BALTIMORE, Md. - Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse standouts Pat Spencer and Foster Huggins were named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I Player of the Year Watch List on Wednesday as two of 17 players who lead the race for the award.

Both were named to the Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America First Team last month and have keyed the Greyhounds success thus far in 2018.

The duo will take the field for Loyola’s final regular-season game of 2018 on Friday, April 20, when the Greyhounds host the U.S. Military Academy at Ridley Athletic Complex in a 7 p.m. game.

Spencer has continued his run as one of the top attackers in the nation and enters Friday’s game ranked second nationally in assists per game (3.83) and fourth in points (6.17) this season. Last week, he became the Patriot League’s career record holder in assists, and he is three points from tying Bucknell University’s Chris Cara (2002-05) conference record for points.

The junior from Davidsonville, Maryland, goes into Friday’s game with 93 goals, 153 assists and 246 points in 46 career games. He is seven assists shy of tying Gary Hanley’s Loyola record set from 1978-81, and with seven more goals, he will be the 10th player in school history to tally 100 or more in a career. Spencer’s career assist total is tied for 16th all-time in NCAA Division I history.

This season, he has produced 28 goals, 46 assists and 74 points. His 46 assists through 12 games rank fourth in school single-season history, while his 74 points are fifth. He is a three-time member of the USILA National Team of the Week and a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

Huggins’ play on close defense has cemented his status as one of the top cover defenders in the nation this season. He is one of four defensive players on the Player of the Year Watch List, buoyed by the fact he leads the nation with 3.33 caused turnovers per game. 

In addition to his statistics as a takeaway defender, he has matched up against some of the top offensive talent nationwide. This season, in six-on-six defense, Huggins has held players such as Virginia’s Michael Kraus (one goal), Johns Hopkins’ Shack Stanwick (one goal) and Duke’s Justin Guterding (one goal) well below their 2018 averages. Kraus and Guterding are also members of the USILA Watch List.

Overall, Huggins has 40 caused turnovers and 30 ground balls. His 40 takeaways rank second in Loyola history behind the 51 amassed by P.T. Ricci in 2009.