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New York Lizards College Draft Picks Progress Report

March 2, 2016 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
New York Lizards News Release


Garden City, NY - On January 22nd, Major League Lacrosse held its 16th Annual Collegiate Draft during Laxcon in Baltimore, MD. Upon the completion of their collegiate obligations, the college athletes selected in the draft will be given the opportunity to become members of an MLL team.

Heading into the draft, the New York Lizards had six selections to make, but their first would not come until the third round - a pick acquired from the Hounds during a Supplemental Draft trade that sent Goalie Charlie Cipriano to Charlotte. New York would make another selection in the fourth round, two in the fifth, one in the sixth, and one final pick in the eighth round.

Recently, the watch list for collegiate lacrosse's most prestigious trophy, the Tewaaraton Trophy, was released and included four Lizards' draft picks. The Tewaaraton Trophy is given annually to the top male and female lacrosse player in the country at the collegiate level. The selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed by the Tewaaraton Foundation.

See how your Lizards' draft picks are progressing below:

James Pannell (Virginia, Attack)

James Pannell was selected with the 24th overall pick in the third round of the MLL Draft. In his senior year at Virginia, he has helped lead his team to a current ranking of number 14 in the nation. The Cavaliers have attained a 2-2 record, playing against top competition such as Loyola (MD), Drexel, High Point, and the University of Pennsylvania. Pannell played in three games posting five goals, five assists, for a total of 10 points; picking up six ground balls and even caused a turnover. Only four games into the season, Pannell is only three assists away from setting a new, personal career high in the category.

Pannell was placed on the Tewaaraton Watch List for the 2016 collegiate season and will look to continue his strong play. Prior to his senior season at Virginia, Pannell had accumulated 57 goals, 16 assists, 47 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. Pannell is the younger brother of current Lizards' star Rob Pannell.

Jacob Richard (Marquette, Midfield)

Jacob Richard was selected with the 35th overall pick in the fourth round of the MLL Draft. In his senior year at Marquette, he has led the Golden Eagles to a 2-0 overall record and a number 17 overall ranking in the country. Marquette started off the season unranked. Richard was awarded the title of team captain for the 2016 Marquette squad. On the young season, Richard has amassed 5 ground balls and caused a turnover. Prior to this season, Richard had accumulated eight goals, five assists, 13 points, 130 ground balls and caused 27 turnovers.

Ryan Ambler (Princeton, Attack)

Ryan Ambler was selected with the 39th overall pick in the fifth round of the MLL Draft. In his senior year at Princeton, Ambler was named to the Tewaaraton Watch List and was named team captain for the 2-0 Tigers. In the NCAA's most recent poll, they received votes for a top 20 overall ranking as one of the top teams in the country. In those games, Ambler has made four goals, assisted on seven goals and picked up four ground balls. Prior to this season, Ambler had accumulated 57 goals, 65 assists and 64 ground balls.

David Manning (Loyola MD, Defense)

David Manning was selected with the 43rd overall pick in the fifth round of the MLL Draft. In 2014, Manning started every game for the Greyhounds but was forced to miss the entire 2015 season due to a knee injury. Manning was named as the team captain for the 2016 season as one of the defensive anchors for the fifth overall ranked team in collegiate lacrosse. Additionally, Manning was named to the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-American Team.

At 3-0, the Greyhounds have racked up wins against both #13 Johns Hopkins and #14 Virginia. In those two games, Manning caused two turnovers. In a win against Lafayette, Manning picked up three ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Brody Eastwood (Stony Brook, Attack)

Brody Eastwood was selected with the 52nd overall pick in the sixth round of the MLL Draft. With one of the most prolific college careers ever, Eastwood had totalled 146 goals (including 62 in 2015) in only 50 games through his first three seasons. Eastwood was named a Preseason All-American for Stony Brook and has led them to a 2-1 record outscoring their opponents 47 to 28. Their only loss was a 16-14 thriller against the seventh ranked Brown University.

Eastwood has continued his rapid scoring pace with seven goals against Sacred Heart. On the season, Eastwood has notched seven goals, three assists and picked up two ground balls. Eastwood was named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List as one of the premier goal scorers in collegiate lacrosse.

Scott Bieda (Rutgers, Attack)

Scott Bieda was selected with the 70th overall pick in the eighth round of the MLL Draft. Rutgers, who started the season unranked, has now risen to number 19 in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Rankings with a 3-0 overall record. Having been named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List, being a Senior CLASS Award Nominee and the lone team captain for the Scarlet Knights, Bieda has played a large role in the team's success.

Bieda has scored seven goals to go along with 10 assists, for a total of 17 points. He has also picked up eight ground balls in the team's three games. For the week of February 16 and 17, Bieda was named the Big 10 Player of the Week and the NCAA Offensive Player of the Week, respectively. Bieda has already accumulated separate games of five goals and five assists in two of their three games. Prior to this season, Bieda held career totals of 62 goals, 66 assists and 56 ground balls.

The entire Lizards' organization and community are excited to see the how these draft picks finish out their respective collegiate seasons. Follow along as these players get the chance to battle it out for a Division I Men's Championship and also for individual awards such as the Tewaaraton Trophy.

The Lizards will kick off the 2016 season at home in a Championship rematch against the Rochester Rattlers on Saturday, April 23rd at 5 p.m. Single game, group and season tickets are available by calling 1-855-NYLizards or visiting our website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat for team news, trades and 2016 game information.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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