NEW YORK, September 26, 2019 – The New York Riptide announced today that the team has signed eight of the players selected by the team in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft to contracts.
Tyson Gibson, Gale Thorpe, John Wagner, Travis Longboat, Jack Rowlett, Matt Borges, Daylen Hill and Brad McKinney are now all officially under contract with New York. Per team policy, no terms were released.
“I couldn’t be more excited for our draft group and to have these guys officially signed,” Riptide Head Coach and General Manager Regy Thorpe said. “We think it’s a great group that addresses our needs both short term and in the long term. Our staff did outstanding prep work heading into the draft so that we were able to get guys that fit our system. I want to thank them for their commitment to being in New York and welcome them all to the family as we get ready to kick off our first training camp in a month.”
The first overall pick in the 2019 NLL Entry Draft on September 17, Gibson was 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.
Thorpe, who was selected 33rdoverall in the draft, wrapped up his collegiate career at Ohio State where he spent two seasons after transferring from Syracuse. He is currently playing in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship with as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team. In five games, he has 22 points on nine goals and 13 assists. Wagner was selected with the 34thoverall pick. A two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, Wagner started all 13 games he played as a senior, tallying 21 goals. He also 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, the forward recorded 57 points with 22 goals and 35 assists.
Selected 50thoverall, Rowlett was a two-time USILA All-American while at the University of North Carolina. The defenseman started 15 games for the Tar Heels as a senior. Another defenseman, selected 63rdoverall, Borges served as team captain at Ohio State as a senior. He started all 12 games for the Buckeyes in his final season. Picked 64thoverall, Hill had 44 points on 18 goals and 26 assists in 16 games for the Six Nations Rebels in 2019. The 78thoverall selection, McKinney played in 28 games in his collegiate career with the Orange as a midfielder.
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