via press release   MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men’s Lacrosse) – The Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team will welcome four more National Letter of Intent signees to its roster for the 2017 season, announced by head coach Ryan McAleavey on Friday. The new additions, Blake McDonald, Tyler Oblong, Lance Pavlina and Dylan Riley, all hail from CCBC-Essex, one of the top junior college programs in the nation. “We are very excited about this group of transfers joining our family,” said McAleavey. “They are a very diverse group and fill some very specific needs for our team. They have proven themselves at the JUCO level, and bring a veteran presence to our group. Several of these guys are captains at Essex and that leadership will help us next season. Shawn Burke and the Essex staff do a great job getting these men prepared for a four year program both academically and as players. It’s a great pipeline for us and we are getting 4 quality individuals from them.” McDonald, a sophomore from Six Nations, Ontario, Canada, is a two-year member of the Essex men’s lacrosse team and serves as one of the Knights’ captains this season. He has appeared in 31 games and recorded 39 points on 13 goals and 26 assists. This season the midfielder is seventh on the team with 24 points, while his 19 assists are second most for the Knights. McDonald plans to get a degree in business administration at Florida Tech. A product of Loveland, Ohio, Oblong is also a captain and two-year member of the Knights’ lacrosse team. The midfielder has played in 33 games for Essex and boasts 10 points, on eight assists and two goals, to go along with 13 ground balls and two caused turnovers. Oblong intends to major in business administration at Florida Tech. Pavlina, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, has developed into one of the top faceoff specialists at the JUCO level. Over his two seasons with Essex, the sophomore has won 303-of-402 faceoffs for an incredible win percentage of .754. He has also collected 57 ground balls over his 30 career games, including 48 during his freshman season. In his last three games, Pavlina has controlled 46-of-49 faceoffs. He plans to earn a degree in education at Florida Tech. The final Knight to sign with the Panthers is Riley, a midfielder from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He is in his first season on the active roster for the Essex men’s lacrosse team. The sophomore appeared in 15 games this season and recorded 23 points, on 17 goals and six assists, in addition to three ground balls. Riley intends to major in business administration at Florida Tech. The four future-Panthers, and the rest of the 3rd-ranked Essex men’s lacrosse team, are currently competing in the NJCAA Region XX Tournament, hosted by Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The Knights are set to face Anne Arundel Community College today (Friday, Apr. 29) in the second round game at 1 p.m. ET. To keep up to date on Florida Tech men’s lacrosse, go to www.FloridaTechSports.com/mlacrosse.   Daniel Supraner Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Florida Tech Athletics 150 W. University Blvd. Melbourne, Fla. 32901 Work: 321-674-7484 Fax: 321-984-8529