Finley and Wenger named ACC’s offensive and defensive players of the year

A pair of Duke sophomores nabbed the top ACC All-Conference awards yesterday, marking the first time that the Blue Devils have earned both awards in the same season.

Ryan Finley, a forward, and Andrew Wenger, a defender, were named the offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, after leading Duke to a 9-4-4 record and the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. Wenger is the first Blue Devil to win top defensive honors, and Finley is the second on the offensive side of the ball, following Mike Grella’s award in 2008.

Finley leads all Division I players in goals scored, 17, and in total points with 37. He has netted three hat tricks this season, a Duke record, and has recorded points on 20 of the Blue Devils’ 32 goals.

Wenger, as Duke’s center back, leads the team in minutes played. The defenseman has posted six shutouts on the year and surrendered 15 goals in 17 games. He was also a first-team all-ACC selection last year, making him the first Duke player since 1995 to earn top-team honors in his first two seasons.

The No. 19 Blue Devils had other award recipients as well. Senior Cole Grossman, a midfielder, garnered first team All-ACC honors, giving the Blue Devils three first-team selections for the first time in 11 years. Sophomore James Belshaw, the starting goalkeeper, was named to the second team, and Jonathan Aguirre and Sebastien Ibeagha both earned All-Freshmen Team honors.