PHILADELPHIA, September 17, 2019 – The New York Riptide selected forward Tyson Gibson with the first overall pick in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft on Tuesday evening. The forward was the first of 11 picks for the Riptide on the night.
Gibson, the Northeast Conference Player of the Year as a senior at Robert Morris in 2019, guided the Colonials to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in his last two seasons following back-to-back NEC Tournament championships in those same years. He was a USILA All-American as a senior and was the first Robert Morris player to earn three All-NEC honors during his career. He has spent the last two summers as a member of the Victoria Shamrocks in the Western Lacrosse Association, earning a spot in the Mann Cup Final this season. With Victoria, he saw action in 21 games in two seasons, scoring 59 points on 30 goals and 29 assists.
With the 10thoverall pick, also in the first round, New York selected Tyson Bomberry from Syracuse University. A two-time ACC All-Academic Team member and a USILA Scholar All-American as a senior, Bomberry started all 14 games in his senior season with the Orange, scooping up 66 ground balls and causing 19 turnovers. Bomberry is currently in Vancouver representing the Iroquois Nationals at the FIL World Indoor Championships.
Moving to the second round, the Riptide selected Jake Fox from Johns Hopkins with the 19thoverall pick. Fox played in 23 games during his career with Johns Hopkins and, won a bronze medal with the Iroquois Nationals at the 2018 FIL World Championships and captured a Mann Cup with the Peterborough Lakers in 2018. With the 24thpick, New York selected Connor Farrell from LIU Post. The Holtsville, NY native led the nation in face-off percentage (81.4%) and ground balls per game (16.75) as a senior. To wrap up the third round, New York selected Gale Thorpe from Ohio State University. A 5-foot-10 forward, Thorpe spent two seasons with the Buckeyes after transferring from Syracuse.
In the third round, New York selected John Wagner from Marquette University. A two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, Wagner started all 13 games he played as a senior, tallying 21 goals. He represented Canada at the U19 World Lacrosse Championships in 2016. At No. 47, the Riptide selected Travis Longboat from the Six Nations Arrows. In 19 games with the Arrows in 2019, Longboat recorded 57 points with 22 goals and 35 assists. With the 50thselection, New York added defenseman Jack Rowlett from the Unversity of North Carolina to the roster. A two-time USILA All-American, Rowlett started 15 games for the Tar Heels as a senior.
To wrap up the fourth round, New York added Matt Borges from Ohio State with the 63rdoverall pick and then kicked off the fifth round by selecting Daylen Hill from the Six Nations Rebels with the 64thpick. The final selection of the night for the Riptide was Brad McKinney from Syracuse University, who was chosen with the 78thoverall pick.
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