GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A record number of University of Providence lacrosse players have been named to the PNCLL Division II All-Conference Team, with six players receiving some kind of recognition including three First Team nods. In 2017, the Argos received five honors and one First Team nominee.

The three Argos to earn 2018 First Team All-Conference honors are senior attack Josh Smith, junior defender Chase Clark, and sophomore middie Dante Duran.

Clark, a 2017 MCLA Honorable Mention All-American, made the conference's first team for the second straight year. As he did in 2017, the junior was primarily a defender but also saw significant time at attack. Despite splitting positions, Clark led the team with over 30 caused turnovers while also finishing second in points with 24 goals and 10 assists.

The only player to score more than Clark in 2018 was Smith, who set a program record with 52 goals on the year. He also broke the program's record for goals in a game, with 9 against Puget Sound on April 8, and holds the school record for goals in a career with 155. In 2018, Smith tied for the PNCLL lead in total goals and was third in the conference in points per game (7.273ppg). Smith made Second Team All-Conference in 2017.

While his listed position is midfield, Duran made the all-conference team in the one spot for a faceoff specialist. Duran was stellar from the faceoff X in 2018, taking 249 of the team's 313 faceoffs on the year and winning 63 percent of his attempts. Part of that success was leading the team with 69 ground balls.

Not only was he good on the faceoff, but he was good in the field too, finishing fourth on the team with 7 goals and added 5 assists. Like Josh Smith, Duran was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2017, but that was as a middie and not a FOS.

Only one UP player made the 2018 Second Team, but it went to a well-deserved player in junior goalkeeper Jeremy Smith. For the second straight season, the junior started every game for UP, and in 2018 he played every minute of every game with the team not having a second string keeper. In all of those minutes, Smith saved 210 shots, good for second in the conference, and averaged 15 saves per game with a save percentage of 59.5. In 2017, Smith was an honorable mention selection.

Two freshmen rounded out the selections for UP by making the honorable mention list.

Middie Turner Maza was selected as a short stick defensive middie. While made an impact as a solid defender, Maza was also an offensive factor, scoring 6 goals and dishing out 9 assists for 15 total points. The versatile player also took 22 faceoffs, winning 10 of them.

UP's other honorable mention selection is defender Tommy West. West caused over 20 turnovers and scooped up over 40 ground balls, while also scoring once and assisting once with the long pole.