UMass and St. John's Sports Information

Former UMass lacrosse midfielder Brian Jacovina was selected in the first round of the 2007 Major League Lacrosse Supplemental Draft on Wednesday. Chosen by the Denver Outlaws, he was the draft's seventh overall pick. Since graduating from the University of Massachusetts this past May, Jacovina has been an assistant coach with the St. John's Red Storm.

At UMass, Jacovina was a renowned midfielder and garnered many accolades for his work on and off the field. He was UMass' first USILA Scholar All-American since 1998. Jacovina was also named to the NEILA Senior Scholar-Athlete Team in addition to winning All-New England honors. He wrapped up his final season at UMass by leading the team with 24 assists--good enough for fourth in the ECAC--and finishing third in points (18).

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to play professional lacrosse, especially for a team like the Denver Outlaws whose atmosphere is the best in Major League Lacrosse," remarked Jacovina. "This past fourth of July I had the chance to go and watch the Outlaws play in front of a record crowd of over 20,000 people. It was a thrilling experience."

"We are very happy for Brian, and pleased he will get to play in an atmosphere like the one they have cultivated in Denver," remarked St. John's head lacrosse coach Jason Miller. "I was pretty surprised that he didn't latch on anywhere last summer, but I think it's a great move by the Outlaws. We are very fortunate to have two professional caliber players on our coaching staff with assistant coach Dan Paccione, who has been playing professional lacrosse for six years, and now Brian."

The Outlaws, part of the MLL'S 2006 expansion, are based out of Denver, Colo. and play their home games at INVESCO Field at Mile High. In 2008, Outlaws will host six home games, as well as the MLL All-Star Game and the CHSAA boys championship lacrosse game at INVESCO Field.

Denver picked up seven total players in the expansion draft, to be added to their current roster of 23. Players from Duke, University of Maryland, Loyola, University of Denver, University of Virginia, and Towson University were also chosen.

Members of their 2007 roster included the 2007 and 2005 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, goaltender Jesse Schwartzman, from Johns Hopkins University and NCAA's 2007 leading face-off man, Alex Smith from University of Delaware.

"As a part of the Outlaws not only will I be playing with and against the best players in the United States, but also the best players in the World," said Jacovina.

Jacovina joined the Red Storm coaching staff in the summer of 2007, joining his fellow UMass alumni Dan Paccione, a current member of the MLL's Chicago Machine, also part of MLL's Western Conference, and head coach Jason Miller, who served as a three-year assistant to the Minuteman's head coach Greg Canella.

The Hicksville, N.Y. native had a successful career as an amateur player. A four-year varsity athlete, two-year starter and senior co-captain, Jacovina was selected as a 2007 Preseason Third Team All-American by Inside Lacrosse/Face-off Yearbook, was a three-time First Team All-New England honoree, a 2007 USILA Scholar All-American, a 2007 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Scholar Athlete and a UMass Spring Scholar Athlete.

Jacovina also received the Eric Sopracasa Award for heart and soul at the Minutemen's annual team banquet in September 2007.

He's noted as a throwback, multi-purpose midfielder and a consistent top point scorer, playing both first midfield and defensive midfield in addition to the face-off wing for Massachusetts. As a sophomore, Jacovina was the first and only player to win an overall team Most Valuable Player award. With traditional offensive, defensive, rookie and senior awards given, the coaches created this unique MVP award just for Jacovina who Miller called the "the pulse" of the Minutemen's 2005 NCAA Quarterfinal team.

About the Denver Outlaws: Part of Major League Lacrosse's 2006 western expansion, the Outlaws have made the playoffs in each of their two seasons and have led the league in attendance, average over 11,000 attendees per game. The organization is managed by Edge Sports & Entertainment - a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Denver Broncos Football Club. Outlaws 2008 season tickets are available now. For more information, contact the Outlaws ticket office at (720) 258-3600 or visit www.DenverOutlaws.com.