Towson faceoff specialist Alex Woodall went first overall to Ohio in the 2019 Major League Lacrosse College Draft from the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte on Saturday night.

Woodall has been a key factor behind Towson’s 5-0 start that has vaulted the Tigers to the No. 1 ranking in the country. Through five games, Woodall has won 95 of 129 faceoffs (73.6 winning percentage) and also has two goals and three assists.

Woodall’s selection marks the second straight year that a faceoff specialist has gone first overall. NCAA record-setting faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste went first overall to Boston last year, and after helping the U.S. team win the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship in Israel, Baptiste finished the season strong for the Cannons.

Of course, Baptiste is no longer with the Cannons. Baptiste has moved to the Premier Lacrosse League, which will begin its first season this year. That has set up an intriguing draft. MLL team executives have always had to weigh availability along with ability, but the advent of the PLL adds another wrinkle.

The PLL announced it will hold a four-round draft on April 22, meaning that as many as 24 players will have the possibility of choosing between the two leagues.

The possibility seemed to be largely ignored as the MLL teams went after the top college prospects.

High Point goalie Tim Troutner, who has led the Panthers to wins over ACC squads Duke and Virginia as part of its 6-1 start, went second overall to Florida, which has one of the league’s top goalies in Austin Kaut. Troutner has a 56.6 save percentage and had 19 saves in the win over Duke and 17 in the win over Virginia.

Zach Goodrich, a midfielder from Towson who is one of the top defenders in the country, went No. 3 overall to Boston. Goodrich was a first team All-Amercian for a Towson team that went just 7-8 a year ago, and has been a key part of the Tigers resurgence this season.

The Cannons also had the No. 4 pick and looked to replace Baptiste by drafting Maryland faceoff specialist Austin Henningsen. A member of the 2016 U.S. U19 team, Henningsen is having a terrific senior season, winning a career-best 64.6 percent of his faceoffs (64 of 99).

Charlotte grabbed another member of the 2016 U.S. U19 team, nabbing Virginia midfielder Ryan Conrad, who scored the game-winning goal in the closing seconds in the championship game win over Canada that summer. An outstanding athlete, Conrad missed most of the 2018 season with a knee injury after earning third team All-America honors in 2017. In five games this season, Conrad has five goals, four assists and a team-leading 21 groundballs.

Defending league champion Denver selected Sacred Heart midfielder Max Tuttle at No. 6 overall. A Colorado native, Tuttle earned honorable mention All-America honors last season and has 24 points (16g, 8a) through the Pioneers first six games this season.

Chesapeake grabbed perhaps the top prospect in the draft at No. 7, Loyola attackman Pat Spencer. A two-time Tewaaraton finalist, Spencer has aspirations of playing college basketball next season which puts his availability for this summer in question. It was a risk that Chesapeake clearly felt comfortable taking on Spencer, who is a native of Annapolis. Spencer has 18 goals and 22 assists in six games this season and more than 300 points in his career.

Dallas grabbed Penn State defenseman Chris Sabia with the eighth pick. A four-year starter, Sabie earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2017 and 2018 and has been a key cog in the Nittany Lions hot start in 2019. Sabia has a team-leading eight caused turnovers for a 5-1 Penn State coming off of a 19-13 win over No. 2 Cornell on Friday night.

Rounding out the first round was Denver making its second pick of the round, grabbing Georgetown attackman Daniel Bucaro. Bucaro, the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2016 and a three-time all-league honoree, leads the 6-1 Greyhounds with 39 points (24g, 15a).

2019 MLL Collegiate Draft, 1^st Round

1. Ohio: Alex Woodall, FO, Towson
2. Florida: Tim Troutner, G, High Point
3. Boston: Zach Goodrich, M, Towson
4. Boston: Austin Henningsen, FO, Maryland
5. Charlotte: Ryan Conrad, M, Virginia
6. Denver: Max Tuttle, M, Sacred Heart
7. Chesapeake: Pat Spencer, A, Loyola
8. Dallas: Chris Sabia, D, Penn State
9. Denver: Daniel Bucaro, A, Georgetown

For complete results follow @MLL_Lacrosse on Twitter.