Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's lacrosse team saw four players recognized by the AMCC on Wednesday, as Ben Byers, Reid Kristufek, Julian Florez, and Alex Arno were named to the All-Conference Team. Byers was also voted as the top offensive player in the conference.
Ben Byers led the attack for Pitt-Bradford this year and was voted AMCC Offensive Player of the Year. The Freshman scored 37 goals on the season and added 11 assists. He tallied 130 shots, putting 82 on goal. In conference play, he scored 10 goals on 22 shots on goal. He scored 5 goals three times this season, with a high of 6 in the regular season finale. Byers was the AMCC Offensive Player of the Week two times.
Sophomore Reid Kristufek was named to the All-Conference team as a midfielder. He scored 15 goals for Pitt-Bradford and added 4 assists. Kristufek was one of the more efficient players in the AMCC, putting 73.3% of his shots on target, which was the 2nd best among players with more than 5 shots. He took 45 shots, scoring at a 33.3% clip. Kristufek also collected 25 ground balls and created 14 turnovers.
Julian Florez earned the All-AMCC nod as the conference's best defensive midfielder. He picked up 42 ground balls and forced 13 turnovers. Florez made the biggest impact in Pitt-Bradford's transition from defense to offense. The freshman used his speed and agility countless times to dodge defenders and successfully clear possession into the other end. He scored 4 goals and added 2 assists.
Last but not least, freshman Alex Arno made the All-Conference team as a defender. Arno collected 32 ground balls and forced 28 turnovers, which was the 4th highest total in the AMCC. He anchored a back line that was 2nd in the league in Goals allowed.
"This is a great honor for these four young men, as well as our program. They have made tremendous strides throughout their first seasons here at Pitt-Bradford and are rightly being recognized for it," said head coach Scotty Gwyn. "It is a good benchmark for our program in its first season, and we look to build on it as we move into the future."
The full release from the AMCC, including all of the All-Conference Honorees, can be found on their website, here.