Syracuse lacrosse's Joey Spallina is nation's top attackman as SU prepares for NCAA semifinals

With the 2026 Championship Weekend about the unfurl, the first major postseason national lacrosse awards were announced Thursday by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

As expected, Orange senior Spallina was named the winner of the Turnbull Award as the most outstanding attackman in the country, garnering the First-Team All American honors along with the prestigious award.

Spallina is, impressively, the 14th Orange lax player to win the Turnbull. Mike Powell (2001-04) won the award all four seasons he played at the 'Cuse, Tim Nelson (1983-85) three times, and John Zulberti (1988-89) was a two-time winner.

Six of Spallina's teammates are also USILA All Americans

Although Spallina, third in the nation in assists during the season and the ACC leader, and memorably becoming the school's all-time points leader in an April win over Colgate, was the only first team choice, plenty of national recognition was directed towards a veteran Orange class gunning to end the 16 year title drought this holiday weekend.

Sharp-shooting midfielder Luke Rhoa was named to the USILA second team, while tough defenders Riley Figueiras and Billy Dwan III were named third team, and attack Michael Leo, faceoff specialist John Mullen, and goalie Jimmy McCool were named honorable mention selections.

Contributions from those seven All-American players, head coach Gary Gait said earlier in the week, will be key to whether Syracuse can get a loss back from the Irish in the regular season finale, knocking off an ACC rival for the second straight week.

Scouting out Scott Stadium, the fill-in host for this year's lax Championship Weekend

Originally, the 2026 men's Final Four was set to finish its two year run at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. before the U.S, sites for the FIFA World Cup were announced with the NFL's Patriots homefield being one of venues selected.

A year ago this week, the University of Virginia announced that Scott Stadium would host the games, the first time the championships have been contested on a college campus since 2002 at Rutgers.

That season, the Orange edged Princeton 13-12 for John Desko's second of his five national titles. Ironically, the two teams are bracketed this year to also play for the championship on Monday.

On Friday, under cloudy and intermittent rainy skies, Syracuse was the third of the four semifinalists to walk-through the (grass) field conditions and get used to the atmosphere of the stadium.

According to NCAA and UVA officials ticket sales were brisk this week once the field was set. However, rainy and cool weather, and perhaps with Friday night Charlottesville hotel room prices hovering at early-week, per-night rates of $500, it will be tough to gauge the actual crowd size for the weekend until the Princeton-Duke opener gets underway shortly after 12:00 p.m. ET.

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.

Add us as a preferred source on Google