Moon Township, Pa. –
Ryan Smith, a graduate attack on the
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team, has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, as announced by the organization in a press release Thursday afternoon.
On March 4, Smith was previously named among a 20-person nominee pool that featured teammate
Jimmy Perkins. He is the only student-athlete from a 2021 independent team, and joins Alex Akins (Detroit Mercy), Charlie Bertrand (Virginia), Jake Carraway (Georgetown), Chris Gray (North Carolina), Tre Leclaire (Ohio State), Teddy Leggett (Lehigh), Kieran Mullins (Rutgers), Drake Porter (Syracuse), and Stephen Rehfuss (Syracuse) as a finalist.
RELEASE: Men's Lacrosse Finalists Announced for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award
A fifth-year attack from Burlington, Ontario, Smith has been unstoppable in his final season, ranking second nationally in total goals (36) and total points (54), ninth in goals per game (3.60), and 11th in points per game (5.40). He has collected a multitude of accolades this season, highlighted by being named to the Tewaaraton Men's Watch List and
Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America Honorable Mention team. Last September, Smith was picked by the Rochester Knighthawks with the third overall selection of the 2020 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Entry Draft.
RELATED: Smith Named Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America Honorable Mention
RELATED: Smith Makes Tewaaraton Award Watch List
Without sounding like a broken record, Smith's 2021 campaign has featured plenty of shattered school standards. Last Saturday against Cleveland State, he became the program's all-time leading scorer with a five-point (3g, 2a) afternoon, giving him an even 200 for his career. The fifth-year attack surpassed Trevor Moore (195; 2008-11) for the top spot, and needs five more goals to best the 2011 alumnus for that school record. Smith is also slated to become the program's all-time leader in games played this Friday at Bucknell, with that contest set to be his 67th appearance, and previously broke or matched the single-game records in assists (6) and points (11) in a March 2 contest versus Bellarmine.
Smith completed his Bachelor's degree in marketing in May 2020, and currently carries a 3.67 cumulative GPA while pursuing a MBA in business analytics. He was tabbed a Scholar All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) last season, and is a two-year team captain. Smith has been instrumental in helping grow the game of lacrosse at the local level and back home in Ontario, having led as a volunteer coach at Pine Richland High School and with the United Lacrosse League. He also has given his time to multiple community service projects, including the Mooncrest Neighborhood After-School Program, a painting project of Shouse Park, and a roadside clean-up of I-376.
Smith becomes the second RMU men's lacrosse student-athlete to be named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, joining Kiel Matisz in 2012.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 20 candidates announced earlier in the season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through May 17. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winner.
LINK: Vote Ryan for the Senior CLASS Award!
The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in May.
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