West Essex Grad Nominated for Prestigious Student-Athlete Award

West Essex grad and Villanova men's lacrosse senior captain John LoCascio is competing amongst 10 student-athletes for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. 

LoCascio, who was a standout on the West Essex lacrosse team, is regarded as one of the best long-stick midfielders in the nation, according to Villanova.

“LoCascio has had an outstanding start to his senior season and currently leads the team with 50 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. He currently ranks 6th in the NCAA averaging 2.44 caused turnovers per game,” according to a release from the school.

You can vote by clicking here.

Eligible student-athletes must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Voting is now open to the public and accounts for one-third of the total ballot. The remaining two-thirds is determined by NCAA Division I coaches and national media. 

Voting ends on May 12.

More from Villanova:

"Additionally, LoCascio was the 2013 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection and a USILA Third Team All-American. LoCascio registered 85 ground balls and had 53 caused turnovers last season, finishing as the national leader with an average of 3.57 caused turnovers per game. He was also selected by the Rochester Rattlers as the 26th overall selection in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft.

Off the field, LoCascio maintains a 3.67 GPA in Finance with a minor in Economics from the prestigious Villanova School of Business. He has been a Dean's List honoree six out of the seven semesters during his time on campus and his academic accomplishments include being chosen as the 2013 Philadelphia Inquirer Men's Lacrosse Academic All-Area Performer of the Year, being named to the 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer Men's Lacrosse Academic All-Area Team and a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star (2010, 2011, 2012) selection. "