The Chesapeake Bayhawks and the Denver Outlaws have executed a trade that will send the 2012 League MVP Brendan Mundorf to Annapolis in exchange for John Grant Jr., Michael Simon and the Bayhawks Second Round natural selection (No. 16) in the 2014 MLL Collegiate Draft.
“I consider myself very lucky to have coached John Grant Jr. and Michael Simon,” said Bayhawks Head Coach Dave Cottle. “They are great teammates and excellent players. They are being sent to a great organization that continues to be a contender. In Grant’s case he is moving to Denver and this will alleviate the schedule for him and his family.”
“As an organization we’re always looking to improve the overall quality of our program,” said Denver Head Coach Jim Stagnitta. “At the same time we always consider the quality of life of our players. We traded a phenomenal leader in Mundorf, who will now be close to home, but at the same time we’re acquiring a great player in John Grant Jr. who is a proven leader.”
Selected 21st overall out of UMBC in the 2006 Collegiate Draft, Mundorf spent his whole career in an Outlaws uniform. In 90 games played he recorded 229 goals and 118 assists. He has been a consistent leader in the attack for Denver scoring no less than 20 goals per season.
“I have grown to respect the competitive nature of Brendan Mundorf,” Cottle continued. “I am very happy to have him in a Bayhawks uniform, something we have wanted for the last four years.”
One of the last MLL originals to still play the game, Grant Jr. has been a polarizing figure in Lacrosse and the League since its inception. He scored the very first goal in the Summer Showcase in 2000 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio and proceeded to be named MLL Offensive Player of the Year in the League’s inaugural season while with the Rochester Rattlers. He can be found in the top five of many All-Time Career records including points, goals and assists. Throughout his career he helped three teams win the Steinfeld Trophy, in 2008 with the Rattlers, the following year with the Toronto Nationals and this season with the Bayhawks.
Selected out of the Player Pool in 2010, Simon spent his whole career in a Bayhawks uniform. He appeared in a total of 12 games recording one goal and 29 ground balls. Most recently he caught the eye of US Lacrosse head coach Richie Meade and has been selected to the 52-man training roster that will prepare for the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships.
“We also had our eye on Michael Simon for some time. He’s a tremendous young athlete who will help us down the middle of the field, something we needed to address and will help us reach the championship,” Stagnitta concluded.
