CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia men's lacrosse defenseman Ken Clausen picked up his third United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) honor of the week when the William C. Schmeisser Award was bestowed upon the senior. Awarded yearly to the nation's outstanding defensive player, Clausen shared the distinction with North Carolina's Ryan Flanagan.
Previously named a USILA Scholar All-American and a first-team USILA All-American this week, Clausen is the fifth Cavalier all-time to be honored with the Schmeisser Award and first since Michael Culver in 2006.
For UVa, Clausen earned first-team honors for the third-straight season, becoming the first player in UVa history to be named to the first-team three times. Coupled with his USILA Scholar All-American honor, Clausen is the seventh UVa player in the last five years to earn both honors in the same season, giving Virginia the distinction more than any other program in the nation. The Downington, Pa., native will finish his career as a four-time All-American, including earning honorable mention honors as a freshman. Having a stellar senior season, Clausen is No. 6 nationally with 2.18 caused turnovers per game and is second on the team with 52 ground balls.
The Cavaliers return to action on Saturday in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship semifinal round. Top-seeded UVa will face fifth-seeded Duke at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised in HD on ESPN2.
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Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com