Senior defenseman Layne (Malvern Pep) is one of four named as co-captain for Loyola by his peers

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/23/10
From Press Releases

Defenseman Steve Layne (Malvern Prep) has been named as one of four senior co-captains for the 2010 Loyola University men’s lacrosse team by a vote of their teammates, coach Charley Toomey announced.

Joining Layne as co-captains are midfielder Taylor Ebsary (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst H.S.) and attackmen Nick Federici (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan H.S.) and Collin Finnerty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade H.S.).

“These four men bring a great deal of leadership to our team on and off the field, and I applaud our team for this year’s selections,” Toomey said. “Each brings unique and different leadership skills, and I believe they will be very effective leaders this season for our team.”

Layne earned Preseason All-American Honorable Mention from Inside Lacrosse and was a member of the Preseason All-ECAC First Team released last month. As a junior in 2009, Layne was an All-ECAC Second Team member, causing 24 turnovers and picking up 48 ground balls. With Layne as a starter, the Greyhounds’ defense has held ECAC opponents to under seven goals per game over the last two seasons.

The formal announcement of Layne’s appointment as co-captain comes shortly after Phillylacrosse.com reported that all four members of the defensive unit that led Malvern Prep to the 2006 Pennsylvania state title had been named captains for their respective Division I teams. The others are Tim Barrar (Holy Cross), Matt McCormick (Drexel) and Mike Creighton (Notre Dame). McCormick is a two-time captain.

Ebsary has been a key member of Loyola’s midfield unit since coming to the school as a freshman in 2007. He has played in 40 games during his career and last season set career highs with 46 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. He was in the top 70 nationally in ground balls per game and also chipped in with a goal and four assists.

Federici is a member of Loyola’s attack that led the ECAC in scoring last season. A member of the Green & Grey Society, Federici is a proven leader on the Loyola campus. The Green & Grey Society is a select group of student leaders that represents the entire student body at a wide variety of events and civic functions.

Finnerty has started all 28 games over the last two seasons on attack for the Greyhounds and has been one of the team’s top scorers. Last season, he tallied 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 total points, which ranked third on the team. In his first season on campus, Finnerty scored 16 times and had 17 total points.

Loyola opens the 2010 season on February 20 when it travels to Annapolis, Md., for a 12:00 p.m. contest at the U.S. Naval Academy.