St. Anselm College freshman Craig Yannone, a Lynnfield native, has gotten his college lacrosse career off to a roaring start after being named both Player and Rookie of the Week by the Northeast-10 Conference on Tuesday.
Yannone, who graduated from St. John’s Prep in 2019 after a stellar high school career, became the first student-athlete in team history to be awarded both Player and Rookie of the Week honors in the same announcement. He helped the Hawks, who are ranked No. 18 in NCAA Division II, move to 3-0 on the season with a sensational performance against Georgian Court on Wednesday.
Against the Lions, who were receiving votes in the USILA National Coaches Poll, Yannone won 20 of his 23 faceoff opportunities and scooped up 14 ground balls — falling just one shy of the single-game individual record of 15.
Across the first three games of his collegiate career, Yannone has won 52-of-83 faceoffs and has picked up 26 ground balls. He ranks ninth in NCAA Division II with 8.67 ground balls per game and his faceoff winning percentage of 62.7 is the third-best figure in the NE-10.
Yannone had a stellar career at the Prep, earning multiple All-American, All-Conference and all-star selections in his time with the Eagles. He also scored 16 goals in his senior year in addition to his 73.42 percent winning percentage in the faceoff circle.
St. Anselm was 3-0 before the season was postponed due to concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus.
