Syracuse men’s lacrosse: Three Orange earn All-American honors

As the post-season awards continue to roll in, three more members of the Syracuse Orange men’s lacrosse team have been honored recently with All-American accolades.

Goalie Will Mark, attacker Joey Spallina, and LSM Saam Olexo all received recognition from the two big lacrosse publications, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.

Inside Lacrosse, which announced their 2023 Division I All-Americans yesterday, named Will Mark to their Third Team, as well as Joey Spallina and Saam Olexo as honorable mention selections.

USA Lacrosse Magazine released their 2023 All-Americans last week, and they had only two Orange as part of their selections. Mark and Spallina were both given honorable mention honors.

Mark had a fantastic first season in ‘Cuse while being consistently put under an immense amount of pressure from opposing offenses. He finished the campaign with a .542 save percentage and 13.8 saves per game.

Spallina had a historic first season in Orange. He led the team in goals (36), assists (32), and points (68), and his 68 points put him up among the greatest debut seasons in program history (third-most by a freshman). His efforts garnered him the ACC Freshman of the Year award, in addition to his All-American accolades.

Olexo had a standout season for the ‘Cuse defense, leading the team in caused turnovers (26) and second in ground balls (53). His 1.73 CTs per game was second-best in the ACC. He’s extremely versatile, with the ability to play both LSM and close defense. He also plays wings on face-offs and is a weapon in transition, finishing the season with four goals and two assists.

All three will be back next year to help lead the 2024 Orange as they continue their pursuit of a return to national prominence.