NEILA names Chlastawa, Fantoni, Knapton to All-New England squad

Lewiston, ME (05/30/2019) — May 14, 2019

HADLEY, Mass. -- Bates men's lacrosse captains Matt Chlastawa, Rocco Fantoni and Curtis Knapton were all named to the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Division III All-New England squad on Tuesday, actually receiving the same honors that they did from the New England Small College Athletic Conference on May 2.

Chlastawa and Fantoni were both named First Team All-New England by the NEILA at attack and defense, respectively, while Knapton was named a Second Team midfielder.

Chlastawa (Westfield, Mass.) received his second consecutive First Team All-New England attack honor. Chlastawa leads the conference in assists (53), ranks second in points (92) and is 12th in goals (39). The surefire All-American tallied at least three points in every game, including a season-best five-goal, five-assist performance in Bates' 15-12 victory over defending NCAA champion Wesleyan on March 9.

Chlastawa broke Bates' career points record during last weekend's NESCAC quarterfinal loss at Amherst, passing the previous mark of 269 set by Shane Kokoruda in 1995. Earlier in the season Chlastawa also set team records for assists in a career (now 134) and in one season.

Fantoni (Hauppauge, N.Y.) moved from Second Team All-New England a year ago to the First Team this year, after again leading Bates' defense with an exceptional season. The one-time All-American ranks third in the NESCAC in caused turnovers (30), and leads the league in ground balls among NESCAC players who have taken fewer than five faceoffs (55). He has also scored two goals and dished out one assist.

Knapton (Westbrook, Maine), one of two junior captains along with Chlastawa, was Bates' top midfielder and presented defenses with a constant threat from the outside. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Knapton has tallied 24 goals, 13 assists and 20 ground balls on the year, all career-high numbers.

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