2019 Merrimack College Men's Lacrosse Roster

Nick Grace
Nick Grace
Jim Stankiewicz
Jim Stankiewicz

32 Michael O'Connell

  • Class Senior
  • Position Midfield
  • Ht./Wt. 6-3 / 205
  • Hometown Sudbury, Mass.
  • High School/Prep (Previous College) Lincoln-Sudbury
  • Major Communications/Marketing

Biography

Career

  • USILA Third Team All-American (2019)
  • NEILA All-New England First Team (2019)
  • USILA Scholar All-American List (2019)
  • NEILA All-Star Game participant (2019)
  • NE10 All-Conference Second Team (2019)
  • NE10 All-Academic Team (2019)
  • Concluded his career as a repeat national champion while serving as a team captain
  • Logged action in 74 games over four years, appearing in no fewer than 16 games any season
  • Totaled over 100 goals for a 104-28--132 scoring ledger while racking up 226 shot attempts
  • Finished with 33 man-up goals, second-most in school history, while graduating in the top-12 in total points and top-seven in total goals
  • Also added 82 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers

2019

  • USILA Third Team All-American
  • NEILA All-New England First Team
  • USILA Scholar All-American List
  • NEILA All-Star Game participant
  • NE10 All-Conference Second Team
  • NE10 All-Academic Team
  • Concluded his career as a repeat national champion while serving as a team captain
  • Earned his first-ever All-America accolade after doing likewise at the all-region level 
  • Played a major role on the turf throughout the year, whether it be up front or in the middle of the field to put the team in the best position to succeed
  • Finished with a career-high 41 goals and 49 points, ranking third on the team in goals and fourth in overall scoring
  • A nation-high 15 of those tallies came with the man-up unit
  • His 47.1-percent scoring clip was second-best on the team for players with 50 or more shot attempts, and he took care of the ball, as indicated by just nine turnovers compared to 30 ground balls and six takeaways
  • The academic all-conference selection was the first of his career, as well
  • Set his new single-game scoring standard twice with six points in wins at Saint Michael's (4/23) and AIC (5/30); also had a career-high-tying five goals in that latter win
  • Gathered a career-high five ground balls at Lake Erie (3/3)

2018

  • Played in all 19 games and played a major role on offense, especially the man-up unit
  • Ranked sixth on the team in total scoring, finishing with 30 points on 23 goals and seven assists
  • Tied his career high with eight man-up goals, tied for second on the team
  • Also added 16 ground balls and two caused turnovers while putting 31 of his 39 shot attempts on net (79.5%)
  • Two of his goals were game-winners, a new career high
  • Tied his single-game high with five points and two man-up goals in the national title game against Saint Leo (5/27)

2017

  • Appeared in 19 games (5 starts) 
  • Was one of the team's top offensive contributors, finishing with 13 goals (7th) and 22 total points
  • Was one of the top man-up offense contributors, ranking second on the team with eight tallies with the extra man
  • Recorded a hat trick, scoring three goals while adding an assist in a win against Le Moyne in the NCAA Tournament (5/13)

2016: NE-10 All-Conference Rookie Team ... Appeared in 16 games, starting 11 ... Burst onto the scene with a tremendous freshman season ... Racked up 31 points (27g, 4a), good for fifth on team ... Also ranked third on team with 27 goals ... Garnered 23 ground balls ... Caused nine turnovers ... Went off for five goals and four ground balls in a victory against Adelphi (4/2) ... Totaled nine multi-goal games and four hat tricks.

Before Merrimack: Posted 72 points (57g, 15a) in senior season, helping Lincoln-Sudbury post 20-1 overall record en route to league and Massachusetts Division I state titles ... Named Dual County League All-Star ... Led Lincoln Sudbury to 2014 MIAA State Finals in 2014 ... Led team in goals with 48 and added four assists as a junior ... BostonLax.net Top Returning Attackman list for the Spring of 2015.

Personal: Born Aug. 21, 1996 … Son of John and Barbara … Has two siblings, John and Andrew … Communications/marketing major.

CAREER HIGHS

Points: 6, at Saint Michael's, 04/23/19 ; at American Int'l, Mar 30, 2019 
Goals: 5, Adelphi, 04/02/16 ; at American Int'l, Mar 30, 2019 
Assists: 2, 6 times
Shots: 8, Southern NH, 04/06/19 ; Adelphi, 05/06/16 
Ground balls: 5, at Lake Erie, 3/3/2019 
Draw controls: 1, Saint Rose, 04/09/16 
Man-up goals: 2, 6 times
Caused turnovers: 2, at Saint Michael's, 04/23/19 ; vs Dowling, 04/28/16 ; LIU Post, 05/14/16

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 32

    2016Freshman

    A
    6'3" 225 lbs
    32
  • 32

    2017Sophomore

    A
    6'3" 225 lbs
    32
  • 32

    2018Junior

    A
    6'3" 205 lbs
    32
  • 32
    C

    2019Senior

    Midfield
    6'3" 205 lbs
    32
    C