May 26, 2003

Duke's Kevin Cassese earned first team All-America honors for the second straight season while teammates Kevin Brennan and Matt Rewkowski garnered honorable mention accolades as announced by the USILA on Monday afternoon.

Cassese, a senior midfielder from Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., was joined on the first team with Kyle Barrie (Johns Hopkins), Ryan Boyle (Princeton), Michael Powell (Syracuse), Adam Donneger (Johns Hopkins), Chris Fiore (Massachusetts), Chris Rotelli (Virginia), Damien Davis (Princeton), Michael Howley (Maryland), Ryan McClay (Cornell) and Tillman Johnson (Virginia).

Cassese, a second team All-America choice in 2001 and a first team selection a year ago, becomes just the third Duke player ever to receive first team All-America honors, joining Charles Gilfillan (1948 & 51) and Stephen Card (1999 & 00). A finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy candidate for national player of the year honors, Cassese led Duke a pair of ACC Championships and three NCAA appearances by scoring 118 career points on 80 goals and 38 assists while winning 236-of-374 (.631) face-offs. In 2003, Cassese finished third on the Blue Devil team with 35 points on 25 goals and 10 assists and paced the ACC in both face-off percentage and ground balls.

Brennan, a senior midfielder from Farmingdale, N.Y., was second on the Duke team in scoring with 39 points on 24 goals and 15 assists. He finishes his career ranking 22nd on Duke's all-time scoring chart with 122 points on 69 goals and 53 assists.

Rewkowski, a sophomore from Bethpage, N.Y., also received All-ACC honors after pacing the Duke squad in scoring with 47 points on 36 goals and 11 assists. He was named to the ACC All-Tournament team after scoring five goals in two games and helping the Blue Devils to the championship game for the third straight season.