Four Earn Preseason All-ACC, Orange Picked First
1/27/2026 4:31:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four Syracuse University men's lacrosse standouts earned recognition on the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Team, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced Tuesday afternoon.
Joey Spallina was selected to the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Team at attack while Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa were named at midfield. Jimmy McCool was selected as the Preseason All-ACC Team Goalie.
Coming off an ACC Tournament Championship in 2025, Syracuse was selected first in the 2026 Predicted Order of Finish, garnering 25 points. Notre Dame was picked second with 18 points, edging out North Carolina's 17. Duke, the runner-up at last season's ACC Tournament, was selected fourth with nine points while Virginia was picked fifth with six points.
Spallina, who was named USA Lacrosse Preseason Player and Attackman of the Year, begins his senior season tied for ninth all-time at Syracuse with 246 points (108g, 138a) and is within striking distance of the program's all-time points record of 307 (Mike Powell 2001-04). The Mount Sinai, New Yorker was also named USA Lacrosse Preseason First Team All-America after he led Syracuse last spring as a Second Team All-American with a career-best 90 points on 35 goals and a team-best 55 assists en route to Tewaaraton Nominee status.
The top producing midfielder for the Orange in 2025, Leo is another strong member of the senior class. Last spring he tagged opponents for 32 goals and 12 assists for the team's third-most points at 44. Leo notched five man-up goals, tied for the second-most on the team a year ago. The Seaford, New York product was a USILA Third Team All-America pick last year and was a second team by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse.
A two-handed threat out of Potomac, Maryland, and another senior, Rhoa was a USILA Honorable Mention All-America selection last spring after posting the third-most points for a Syracuse midfielder. Rhoa tallied 27 goals and six assists, including two game-winning goals. He added 13 ground balls as well.
The reigning ACC Goalie of the Year, McCool led the ACC in saves per game, turning aside 11.37 per outing and had the second-best save percentage in the league at 53.5. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, McCool was named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player after making 30 saves in the ACC Tournament at a 66.7 percent clip, backing the Orange to their first ACC title since 2016. McCool finished the year with 216 total saves while adding his first career point with an assist at Utah in early March 2025.
Syracuse, ranked third on the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll, opens the 2026 season on Sunday against 17th-ranked Boston University. The first ever regular-season matchup between the Orange and the Terriers is set for a 1 p.m. start at the JMA Wireless Dome. Season tickets, single-game tickets, and special ticket options are available at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets. Saturday's game is an Orange Out! Fans are encouraged to rock their Orange at the Dome for the 2026 season opener.
2026 Predicted Order of Finish
1. Syracuse, 25
2. Notre Dame, 18
3. North Carolina, 17
4. Duke, 9
5. Virginia, 6
2026 Preseason All-ACC Team
Attack
Owen Duffy, Jr., North Carolina
Dominic Pietramala, Jr., North Carolina
Joey Spallina, Sr., Syracuse
Midfield*
Benn Johnston, Jr., Duke
Max Sloat, Sr., Duke
Michael Leo, Sr., Syracuse
Luke Rhoa, Sr., Syracuse
Defense
Charlie Johnson, Sr., Duke
Shawn Lyght, Jr., Notre Dame
John Schroter, Sr., Virginia
Goalie: Jimmy McCool, Sr., Syracuse
SSDM: Aidan Maguire, Sr., Duke
LSM: Will Donovan, Sr., Notre Dame
Faceoff: Brady Wambach, Jr., North Carolina
Joey Spallina was selected to the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Team at attack while Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa were named at midfield. Jimmy McCool was selected as the Preseason All-ACC Team Goalie.
Coming off an ACC Tournament Championship in 2025, Syracuse was selected first in the 2026 Predicted Order of Finish, garnering 25 points. Notre Dame was picked second with 18 points, edging out North Carolina's 17. Duke, the runner-up at last season's ACC Tournament, was selected fourth with nine points while Virginia was picked fifth with six points.
Spallina, who was named USA Lacrosse Preseason Player and Attackman of the Year, begins his senior season tied for ninth all-time at Syracuse with 246 points (108g, 138a) and is within striking distance of the program's all-time points record of 307 (Mike Powell 2001-04). The Mount Sinai, New Yorker was also named USA Lacrosse Preseason First Team All-America after he led Syracuse last spring as a Second Team All-American with a career-best 90 points on 35 goals and a team-best 55 assists en route to Tewaaraton Nominee status.
The top producing midfielder for the Orange in 2025, Leo is another strong member of the senior class. Last spring he tagged opponents for 32 goals and 12 assists for the team's third-most points at 44. Leo notched five man-up goals, tied for the second-most on the team a year ago. The Seaford, New York product was a USILA Third Team All-America pick last year and was a second team by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse.
A two-handed threat out of Potomac, Maryland, and another senior, Rhoa was a USILA Honorable Mention All-America selection last spring after posting the third-most points for a Syracuse midfielder. Rhoa tallied 27 goals and six assists, including two game-winning goals. He added 13 ground balls as well.
The reigning ACC Goalie of the Year, McCool led the ACC in saves per game, turning aside 11.37 per outing and had the second-best save percentage in the league at 53.5. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, McCool was named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player after making 30 saves in the ACC Tournament at a 66.7 percent clip, backing the Orange to their first ACC title since 2016. McCool finished the year with 216 total saves while adding his first career point with an assist at Utah in early March 2025.
Syracuse, ranked third on the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll, opens the 2026 season on Sunday against 17th-ranked Boston University. The first ever regular-season matchup between the Orange and the Terriers is set for a 1 p.m. start at the JMA Wireless Dome. Season tickets, single-game tickets, and special ticket options are available at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets. Saturday's game is an Orange Out! Fans are encouraged to rock their Orange at the Dome for the 2026 season opener.
2026 Predicted Order of Finish
1. Syracuse, 25
2. Notre Dame, 18
3. North Carolina, 17
4. Duke, 9
5. Virginia, 6
2026 Preseason All-ACC Team
Attack
Owen Duffy, Jr., North Carolina
Dominic Pietramala, Jr., North Carolina
Joey Spallina, Sr., Syracuse
Midfield*
Benn Johnston, Jr., Duke
Max Sloat, Sr., Duke
Michael Leo, Sr., Syracuse
Luke Rhoa, Sr., Syracuse
Defense
Charlie Johnson, Sr., Duke
Shawn Lyght, Jr., Notre Dame
John Schroter, Sr., Virginia
Goalie: Jimmy McCool, Sr., Syracuse
SSDM: Aidan Maguire, Sr., Duke
LSM: Will Donovan, Sr., Notre Dame
Faceoff: Brady Wambach, Jr., North Carolina
Players Mentioned
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