BOSTON -- Former University of Delaware men’s lacrosse All-Americans John Grant (bottom right) and Alex Smith (top right) have swept the end of the year awards sponsored by Major League Lacrosse.

Both members of the Rochester Rattlers, Grant was named the league’s Warrior Offensive Player of the Year while Smith was named the Cascade MLL Rookie of the Year. Both awards were based on voting by the general managers and head coaches of the 10 MLL teams.

Grant and Smith will lead the Rattlers into the MLL semifinals Aug. 25 against Los Angeles. The championship game is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. The Rattlers (9-3) have qualified for the league playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Grant, a native of Peterborough, Ontario, led the league in goals and points this past season as he set a team record with a league-high 44 goals, added 25 assists, and set a league single season record with 71 points. He also set a league record for points in a game this season when he scored eight goals and dished out four assist in a 27-26 overtime win over Denver June 16. He scored three or more goals in a game six times this season. A six-year league veteran, he also earned the MLL Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2001.

Smith, a native of Timonium, MD, was the No. 3 pick in this year’s MLL Draft and went on to become one of the league’s top faceoff specialists. He won 190 of 331 faceoffs (.574) on the season while ranking among the league leaders with 79 groundballs. He also scored a goal and dished out three assists.

Grant, a native of Peterborough, Ontario, was an All-American at Delaware in 1998 and 1999 and was inducted into the UD Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. In 1999, he led the Blue Hens to the NCAA quarterfinals under head coach Bob Shillinglaw, recording 110 points (56g, 54a). The point and assist totals set school records and were also tops in the nation. He was named the USILA National Collegiate Player of the Year following his senior season.

Smith capped an outstanding collegiate career that saw him earn All-American honors three times and establish six NCAA records for faceoffs and groundballs. He finished his career as the greatest faceoff specialist in the history of the college game as he virtually rewrote the NCAA record book. He led the nation in faceoff winning percentage for the third straight season this past spring as he won 311 of 430 attempts for a 72.3 percentage and also led the country with a school-record 170 groundballs (8.95 per game). He also scored five goals and dished out three assists on the season despite only playing on faceoff situations.

Delaware posted a 13-6 overall record, captured the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for just the fourth time in school history for head coach Bob Shillinglaw this spring. The 15th-ranked Blue Hens (advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in school history in 2007 as they defeated defending national champion Virginia 14-8 in the first round and UMBC 10-6 in the quarterfinals. Delaware’s run came to an end with an 8-3 loss to No. 3 seed Johns Hopkins in the NCAA semifinals March 26.