two rounds, they look to compete for the league championship next year.
With the 54th overall pick the Minnesota Swarm
selected midfielder Chase Williams. The Swarm immediately traded
Williams to the Boston Blazers for forward Matt Lyons,
a second year player who scored 25 goals and 38 assists over two
season. As a college senior, Williams was all
over the field for the Knights, racking up 13 goals and dishing out
25 assists, and he was named NIKE/Inside Lacrosse National Player
of the Week after scoring after scoring four goals and three
assists in a victory over Robert Morris.
Since the beginning of the Bellarmine lacrosse program in 2005, 14 Knights have now been drafted into the NLL.
