NEW YORK—The latest set of weekly conference honors are in for Villanova men's lacrosse as fifth year midfielder Austin Fraser (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and senior faceoff specialist Justin Coppola (Garden City, N.Y.) were recognized by the BIG EAST on Monday afternoon. Fraser was named the Midfielder of the Week for the first time in his career and Coppola earned a spot on the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll for the first time this season. With these selections the Wildcats have earned a program record 24 weekly awards from the conference this season.
 
Fraser scored a career-high four goals in a 16-15 overtime win over Marquette last week which clinched Villanova's spot in the four-team BIG EAST Championship next week. It was his heroics late in the game that secured the come-from-behind victory over the Golden Eagles, as Fraser scored the game-tying goal with 32.8 seconds left in regulation and netted the game-winner with 2:49 remaining in overtime. The veteran midfielder scored on all four of his shots on goal in the game. Earlier in the contest he scored goals in both the second and third periods, the latter of which tied the score at 11-11.
 
The 2023 season has been a breakthrough performance for Fraser. He ranks second on the team with 17 assists, third with 37 points and fourth with 20 goals scored. Fraser has recorded at least one point in 12 of 13 contests on the season, owns six games with multiple goals scored and had a career-high six assists in a 15-8 win at Hofstra earlier in the year, a performance which landed him a BIG EAST Honor Roll nod.
 
Coppola had one of the biggest games of his career against Marquette and broke one of the Wildcats career statistical records in the process. He went 20-of-30 at the faceoff X versus the Golden Eagles and picked up a career-high 16 ground balls, including winning the overtime faceoff to create the possession that set up Villanova's game-winning shot moments later. The contest marked the third time in his career that Coppola has won 20 or more faceoffs in a single game, while his 16 ground balls are the second-most in a game in school history behind only the 18 pickups by Chris Colliniates on March 18, 2006 versus Robert Morris.
 
The overtime faceoff win was the 591^st of Coppola's career and broke the Wildcats career record. Thomas Croonquist (2011-14), who went on to play professionally in Major League Lacrosse (MLL), held the previous mark of 590 faceoffs. Coppola entered the day in third place on the Villanova career list and 19 wins away from even tying the Croonquist mark but became the new program record holder with one sterling performance. He also moved to within nine ground balls of tying the Wildcats career record of 332 which is currently held by Chris Colliniates (2004-07).
 
Villanova has earned 24 weekly awards from the BIG EAST this year to set a new program record for most weekly honors in a single season. The two dozen accolades include 13 major awards (Attack Player of the Week, Midfielder of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, Freshman of the Week) to go along with 11 Honor Roll selections.