Sept. 1, 2007

Denver, Colo. - Former Mercyhurst men's lacrosse players Alan Downey and Scott Janssen were each selected by the Arizona Sting in Saturday's National Lacrosse League Draft. Downey was the Sting's fourth round selection, while Janssen was picked in the fifth round.

Both players were instrumental in Mercyhurst's run to the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2007, helping the Lakers to a 13-2 overall record and a No. 1 ranking during the regular season.

Downey was a team captain, guiding one of the top defensive units in the country. He played in 41 games during his four-year career at Mercyhurst, including 12 in 2007.

Janssen was one of the team's leaders offensively, scoring 30 goals and adding 11 assists while starting all 15 games in 2007. He recovered from knee injuries that limited him to just 10 games in 2005 and 2006 to be named East Coast Conference Second Team All-Conference.

Downey and Janssen are the second and third players from the 2007 team to be drafted into the professional ranks. USILA Division II Defensive Player of the Year Joe Thon was drafted in the fourth round of the Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Rochester Rattlers. They were the only players drafted this year from the East Coast Conference.

The 2008 NLL season begins in late December and the Arizona Sting play in the Jobing.com Arena. The Sting went 9-7 in 2007 and qualified for the NLL Playoffs.

Mercyhurst Head Coach Chris Ryan has built Mercyhurst into one of the top Division II programs in the country. The team has advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in four of the past five seasons. The talent level that the program has developed is respected at all levels as is evidenced by the players that have played and been drafted into the professional ranks.