Syracuse Lacrosse Places Five on Pre-Season All-American List

Earlier this week Inside Lacrosse Magazine announced their pre-season top 20, featuring Syracuse at #4. This week the magazine announced their list of pre-season all-Americans. The Atlantic Coast Conference landed twenty-three players on the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Pre-Season All-America Team. Five Syracuse Orange players picked up honors in the publication this year including: Brandon Mullins, Kevin Rice, Randy Staats, Sean Young and Henry Schoonmaker.

Kevin Rice snagged first team honors after ending last season fifth in the country in assists per game and points per game. Rice often quarterbacks the offense from behind the net and off-ball has a great ability to find himself open on the crease. He led the Orange in goals and had 80 points, 44 assists and 36 goals in 16 games in 2014. As a team co-captain on a stacked attack line that returns all three starters, Rice looks to lead the offense to a more successful 2015.

Shut down defenseman Brandon Mullins, another first team pre-season all-American, finished 2014 tenth in the ACC in caused turnovers. Mullins took home 36 groundballs and caused 17 turnovers last season.

The only second team pre-season all-American for Syracuse is Randy Staats. Staats, who only played in 14 games in 2014 due to injury, finished last year twelfth in the nation in points per game and ninth in shot percentage. The senior out of Six Nations, Ontario, participated in the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships as a member of the Iroquois National team.

Featured on the third team is defenseman Sean Young who has started 32 consecutive games for Syracuse. In 2014, Young had 15 groundballs and 9 caused turnovers. Young usually takes the number two opposing attackman and has the ability to lock up his target. Against Johns Hopkins he held Brandon Benn, a 40-goal scorer in 2014, scoreless ending Benn's streak of 21-straight games with a goal.

The only Syracuse player to make it onto the honorable mention list is midfielder Henry Schoonmaker out of Portland, Oregon. In the second game of the season of 2014, it was Schoonmaker's OT tally that got Syracuse past Albany. Schoonmaker has been an integral part of the face-off game for the Orange on the wing and last year picked up 14 goals and 3 assists. He has the ability to be an explosive dodger from the wing and has a massive shot.

If you are looking for any possible snubs, the only notable name left off the list for the Orange is Dylan Donahue. The junior ended last season with 37 goals and 17 assists, finishing nationally third in shot percentage, thirty-second in goals per game and thirty-third in points per game.

Listed below are all twenty-three ACC players who made the Inside Lacrosse list.