Men's Lacrosse | 9/17/2019 7:34:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Tyson Gibson, 2019 alumnus of the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse program, was selected by the New York Riptide with the first overall selection in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) Entry Draft this evening, held at Xfinity! Live in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gibson is the 20th Robert Morris player to be selected in the NLL Entry Draft, and becomes the first to be picked with the top selection. The Maple, Ontario native was the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year and named Honorable Mention All-America by United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA). He is the program record holder in career assists (89), single-season assists (40, 2019), and ranks second in single-season points (69, 2019) and fifth in career points (161).
"It's just a dream come true," said Gibson during the live broadcast. "It's been a dream of mine since I was three, since I picked up a stick and watched my dad play. It's an absolute honor to come to a league and come to an organization like the Riptide. I'm excited to get going and take the program somewhere."
A three-time All-NEC First Team selection, Gibson help lift the Colonials to new heights that culminated in the program's first NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019. He provided heroics in back-to-back NEC Tournaments, scoring an overtime game-winner in the 2018 title game against No. 20 St. Joseph's, and buried the extra-time walk-off in the semifinal round over top-seeded Mount St. Mary's this past March.
"What an incredible night for the New York Riptide," said Riptide head coach and general manager Regy Thorpe in a press release. "We are thrilled to welcome Tyson to New York and unveil our new uniforms that the players will proudly wear during our upcoming inaugural season. Tyson will be a strong presence on our right side and brings skill and experience to the lineup."
This past March, Gibson was selected with the 41st selection (fifth round) by the Atlanta Blaze in the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft.
Gibson's excellence stretches beyond the lacrosse pitch. He became the third student-athlete in program history to be named a USILA Scholar All-American after graduating with a 3.88 cumulative grade point average in finance. The midfielder was the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's lacrosse in 2019, and was a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award.
The Canadian product joins an ever-growing RMU contingent in the professional ranks. Before Gibson's number one overall selection, the highest a Colonial had ever been taken in the NLL Entry Draft was third overall, when Kiel Matisz was chosen by the Minnesota Swarm in 2012. He's the fourth first-round Colonial in the NLL ranks, joining Matisz, JonPatrik Kealey (10th round by New England Black Wolves in 2017), and Andrew Watt (8th overall by Minnesota in 2008).
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