Men’s lacrosse senior midfielder Mike Brewster has continued his strong play on the field, earning him his second Athlete of the Week honor in the past three weeks.

Brewster, who is the team captain for the Lakers, registered three goals and four assists for a total of seven points in two games against SUNY Oneonta and nationally ranked SUNY Geneseo this past week.

"It’s a great honor to be named Athlete of the Week again, and it’s definitely just as much mine as my teammates’ and coaches’, who have helped me and my teammates be successful throughout the season," Brewster said.

Brewster has experienced great success for the Lakers, leading the team in both assists (27) and points (46). He is tied for second on the team in goals with 19, behind only senior midfielder Mike Recor, who has totaled 37 goals this season.

"You never know who’s going to lead the team in points," Brewster said. "You hope that no matter what happens, your team just performs well. Last year I led the team in points but we had a disappointing year, so this year it definitely feels better, but it easily could have been anyone else."

Last season Brewster led the team in points, with 43, but the Lakers had a disappointing season, finishing 3-12 overall and 2-5 in the SUNYAC.

This season, the Lakers have been able to turn their fortunes around, finishing the regular season with an 8-8 overall record and a 5-2 SUNYAC record. The 5-2 record in conference play was good enough for the number three seed in the SUNYAC playoffs, behind only ninth-ranked Geneseo and seventh-ranked Cortland.

The Lakers’ strong conference record is due in large part to their tough non-conference schedule that included St. John Fisher, Nazareth, Rochester Institute of Technology, and 18th-ranked St. Lawrence.

"Our non-conference schedule is one of the toughest in Division III," Brewster said. "Coach [Witmer] tells us that those games will get us ready for our conference games. Although we would have loved to have beaten some of those ranked teams, they definitely prepared us for teams in the SUNYAC."

Brewster began playing lacrosse when he was in seventh grade thanks to the help of his father, Jim, who played lacrosse collegiately and always tried to persuade him to pick up the sport. Brewster was drawn to the fast pace of the game, along with the amount of scoring that takes place.

When it was time to pick a college to play lacrosse for, he chose Oswego State for a couple of reasons. One reason was the proximity of the school to his home in Syracuse. Being close to home allowed his parents the opportunity to see him play at every home game. The other reason was head coach Dan Witmer.

"When I was being recruited by Coach Witmer, I really believed in what [he] and his staff were doing," Brewster said. "Knowing how much he cared about the program and each player individually on and off the field made it a pretty easy decision for me. He’s been coaching here for over 25 years. There is nothing he hasn’t seen or come across. He’s constantly trying to find ways to do things better and always chomping at the bit to make improvements to every aspect of our program."

Brewster has been the perfect example of a great teammate as well. He is always quick to give his teammates credit when he experiences success on the field. When asked which he enjoyed more, scoring goals or assisting on goals, Brewster said, "Definitely assisting on a goal. Usually it’s the guy who’s getting the assist that makes the play happen."

When he’s not on the lacrosse field, Brewster enjoys playing video games on his Xbox 360 console. With the hockey playoffs heating up, EA Sports’ NHL 09 has been the game of choice.

Upon graduating this spring, Brewster hopes to be able to join a coaching staff and continue to be around the game that he loves. In his four years here at Oswego State, Brewster has garnered many memories, but this season has provided him with the most memorable of memories.

"The turnaround we had this year [was a great memory]," Brewster said. "My freshman year we made the SUNYAC playoffs, but I was more of a role player and didn’t have a significant impact on our team’s success, so this year to be a captain and be able to lead this team into the playoffs is definitely something I’ll remember."

Ryan Pregent of Red Devils hit two home runs in a 25-8 victory.

Jared "Fishcat" Anderson had five RBIs to accompany his stellar defensive play on the field.