A-League Conducts Draft
December 18, 2002 - A-League (A-League) News Release
TAMPA, FL â A-League expansion club Syracuse selected forward Michael Ritch, a two-time NAIA All-American from Auburn University-Montgomery, as the first overall selection in Wednesday's 2003 A-League College Draft. Indiana University saw the most players drafted with John Swann, Ryan Mack and Pat Noonan â all former Premier Development League players â being selected. In all, 18 players from the PDL were chosen in the 38-pick draft.
The 6-3 senior from Tallassee, Alabama was also honored as the Georgia Alabama Carolina Conference Player of the Year after finishing third in points (19) and goals (6) and second in assists (7). He led the team in overall goals (29) and points (73) and was second with 15 assists. He helped lead the school to its fourth straight conference championship, the Region XIII title and third consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearance. After reaching the final the past two years, the top-seeded Senators were upset in the semifinals, 1-0, by the eventual champion University of Mobile, whom they defeated 2-1 in the Region XIII final, 2-1, and 4-2 during the season. The school finished the year with an overall mark of 20-2-1. Ritch was slated to play for the PDL's Indiana Invaders last season before suffering a knee injury during preseason.
Indiana's Swann and Mack were selected third and fifth overall by the Indiana Blast and Cincinnati Riverhawks, respectively. Noonan was selected with the 37th overall pick by the Charleston Battery. The trio each posted over three years of play in the PDL with Ryan Mack leading the way at five years.
Mack started in 1998 with the Detroit Dynamite and played the last four years with perennial powerhouse Mid Michigan Bucks, tallying a career mark of 77 points on 30 goals and 17 assists during regular season play.
Swann, a defender, has seen action with three PDL teams over his four years. He spent the first three years with the Kalamazoo Kingdom before joining Mack with the Bucks in 2002. He notched two goals and two assists in his PDL career.
Noonan started with Team St. Louis in 1999 and returned as a member of the Kalamazoo Kingdom. Midway through the year he joined the Mack with Mid Michigan, where he would play in 2002. He finished his PDL career with 14 goals and 10 assists for 38 points.
Noonan was one of four picks the Battery made in the draft courtesy of trades made during the 2002 season. The Battery selected Ryan Kneipper (11th) and Matt Crawford (13th) of North Carolina and Doug Warren (18th) of Clemson in the first round. Kneipper and Crawford also played together for the PDL's Raleigh CASL Elite in 2002. Kneipper finished with five goals and two assists in 14 games and Crawford with two goals and five assists in 11 games.
A-League Stories from December 18, 2002
- A-League Conducts Draft - A-League
- Indiana Blast Select Two Locals in A-League Draft - Indiana Blast
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