Three Mariners Earn NEILA Academic Honors
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – A record 223 student-athletes — including three from Mitchell College — have been selected to the 2022 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-Academic Teams, as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.
Seniors Desmond Knowles, James Giovanniello and Jake Karnes represented the Mariners. They become the first Mitchell teammates to receive NEILA academic honors in the same season.
Members of the teams are nominated by head coaches in Divisions I, II and II, and are comprised of student-athletes who have excelled both in the classroom and on the field over the course of their men's lacrosse career. Nominees must have senior or graduate student standing, a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, and be an impact player for their team.
Overall, 55 different colleges and universities were represented across all three divisions. Both Mitchell and New England College represented the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) with three selections apiece.
Knowles capped a four-year career at Mitchell by earning all-conference honors while being named NECC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league with 31 caused turnovers and recorded team highs of 92 ground balls and 58 face-off wins. He also contributed a career-high eight goals and two assists on the offensive end.
Giovanniello notched all-conference honors in his final season with the Mariners, recording a career-high 33 points on 17 goals and 16 assists. In three seasons at Mitchell he totaled 29 goals and 23 assists in 30 career games.
Karnes started all 16 games in 2022 and ranked second on the team in ground balls (41) and third in caused turnovers (14). In four seasons he played in 35 games and recorded five goals, seven assists, 79 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers.
