Five Named to IL Preseason All-America
1/29/2024 1:54:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE – With the first game of the 2024 season on the horizon, five Syracuse University men's lacrosse players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America list, compiled by members of the media. Inside Lacrosse released its annual list Monday afternoon.
Jake Stevens was named First Team as a midfielder, while Joey Spallina and Will Mark were both Third Teamers at attack and goalie, respectively. Sam English was an honorable mention pick at midfield while Saam Olexo was selected honorable mention as a longstick midfielder.
No. 9 Syracuse opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Feb. 3 with a 4 p.m. showdown with Vermont at the JMA Wireless Dome. Season tickets and combo tickets with Syracuse women's lacrosse are available on Cuse.com/Tickets, as well as single-game tickets.
Stevens, who transferred to Syracuse after an All-American career at Princeton, played in 50 games for the Tigers. The Puslinch, Ontario, Canada product racked 58 goals in the midfield alongside 11 assists for 69 career points. He scored 20 or more goals in each of his final two seasons at Princeton, including 14 man-up goals in that span.
Spallina, a USILA All-America Honorable Mention pick last season, scored 68 points - third-best for a freshman in program history - in his first season with the Orange, hitting for 36 goals with 32 assists. He led all Division I freshmen in points and was second nationally with 10 extra-man goals. At No. 15 Princeton, Spallina racked 11 points on four goals and five assists, tied for the most points in a single game by a Syracuse rookie.
An All-American netminder, Mark was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee last year as well after logging 868 minutes in net for the Orange. He stopped 207 on the season, averaging 13.8 per game including a season-high 22 against No. 5 Duke (March). An ACC Defensive Player of the Week last season, Mark stopped opponent shots at a 54.2 percent clip and started in all 15 games for Syracuse.
Another Princeton transfer, English was an All-Ivy League selection and Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-America in 2022. Playing 30 games for the Tigers, English started every game of his final two seasons in New Jersey, capping his Tiger career with 70 points on 38 goals and 32 assists. He missed the final six games of the 2023 season after rupturing his spleen against Syracuse on April 8, but finished the year with seven goals and 13 assists, ranking seventh on the team overall and the most points for a Tiger that saw fewer than 10 games.
A versatile pole, Olexo spent time at both longstick midfield and close defense last season. The Annapolis, Maryland caused a career-best 26 turnovers last season while nabbing 53 ground balls along the way. A weapon in transition as well, Olexo potted four goals with two assists for a career-best six points, all while helping the Orange clear at nearly 90 percent last season.
Jake Stevens was named First Team as a midfielder, while Joey Spallina and Will Mark were both Third Teamers at attack and goalie, respectively. Sam English was an honorable mention pick at midfield while Saam Olexo was selected honorable mention as a longstick midfielder.
No. 9 Syracuse opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Feb. 3 with a 4 p.m. showdown with Vermont at the JMA Wireless Dome. Season tickets and combo tickets with Syracuse women's lacrosse are available on Cuse.com/Tickets, as well as single-game tickets.
Stevens, who transferred to Syracuse after an All-American career at Princeton, played in 50 games for the Tigers. The Puslinch, Ontario, Canada product racked 58 goals in the midfield alongside 11 assists for 69 career points. He scored 20 or more goals in each of his final two seasons at Princeton, including 14 man-up goals in that span.
Spallina, a USILA All-America Honorable Mention pick last season, scored 68 points - third-best for a freshman in program history - in his first season with the Orange, hitting for 36 goals with 32 assists. He led all Division I freshmen in points and was second nationally with 10 extra-man goals. At No. 15 Princeton, Spallina racked 11 points on four goals and five assists, tied for the most points in a single game by a Syracuse rookie.
An All-American netminder, Mark was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee last year as well after logging 868 minutes in net for the Orange. He stopped 207 on the season, averaging 13.8 per game including a season-high 22 against No. 5 Duke (March). An ACC Defensive Player of the Week last season, Mark stopped opponent shots at a 54.2 percent clip and started in all 15 games for Syracuse.
Another Princeton transfer, English was an All-Ivy League selection and Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-America in 2022. Playing 30 games for the Tigers, English started every game of his final two seasons in New Jersey, capping his Tiger career with 70 points on 38 goals and 32 assists. He missed the final six games of the 2023 season after rupturing his spleen against Syracuse on April 8, but finished the year with seven goals and 13 assists, ranking seventh on the team overall and the most points for a Tiger that saw fewer than 10 games.
A versatile pole, Olexo spent time at both longstick midfield and close defense last season. The Annapolis, Maryland caused a career-best 26 turnovers last season while nabbing 53 ground balls along the way. A weapon in transition as well, Olexo potted four goals with two assists for a career-best six points, all while helping the Orange clear at nearly 90 percent last season.
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