GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 23) – University of Mount Olive senior Alan Usher headlined the Conference Carolinas awards on Wednesday afternoon earning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, as the Trojans featured seven all-conference selections.

Usher becomes the second-ever, two-time Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year in league history. He directed a Trojan defense that ranked second in the league with a 9.62 scoring defense while sitting third in caused turnovers per game (10.08) and man-down defense (.736). This season, Usher tallied 17 caused turnovers while forcing at least three in four contests. Additionally, he added 21 ground balls while starting all 13 games.

In addition to Usher, senior midfielder Jack Lewis, redshirt senior face-off specialist Josh Mauer, and graduate student defensive midfielder Zachary Taylor were named to the All-Conference Carolinas First-Team on Wednesday. 

Lewis delivered a breakout senior campaign after netting 23 goals, including five man-up opportunities, which ranked sixth in the Conference Carolinas. He recorded multiple points in nine contests with a career-best seven points behind six goals and one assist at Emmanuel. Lewis also contributed five assists, 13 ground balls, and three caused turnovers in 13 games.

Mauer ranked sixth in Division II and led the Conference Carolinas with a .690 face-off winning percentage (176-255). He won double-digit faceoffs in 10 contests, including 15 or more in six games this season. Mauer finished second on the team with 58 ground balls and ranked fifth in the league with 4.46 ground balls per game. He collects all-conference honors for a second straight year. 
 
For a consecutive year, Taylor garners all-conference status after an efficient season in the defensive midfield. He produced 12 caused turnovers and 22 ground balls in 13 games while adding two goals and an assist for the Trojans.

Mount Olive featured three recipients on the All-Conference Carolinas Second-Team in senior defender Cameron Norton, fifth-year defensive long stick midfielder Tanner Meijas, and junior goalkeeper Kurtis Lensing.

Norton completes his UMO career as a four-time All-Conference Carolinas Second-Team selection, as part of the Mount Olive defense. After starting all 13 games, he tied for second on the team with 17 caused turnovers while collecting 27 ground balls. Norton tallied multiple caused turnovers in five appearances while recording a season-high four against Lees-McRae. He was part of a UMO defense that ranked among the top five in scoring defense, man-down defense, and turnover per game.

A native of Kingston, New York, Meijas paced the UMO defense with a career-best 19 caused turnovers, including recording three turnovers in four contests this year. He also collected 27 ground balls while competing in 13 games. Meijas garnered all-conference honors for the first time in his career.

Lensing earns all-conference status for a second-straight year after ranking second in the Conference Carolinas with a 9.41 goals-against average and a .554 save percentage. In 13 starts, he collected 143 total saves on nearly 450 shots faced in 700-plus minutes in the cage. Lensing registered double-digit saves in eight contests, including a career-best 17 stops versus North Greenville.