Four Colonials Chosen in the NLL Draft

A program record four Colonials were selected in Monday's National Lacrosse League Entry Draft

Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team had four former Colonials chosen in Monday's National Lacrosse League (NLL) Entry Draft.

Mitch Wilde, Tyler Digby, Kevin Neufeld, and Jake Hayes were all selected Monday night, marking the first time that RMU had four players taken in the draft. The previous record of three was set in the 2011 and 2012 entry drafts.

The four former Colonials selected were the highest of any school, surpassing the three selections from Ohio State, Hofstra, and Johns Hopkins.

In addition, the four picks also push the number of RMU alums drafted to 17, when combining both NLL and Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft picks. 13 of these 17 selections have come since September 2011.

Wilde was the first former Colonial chosen, as he was selected in the second round, 15^th overall, by the Buffalo Bandits. As a Colonial, he tallied nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 26 games.

Digby went in the third round, 20^th overall to the Vancouver Stealth. In his senior campaign, he earned All-NEC honors and compiled 32 points (22 goals, 10 assists) in 15 games. He scored 20 of those goals in RMU's last eight regular season games, and was named NEC Co-Player of the Week on March 18. In his four seasons as a Colonial, Digby tallied 71 points (40 goals, 31 assists) in 54 contests.

Digby will have his choice of pro options after graduation, as he was also selected in last May's Canadian Football League (CFL) draft, going in the 4^th round, 36^th overall to the expansion Ottawa Redblacks.

Joining Digby in Vancouver will be Kevin Neufeld, who was chosen in the third round, 22^nd overall. In 36 games with RMU, he caused 21 turnovers and collected 23 ground balls.

Hayes gave the Colonials their fourth draft pick of the night, as he went in the fifth round, 43^rd overall to the Calgary Roughnecks. Hayes finished his career seventh on the program's all-time career points list with 123, and sixth on the career goals list with 89. He was a two-time All-NEC selection (First Team in 2012, Second Team in 2013) for RMU, and led the NEC in goals per game during his junior campaign.

The Colonial men's lacrosse team, under the direction of third-year head coach Andrew McMinn, finished the 2013 season at 8-7, marking the fifth-straight season RMU has ended the year with a winning record. The Colonials earned their first post-season win in program history and also advanced to its first NEC championship game.

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