Maryland men’s lacrosse faceoff specialist Austin Henningsen was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week, the conference announce Tuesday.
The preseason Honorable Mention All-American struggled in the Terps’ Feb. 11 season-opener at Navy, going 7-for-22 in the X. But he turned around his play this past week in wins over Saint Joseph’s and High Point, earning himself conference recognition.
During the contests against the Hawks and Panthers, Henningsen went a combined 31-for-41 on draws to raise his season percentage over 60 percent. Last year, he won faceoffs at a 59-percent clip.
He also recorded three points in the win over High Point, surpassing his 2016 season total. His first assist — a dish to attackman Matt Rambo — came seven seconds after the opening draw, marking the second time he’s notched a point in the first 10 seconds of a game this year.
After the sophomore’s one-goal, two-assist performance on Saturday at Maryland Stadium, coach John Tillman lauded his impact. The coach said goals from faceoffs are “a huge shot in the arm” for the squad, and praised the Northport, New York, native for creating instant offense in the X.
With the weekly honor, Henningsen joined Rambo as the second Terp to earn Big Ten acknowledgement in the past two weeks.
