For the second year in a row, Loudoun County senior Michael McDonnell of Middleburg Academy was named the National Champion High School FaceOff Specialist (Class of 2014) at the invitation-only National FaceOff Combine. The January event was took place in Connecticut's largest indoor sports facility, the InSports Center in Trumbull.

The annual Combine is the defining event for naming the top FO specialists in the nation in the sport of lacrosse. Mikey's domination of the previous year's event, held in Boston last January (2013), combined with his academic and co-curricular success at Middleburg Academy, resulted in his Division 1 offer from the University of Michigan, to which he signed a letter of intent at a ceremony on the school's campus in mid-November.

McDonnell, a captain of last year's Dragons Boys Varsity Lacrosse who was also named first-team All-MILL, is the son of Kathy and John McDonnell of Centreville. He is also a product of the Nova West club organization.

Middleburg Academy's Head Coach Rob Horne says, "Mikey is a fierce competitor who knew what he wanted out of Middleburg Academy. In his two years at Middleburg, Mikey has studied hard, taking many advanced courses, as well as work diligently to become one of the premier face-off men in the country. Mikey is certainly reaping what he has sewn in terms of being offered a spot to play and study at one of the top universities in the nation."