Maryland men’s lacrosse racks up multiple Big Ten honors

Maryland men’s lacrosse racked up three major Big Ten honors after finishing the regular season with its second straight Big Ten title.

Head coach John Tillman won the Big Ten Coach of the Year, senior attackman Matt Rambo won the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and senior defender Tim Muller brought home the Defensive Player of the Year.

Since taking over the program in 2010, Tillman has brought the program to unparalleled heights. In his seventh year at the helm, Tillman has coached his teams to five Final Fours and four NCAA Championship games. While the Terps are still chasing their first championship ring since 1975, they probably wouldn’t have even gotten this close without the coaching of Tillman.

Rambo leads the team in points (63), goals (33) and assists (30), and will most likely become the team’s leading goal scorer as well. Against Johns Hopkins, Rambo needed six points to become the program’s all-time leading points scorer.

He did it in the first 18 minutes.

The senior is also eight goals away from breaking that program record, which he’ll probably do before all is said and done.

Muller, who’s stepped up in the wake of Mac Pons’ injury, has been essential to Maryland’s defense this season. Every game, he’s pinned on the other team’s best offensive player, and has rarely been beaten in isolation. He’s started all 13 games while accruing 13 caused turnovers and 23 ground balls, and is the second Maryland player to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Rambo and Muller were also First Team All-Big Ten selections, and are joined by junior midfielder Connor Kelly. Junior attackman Tim Rotanz, senior defensive midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen and senior attackman Colin Heacock were named Second Team All-Big Ten selections.

Goalie Dan Morris, in his first year starting between the pipes, won the team’s Sportsmanship Award as well.

Season awards and honors are certainly significant, but Tillman would probably be the first one to tell you that it’s not what he’s thinking about right now.

The Terps open up Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday against Penn State, and will soon start their journey to end the 42-year championship drought.