Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced Wednesday that Rochester defenseman Brodie Merrill has been named the 2006 Warrior Defensive Player of the Year. The award was based on votes submitted by the General Manager and the Head Coach of each of the 10 Major League Lacrosse teams. Merrill, along with other MLL honorees, will be acknowledged Saturday, August 26th at the 2006 Major League Lacrosse Awards Luncheon.

In just his second season, Merrill has blossomed into one of the most dominant defenseman in lacrosse. The Georgetown product is a dangerous player in transition, as he has scored 12 points, tops among defenseman. Merrill has become one of the best at picking the ball off the turf, as he picked up 95 groundballs this season, second most in the league and most among defensemen.

Merrill was named the Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week for Week Six when he scored two goals, including one two-pointer, picked up 10 groundballs and held New Jersey attackman Jesse Hubbard without a goal.

Merrill’s list of accomplishments is growing, as he was named the 2005 Cascade Rookie of the Year when he was a member of the Baltimore Bayhawks, and this season was he named an MLL All-Star for the second consecutive season. He was named the Best Defenseman at the 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championship.

About Warrior
Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, Warrior Sports is recognized as one of the sporting goods industry's premier manufacturers of innovative, high performance, cutting-edge equipment, footwear and apparel for lacrosse and hockey athletes of all ages and abilities. Founded in 1993 by former champion lacrosse player David Morrow, Warrior was acquired by privately-held New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. in February 2004. Warrior is dedicated to a core set of philosophies and strengths: technical superiority, grassroots marketing, original and creative youthful expression, and strong partnerships with retailers and suppliers. Warrior's Players Club is the best players in the world helping to make the best equipment in the world and is reserved for the top professionals in lacrosse and hockey today. For more information, please visit www.warriorlacrosse.com or www.warriorhockey.com.

About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a ten-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and founding partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures; and Jim Davis, chairman and CEO of New Balance. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001. The MLL is comprised of two conferences. The Eastern Conference contains the original six teams, Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The Western Conference debuted in the 2006 season with MLL expansion franchises Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.

New Balance Championship Weekend
Semifinals – August 25th at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Broadcast Exclusively Through www.budlight.com
Championship Game – August 27th at 2:00 p.m.
Televised Live On ESPN2

Tickets start as low as $20, save on a two-day package
Discounts for groups of 10 or more also available
Call 1-866-4LAX (1.866.452.9849) or visit www.lariptide.com