ADDITIONAL INFO
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s fraternity of players in the National Lacrosse League gained three members on Thursday night as Tre Leclaire, Jeff Henrick and Ryan Terefenko were all selected in the 2020 NLL Draft.
Leclaire was the first Buckeye off the bound, going No. 4 overall to the San Diego Seals. Henrick made it two top-10 Buckeyes when he went No. 8 overall to the Georgia Swarm while Terefenko was the No. 27 overall pick to the Halifax Thunderbirds.
“It’s an exciting night for Tre, Jeff and Ryan as well as Buckeye Lacrosse,” said head coach Nick Myers. “These men will carry on a great Buckeye tradition in the NLL. I have no doubt they will make an impact for their new teams when that time comes. That being said, these men have made a commitment to finish what they started here in Columbus. The way they have lead this team over the past six months and their commitment to the Buckeye Brotherhood truly speaks to why I feel so strongly they will be great pros for years to come.”
#ProBuckeyes in the NLL
The trio of Leclaire, Henrick and Terefenko will join eight other former Buckeyes who are on active NLL rosters. At the beginning of the 2020 season, Ohio State had the second-largest contingent of players in the league.
NLL Draft History
With two more first-round picks, Ohio State has now produced 10 such selections since 2007, the most of any college program. The Buckeyes have had 11 first-rounders in program history and a total of 13 overall draft selections.
Coupled with the three top-five picks that were taken in 2017, Ohio State became the first program to have multiple first-round picks in a four-year span.
San Diego Grabs Leclaire with Fourth Overall Selection
A native of British Columbia, Leclaire is just 12 goals shy of becoming Ohio State’s all-time leading goal scorer. He’s amassed 173 career points, sixth highest in program history, on 135 goals and 38 assists. Before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the season after seven games, Leclaire was second in the Big Ten in goals (26) and third in goals per game (3.71). He’s a three-time All-American selection by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA).
Leclaire’s made an impact from the day he stepped on campus. As a freshman, he scored 49 goals for a Buckeye team that played in the NCAA Championship Game. Over the next two seasons, he was the team’s leading scorer and top goal-producer. Among active players through the end of the 2020 season, he ranks sixth in career goals scored.
A veteran of 54 career games, Leclaire graduated in May with his degree in sport industry. He elected to use the NCAA’s eligibility relief for spring student-athletes and returned to Ohio State for the 2021 season. He is enrolled in the sports management master’s degree program.
Henrick Headed to Georgia
The second defensive player off the board was Jeff Henrick, a three-time team captain who has been a linchpin of defense as both a close defensemen and long stick midfielder during his time with the Buckeyes.
Henrick’s played in every game since the start of the 2017 season – 55 to be exact. He started all 12 games at close defense in 2019 and finished with seven caused turnovers before moving to long stick midfield in 2020. He already had seven caused turnovers and 19 ground balls in seven games this spring. Henrick has 81 career ground balls and 30 caused turnovers.
In August, Henrick graduated with his degree in sport industry. He also chose to return to Ohio State in 2020-21 to complete his career and also pursue a master’s degree in sports management.
Terefenko Goes in the Second Round to Halifax
Ryan Terefenko completed the draft trio on Thursday when he was taken by the Halifax Thunderbirds in the second round with the 27th overall pick.
A three-time All-American at short stick defensive midfield, Terefenko has played in 52 career games and, as his stat line indicates, has done a little bit of everything: 139 ground balls, 15 goals, 19 assists and 13 caused turnovers. His play also helped the 2020 Buckeyes rank in the top 30 nationally in both face-off win percentage (29th, .547) and clearing percentage (11th, .889).
In a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, Terefenko led all non-faceoff specialists in the Big Ten in ground balls per game (4.29). He graduated in May with his degree in sport industry and elected to return to Ohio State for the 2021 season. Like Leclaire and Henrick, he’s also enrolled in the sports management master’s degree program.
