COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Several Terps received Big Ten yearly honors on Wednesday, April 24, headlined by Ajax Zappitello being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
In addition to Zappitello, midfielder Eric Spanos and faceoff specialist Luke Wierman each earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
Zappitello, who also earned All-Big Ten First Team honors, has led a unit allowing under 10 goals a game. He has a team-high 18 caused turnovers this season, including causing one in each of the first 10 games of the season. He frequently covers and shuts down the opposing team's top attackman and also has 24 groundballs and a goal on the season.
Zappitello is the fifth Terp to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year following Casey Ikeda (2015), Tim Muller (2017), Nick Grill (2021), and Brett Makar (2022 & 2023), making it four straight years the Terps have taken home the award. This also marks the second consecutive year Zappitello has been named First Team All-Big Ten.
Wierman, the program's all-time leader in faceoff wins, earns his third consecutive All-Big Ten honor. The graduate student ranks 13th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at 59.1 percent (153/259) and is 10th in the nation in groundballs per game at 7.91 (87 total).
Spanos earns All-Big Ten honors for the first time in his career thanks to a 17-goal and 11-assist (28 points) regular season total. Spanos won Big Ten Offensive Player of Week twice this season and had five games where he totaled at least three points.
Additionally, senior midfielder Gabe Goforth is Maryland's 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree.
The No. 7 Terps are back in action on Thursday, May 2 in the Big Ten Semifinals against the winner of Penn State/Rutgers. The game will air live from Columbus, OH on Big Ten Network at 8:30 pm.
In addition to Zappitello, midfielder Eric Spanos and faceoff specialist Luke Wierman each earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
Zappitello, who also earned All-Big Ten First Team honors, has led a unit allowing under 10 goals a game. He has a team-high 18 caused turnovers this season, including causing one in each of the first 10 games of the season. He frequently covers and shuts down the opposing team's top attackman and also has 24 groundballs and a goal on the season.
Zappitello is the fifth Terp to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year following Casey Ikeda (2015), Tim Muller (2017), Nick Grill (2021), and Brett Makar (2022 & 2023), making it four straight years the Terps have taken home the award. This also marks the second consecutive year Zappitello has been named First Team All-Big Ten.
Wierman, the program's all-time leader in faceoff wins, earns his third consecutive All-Big Ten honor. The graduate student ranks 13th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at 59.1 percent (153/259) and is 10th in the nation in groundballs per game at 7.91 (87 total).
Spanos earns All-Big Ten honors for the first time in his career thanks to a 17-goal and 11-assist (28 points) regular season total. Spanos won Big Ten Offensive Player of Week twice this season and had five games where he totaled at least three points.
Additionally, senior midfielder Gabe Goforth is Maryland's 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree.
The No. 7 Terps are back in action on Thursday, May 2 in the Big Ten Semifinals against the winner of Penn State/Rutgers. The game will air live from Columbus, OH on Big Ten Network at 8:30 pm.
