MINNEAPOLIS— The University of Dubuque's Giovanni Silva and Nikolas Wortman have been named the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) offensive and defensive players of the week respectively, for events March 6-13 as selected by the league's head coaches.

Silva (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) opened the week with four goals, which included the game-winner, four ground balls, and two turnovers in the program's first ever win over Concordia Wisconsin on Wednesday. Against Benedictine on Saturday, he had two goals and added a ground ball. His six goals for the week were on 11 shots.

Wortman (Woodbury, Minn.) finished with a 66% faceoff percentage on the week and was 11-16 in Wednesday's win over the Falcons which was the difference in keeping possession in favor of the Spartans, especially in the second half. He went 12-19 against the Eagles which was crucial in Dubuque's rally. After trailing 5-0, the Spartans were able to tie the game at seven late in the third quarter, thanks to his efforts. Nik also added 11 ground balls on the week.

This is the first career MLC honor for both players, and second defensive award in program history, as the 2022 season marks the first year of competition in the MLC for Dubuque.

The MLC is comprised of NCAA Division III institutions located throughout the Midwest including Cornell (Mt. Vernon, Iowa), Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa), Lake Forest (Lake Forest, Ill.), Monmouth (Monmouth, Ill.), North Central (Minneapolis, Minn.), Northland (Ashland, Wis.), and Northwestern (St. Paul, Minn.).

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