Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         May 10, 2002

Lax's Pearson posts record-setting effort in final game

By James Zuhlke
Asst. Director, Athletic Media Relations

Tim Pearson had a day most athletes dream about Saturday at Lehigh, Pa. in the final college lacrosse game of his career. The senior attackman turned in a record-setting effort against Patriot League rival Lehigh, racking up 11 points on three goals and eight assists, to lead the Black Knights to a 15-6 victory. Pearson’s records and accolades did not go unnoticed Monday as he was named the league’s offensive "Player of the Week." Pearson also had a goal and three assists at Lafayette in a mid-week contest.

In a must-win situation, the Army captain put the rest of the team on his shoulders and carried them to victory. Pearson’s 11 points were the highest recorded in an NCAA game since Marist’s Paul Donahue had 12 in 2000. His eight assists were also a single-game high since April of 2000.

Despite the win the Black Knights’ will not be dancing at the 2002 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament - it just was not in the numbers. Army’s Ratings Percentage Index, as determined by the NCAA, came up two one-hundredths of a point short of Hobart.

Army (8-6), Hobart (6-7) and Bucknell (6-7) finished 5-1 in league play and were crowned tri-champions. With the first three tie breaking procedures exhausted, the Patriot League went to its final tiebreaker to decide who received the automatic bid to the tournament. When the final numbers were tallied, it was Hobart that came out on top with Army a very close second. The NCAA did not release exact numbers.

The Black Knights were the only one of the three schools who finished with a winning record, including a non-conference win over a nationally-ranked opponent and a win head-to-head against Hobart. However, it was not enough to put Army over the top in the final calculations.

Pearson tied two Academy records and fell one point shy of another. His eight helpers tied the school record established by Paul Cino in 1982 and gave him 42 on the year. That also tied Cino’s single-season record set in 1982. His 11 points were one short of Russ Bolling’s 12 tallies in 1972 and are believed to be just the second time that an Army player scored more than 10 points in a game.

Pearson maintained a high level of production, which has become the norm for Army’s All-American, despite missing the final three weeks of practice. A separated shoulder in the loss to Maryland-Baltimore County limited his mid-week preparation, but was not enough to keep him out of his final home game against arch-rival Navy.

"Tim’s ability to get the ball to his teammates makes the people around him better players," Army head coach Jack Emmer said. "That’s part of what makes him a great player."

Still nursing that damaged shoulder, Pearson played against Lafayette and Lehigh without participating in a practice and piled up 15 points in the two games. He hurdled yet another obstacle last week when he spent the nights of May 1 and 2 in the hospital, before driving down to Lehigh Saturday morning. The time off didn’t affect him at all. He stepped on the field and authored one of the best performances by an Army lacrosse player in more than 30 years.

"I tried not to let the injuries affect me too much," Pearson said. "I was probably a step slower, and my stick-work was probably not as sharp as it could have been."

Pearson was named the Patriot League "Offensive Player of the Year" Wednesday. He is the first three-time winner.

The senior finished the season with 63 points overall and an amazing 35 against league opposition. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Patriot League and at Army. He is just the second lacrosse player at the Academy to put together back-to-back 60-point seasons. Pearson had 66 points in his junior campaign.

Classmate and goalkeeper Dominik Nogic also put the finishing touches on a marvelous career in the cage for the Black Knights. His final collegiate effort included 12 saves to push his career total to 503. He becomes the fourth goalie in Army lacrosse history to eclipse 500 stops at the Academy and is the fourth highest on the all-time list.

Emmer ends his 33rd season of coaching with an overall record of 297-165 (.643). He is three victories shy of legendary UMass head coach Dick Garber on the NCAA’s all-time wins list. Emmer delivered Army its ninth Patriot League championship in the 12-year history of the league, and first since 1999. It was the seventh consecutive season that the Black Knights finished with a .500 record or better.