April 23, 2019
By Evan Lepler
Throughout the 2019 season, the AUDL’s weekly honor roll will be revealed each Monday, honoring seven players whose individual exploits merit recognition. The players are listed alphabetically by last name.
- Rowan McDonnell, DC Breeze - Playing through a vicious wind in their home opener against the Philadelphia Phoenix, the Breeze embraced the difficult conditions and frequently relied on their superstar Rowan McDonnell, who registered three assists, three goals and one block in DC’s 20-18 triumph. In just a couple games, McDonnell has quickly established excellent chemistry with teammates Nathan Prior, Anthony McLean, Max Cassell, Cody Johnston, and several others, giving the Breeze a steady foundation to build upon as they seek a return to the postseason.
- Keegan North, Indianapolis AlleyCats - With six assists and a couple goals, Keegan North’s performance was critical for the Indianapolis AlleyCats as they fought off the surprisingly pesky Mechanix 26-22. Through just two games, the 24-year-old playmaker owns a +13, ranking him out just outside the top five in the league in plus/minus, and everyone in the top five—San Diego’s Travis Dunn, Raleigh’s Henry Fisher, Dallas’ Jay Froude, Austin’s Mick Walter, and Raleigh’s Noah Saul—has played at least three games.
- Tim Okita, San Diego Growlers - While Dunn, the league’s plus/minus leader, shared his team’s lead in both goals and assists, Tim Okita delivered a near flawless, turnover-free effort in the San Diego Growlers big road win at San Jose. Making his 2019 season debut, the 24-year-old handler accumulated two goals and five assists while completing all 29 of his throws as San Diego remained undefeated, improving to 3-0 with a 21-16 win up in the South Bay.
- Andrew Roney, Tampa Bay Cannons - While Okita tossed five of his team’s 21 scores, Tampa Bay's Andrew Roney dished six of the Cannons’ 17, helping his team improve to 2-0 with a 17-14 win over Atlanta. Though the Cannons still have a great deal to prove, they deserve considerable credit for taking care of business at home in back-to-back games against the Hustle, with Roney’s 14 total assists leading the way.
- Pat Shriwise, Madison Radicals - No one in the league completed more passes without a single turnover this past weekend than Pat Shriwise, who went 46-for-46 with five assists in the Madison Radicals’ closer-than-the-final-score-indicated 26-17 over Pittsburgh. His five dimes match the second-most assists he’s ever had in a game; his career-high is seven, achieved against Indy on June 30, 2018 in a game that, coincidentally, also ended 26-17 in favor of the Rads.
- Dalton Smith, Dallas Roughnecks - Even though Dalton Smith played five more points than anyone else on his team, he still finished a mistake-free 29-for-29 with two goals, two assists, and a block. Beyond the stats, he consistently harassed Austin’s top handlers and helped set the tone for Dallas' bounce-back 21-17 victory, a critical win for the Roughnecks for the purpose of staying near the top of the South Division.
- Mark Whitton, Detroit Mechanix - Though the Detroit Mechanix suffered their 27th consecutive loss on Saturday in Indianapolis, Detroit acquitted itself better than many expected, and Mark Whitton’s performance was a huge part of that. The 22-year-old cutter out of Grand Valley State registered eight goals, one assist, and two blocks in a 26-22 loss. Whitton and teammate Andrew Sjogren combined to score 16 of Detroit’s 22 goals, as Sjogren snagged a snowman as well.
