Eight Earn USILA All-America Honors
5/22/2025 12:01:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Eight Syracuse University men's lacrosse standouts earned USILA All-America honors, announced by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Thursday morning.
Sam English was named First Team All-America while Joey Spallina and John Mullen earned Second Team All-America honors. Owen Hiltz, Michael Leo and Carter Rice were named Third Team All-America. Earned All-America Honorable Mention were Luke Rhoa and Billy Dwan III.
Earning All-America plaudits for a second straight season, English is one of the most dynamic midfielders in the country. The graduate student is fourth on the team in points with 23 goals and 12 assists, starting in all 18 games while also aiding on the faceoff wings, Syracuse's man-down unit as a defensive midfielder. English is second on the team with 62 ground balls while causing 11 turnovers. Despite the amount of defense he plays, the Burlington, Ontario native has sat for just one 30 second penalty.
Picking up USILA All-America honors for a third year in a row, Spallina is one of the top point getters in the country, averaging 4.94 points per game, backed by a feeder-friendly 54 assists and 35 goals.His 89 points this year are tied for the third-most in Division I while the Mount Sinai, New Yorker is third in the country with a 3.00 assists per game average. Spallina's 89 points this season are tied for the fourth most in program history as he pulled even with Tim O'Hara (1979) and Mike Powell (2004).
One of the top faceoff athletes in the country, Mullen earns All-America honors for the first time in his collegiate career. The Norwell, Massachusetts product has the fifth-best faceoff winning percentage in the country at 63.9 percent and leads the faceoff men competing at Championship Weekend. No player has won more faceoffs in Division I this year than Mullen, who has 274 wins to his credit, tied for the program record with Bill Dirrgl for a single season in 1989. Mullen leads the country with 9.72 ground balls per game, grabbing 175 and resetting the program single-season mark as well as the team's sophomore record, surpassing Ben Williams' 153 in 2015.
The program's most consistent point getter, Hiltz collects USILA All-America honors for a third time, joining his Honorable Mention listing in 2021 and 2024. The owner of the program record for consecutive games with at least one point, Hiltz has picked up a goal or an assist in all 63 career games, bridging a season-long gap for injury in 2022. This season, Hiltz has 72 points, a career-best, while scoring 45 goals and 27 assists. He has six game-winning goals this year, including a pair in the NCAA Tournament. The Peterborough, Ontarioan scored the overtime game-winning goal in the First Round, securing one of the biggest postseason comeback victories in program history. Hiltz has six caused turnovers in the ride this year as well in addition to 24 ground balls.
Syracuse's top midfield threat on offense, Leo earns his first USILA All-America recognition this season. The Seaford, New Yorker ranks third on the team with 42 points on 30 goals and 12 assists, including five man-up goals, tied for the second-most power play goals on the team this spring. Leo has 14 ground balls to his credit with three caused turnovers as well.
An under-rated short-stick defensive midfielder, Rice also picked up his first career USILA All-America recognition. Rice has played in all 18 games to date, picking up two assists in transition while hoovering 19 ground balls and causing seven turnovers. Hailing from Milton, Massachusetts, Rice has aided in the clearing game as Syracuse gains the offensive zone over 86 percent of the time while holding opponents to just 83 percent this season.
A two-handed dodging threat in the midfield, Rhoa, who earns All-America honors for the first time, is fifth on the team in points this year, scoring 26 goals with six assists. His 26 goals are the second-most among the Orange midfielders. A Potomac, Marylander, Rhoa has two game-winning goals while cashing in a man-up goal. He has 13 ground balls alongside a caused turnover.
A dynamic defensive presence, Dwan has started in all 18 games at close defense. Matriculating from Lutherville, Maryland, Dwan has 29 ground balls to date while causing 16 turnovers. A threat in transition, Dwan has three goals and one assist, leading the Orange efforts in scoring transition for all defensive players. This is Dwan's second USILA All-America mention after earning Third Team honors a year ago.
No. 5 Syracuse, making its return to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2013, takes on second-seeded Maryland, ranked third in the final USILA Coaches Poll, on Saturday. Game time at Gillette Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Tickets for Saturday's NCAA Division I Semifinal game are available through Ticketmaster. The Syracuse section is 129, located directly across the field from the Orange bench. Parking around Gillette Stadium is included in the ticket price.
ESPN2 will have the television broadcast, with radio options through Syracuse Sports Network on TK99/105 locally, Cuse.com, the Varsity App, and the TuneIn App. Westwood One Sports will have a radio broadcast as well on SiriusXM 84, the Westwood One Sports App, WestwoodOneSports.com/ncaaplayer, the Varsity Network App and Tune in App. Syracuse student radio station WAER will also have a radio broadcast of Saturday's game.
Sam English was named First Team All-America while Joey Spallina and John Mullen earned Second Team All-America honors. Owen Hiltz, Michael Leo and Carter Rice were named Third Team All-America. Earned All-America Honorable Mention were Luke Rhoa and Billy Dwan III.
Earning All-America plaudits for a second straight season, English is one of the most dynamic midfielders in the country. The graduate student is fourth on the team in points with 23 goals and 12 assists, starting in all 18 games while also aiding on the faceoff wings, Syracuse's man-down unit as a defensive midfielder. English is second on the team with 62 ground balls while causing 11 turnovers. Despite the amount of defense he plays, the Burlington, Ontario native has sat for just one 30 second penalty.
Picking up USILA All-America honors for a third year in a row, Spallina is one of the top point getters in the country, averaging 4.94 points per game, backed by a feeder-friendly 54 assists and 35 goals.His 89 points this year are tied for the third-most in Division I while the Mount Sinai, New Yorker is third in the country with a 3.00 assists per game average. Spallina's 89 points this season are tied for the fourth most in program history as he pulled even with Tim O'Hara (1979) and Mike Powell (2004).
One of the top faceoff athletes in the country, Mullen earns All-America honors for the first time in his collegiate career. The Norwell, Massachusetts product has the fifth-best faceoff winning percentage in the country at 63.9 percent and leads the faceoff men competing at Championship Weekend. No player has won more faceoffs in Division I this year than Mullen, who has 274 wins to his credit, tied for the program record with Bill Dirrgl for a single season in 1989. Mullen leads the country with 9.72 ground balls per game, grabbing 175 and resetting the program single-season mark as well as the team's sophomore record, surpassing Ben Williams' 153 in 2015.
The program's most consistent point getter, Hiltz collects USILA All-America honors for a third time, joining his Honorable Mention listing in 2021 and 2024. The owner of the program record for consecutive games with at least one point, Hiltz has picked up a goal or an assist in all 63 career games, bridging a season-long gap for injury in 2022. This season, Hiltz has 72 points, a career-best, while scoring 45 goals and 27 assists. He has six game-winning goals this year, including a pair in the NCAA Tournament. The Peterborough, Ontarioan scored the overtime game-winning goal in the First Round, securing one of the biggest postseason comeback victories in program history. Hiltz has six caused turnovers in the ride this year as well in addition to 24 ground balls.
Syracuse's top midfield threat on offense, Leo earns his first USILA All-America recognition this season. The Seaford, New Yorker ranks third on the team with 42 points on 30 goals and 12 assists, including five man-up goals, tied for the second-most power play goals on the team this spring. Leo has 14 ground balls to his credit with three caused turnovers as well.
An under-rated short-stick defensive midfielder, Rice also picked up his first career USILA All-America recognition. Rice has played in all 18 games to date, picking up two assists in transition while hoovering 19 ground balls and causing seven turnovers. Hailing from Milton, Massachusetts, Rice has aided in the clearing game as Syracuse gains the offensive zone over 86 percent of the time while holding opponents to just 83 percent this season.
A two-handed dodging threat in the midfield, Rhoa, who earns All-America honors for the first time, is fifth on the team in points this year, scoring 26 goals with six assists. His 26 goals are the second-most among the Orange midfielders. A Potomac, Marylander, Rhoa has two game-winning goals while cashing in a man-up goal. He has 13 ground balls alongside a caused turnover.
A dynamic defensive presence, Dwan has started in all 18 games at close defense. Matriculating from Lutherville, Maryland, Dwan has 29 ground balls to date while causing 16 turnovers. A threat in transition, Dwan has three goals and one assist, leading the Orange efforts in scoring transition for all defensive players. This is Dwan's second USILA All-America mention after earning Third Team honors a year ago.
No. 5 Syracuse, making its return to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2013, takes on second-seeded Maryland, ranked third in the final USILA Coaches Poll, on Saturday. Game time at Gillette Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Tickets for Saturday's NCAA Division I Semifinal game are available through Ticketmaster. The Syracuse section is 129, located directly across the field from the Orange bench. Parking around Gillette Stadium is included in the ticket price.
ESPN2 will have the television broadcast, with radio options through Syracuse Sports Network on TK99/105 locally, Cuse.com, the Varsity App, and the TuneIn App. Westwood One Sports will have a radio broadcast as well on SiriusXM 84, the Westwood One Sports App, WestwoodOneSports.com/ncaaplayer, the Varsity Network App and Tune in App. Syracuse student radio station WAER will also have a radio broadcast of Saturday's game.
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