Corbolotti, Rinaldi Earn Awards
ATLANTA – Leading their respective teams to undefeated months and conference championships, Cal Poly junior John Corbolotti and Concordia-Irvine freshman Jonah Rinaldi have been named the US Lacrosse MCLA Players of the Month for April.
Corbolotti’s consistent work on attack helped the Mustangs post a 6-0 April and repeat as champions of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League. The San Rafael, Calif., native scored 17 goals and dished out 10 assists in the run, which included a win over defending champion Chapman (4g, 1a) and two against former No. 1 California (combined 6g, 3a).
After knocking off Cal for the second time, Corbolotti was named the MVP of the WCLL tournament for the second year in a row. Cal Poly is the No. 5 seed at the 2017 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour with a 16-2 record.
“John's creativity and lacrosse IQ are what separates him from most players,” said Cal Poly coach Bobby Dabrieo. “He's a big game player who's always pushing himself and teammates to be better. We've improved dramatically over the past month, which gives our team the confidence we need as we continue into the postseason.”
Led by Rinaldi, Concordia-Irvine was 7-0 in April, featuring six games against ranked opponents. The Laguna Beach, Calif., product posted 23 goals and four assists in the Eagles’ run, which culminated in a Southwestern Lacrosse Conference title. Rinaldi had six goals in the title game victory over Northern Arizona.
Rinaldi and Concordia-Irvine have been installed as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming national tournament after rolling to a 16-1 record this spring.
“Jonah has been a big time playmaker for us all year and has really come on strong down the stretch,” said Concordia-Irvine coach Ryan Brent.“His ability to create offense out of nothing really helps kickstart our offense when we get bogged down. Jonah is not only a great individual player, but his unselfish team play allows us to be multidimensional in our attack.”
For their efforts, both Corbolotti and Rinaldi will receive a one-year membership to US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse. Membership includes on-the-field insurance coverage, discounted tickets and apparel along with a subscription to US Lacrosse Magazine.
US Lacrosse Honor Roll
Division I
Cade Bailey, Jr. – Oregon
Tommy Carrasco, Jr. – Arizona State
Holland Frost, Sr. – Georgia Tech
Billy McGinley, Soph. - Northeastern
Mason Moon, Fr. – Brigham Young
Division II
Chase Clark, So. – Great Falls
Conrad Coppage, Jr. – Metro State
Austin Cotton, Soph. – Florida Gulf Coast
Taylor Johnson, Jr. – Cal State Fullerton
Eric Larson, Sr. – Montana