We are less than one month away from regular season college lacrosse games being played. In December it feels like there’s still plenty of time before the season arrives, and then as soon as the calendar turns to 2025, it’s like the first game is minutes away. There are some voids to fill in college lacrosse this season. The 2024 pro draft class was arguably the best ever, and when that happens, it leaves maybe the biggest shoes ever to fill in the college ranks. Brennan O’Neill sized, Connor Shellenberger sized, Pat Kavanagh sized, Liam Entenmann sized, Ajax Zapitello sized, and Jake Piseno sized shoes to say the least. All over the field, elite players moved on to the pro ranks.
What better way to think about who will fill those shoes than make some early award predictions? There is a positional award given to (almost) every position on the field in lacrosse, along with the Enners Award and the Tewaaraton for overall excellence. The winner of each of these awards a year ago, along with the Tewaaraton winner, now all play pro lacrosse. I’ve got a winner prediction for each. While they don’t really have finalists, I’ve picked a few others who should be considered.
Jack Turnbull Award (Most Outstanding Attackman)
Winner: Chris Kavanagh, Notre Dame
Finalists: CJ Kirst, Joey Spallina, Coulter Mackesy, Sam King
Even with the departure of some all timers a year ago, this is one hell of an attack group. Chris Kavanagh has the opportunity to shine brightest. He will be without question the top attack weapon for the Irish this year, no longer playing alongside his brother Pat. That means he’ll draw the top pole every game, he’ll get to carry and distribute the ball more, his role could increase even in a deep Notre Dame offense. Kavanagh finished last year with more assists than he had in his previous two years combined; he’s been building towards being the QB of this offense. It’s a massive opportunity for him this year. Joey Spallina faces as much scrutiny as anyone in college lacrosse, and any time he has an even pedestrian amount of points in a game the critics come out of the woodwork. The fact is, Spallina’s scoring pace through two years is up there some of the best to even put on the orange at Cuse, and that’s saying something. He has spent the last two summers playing box for Orangeville, further developing his game. He played on the US National Team at World Box Championships and won a silver medal. He’s flatly one of the best players in America. Coulter Mackesy had one of the more quiet Tewaaraton caliber seasons you’ll see a year ago. Princeton has a host of young weapons on the offensive end, Mackesy will be the one to lead them. He’s a likely first round PLL draft choice. Sam King has been QBing the Harvard offense since he got to campus as a freshman. The only player in America with more points per game last season was Matt Brandau. CJ Kirst will be the odds on favorite for most superlatives this year, including this award, the Enners, and the Tewaaraton. Rightfully so. He scored 45 goals a year ago, is the current favorite to go first overall in the PLL draft, will likely be a two league pro, and like Spallina also played on the US National Team at World Box Championships.
Lt. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Award (Most Outstanding Midfielder)
Winner: Matt Collison, Johns Hopkins
Finalists: Sam English, Mikey Weisshaar, Ben Wayer, Ben Ramsey
I have not talked to other lacrosse media folks about this yet, but I am going to assume I’m in the minority opinion when I say Collison will finish this season as the best midfielder in America. He’s the most physically dominant midfielder in America (yes, more than Schutz). He demands a help defender immediately upon starting his dodge. Collison is the primary midfield option for the Jays, was a force of nature for Toronto Beaches last summer, and can break games on his own. English and Weisshaar are both dynamic offensive weapons. English is pretty known at this point, and yet still nobody seems to be able to cover him effectively. Weisshaar had a break out year for Towson in 2024 with 61 points and a 1st team All American finish. Ben Ramsey enters the year as the unquestioned best SSDM in the country, and a potential first round selection in the PLL draft. Ben Wayer is so good off the ground and pushing the ball in transition, he could put up some gaudy numbers for UVA this year. Joel White won Midfielder of the Year for Syracuse as an LSM, if Wayer does enough damage he could do the same.
William C. Schmeisser Award (Most Outstanding Defenseman)
Winner: Brendan Lavelle, Penn
Finalists: Shawn Lyght, AJ Pilate, Scott Smith, Billy Dwan
I’m willing to listen to arguments for any of the above. Shawn Lyght is only a sophomore, and fair or not, these awards tend to go to upperclassmen as the younger crowd wait their turn. Lyght would have to put out a special season to break a tie with the older players here. Billy Dwan took a huge leap last year, and if he makes a similar sized leap forward this spring, he’ll be a first team All American. He’ll get the chance to defend the same matchups that Lyght does on a weekly basis. Lavelle has a pretty spectacular lineup of matchups this year. Just in conference, he’ll get to guard CJ Kirst, Leo Johnson and/or Chris Lyons, Coulter Mackesy, and Sam King. Out of conference, he likely gets to guard Andrew McAdorey (if he’s at attack, maybe regardless), Chris Kavanagh, and Owen Duffy. Lavelle won a matchup with Brennan O’Neill a year ago, if he can consistently win against the murderer’s row on Penn’s schedule, he’ll lock this award up.
Ensign C. Markland Kelly (Most Outstanding Goalie)
Winner: Emmet Carroll, Penn
Finalists: Mike Gianforcaro, Jack Fracyon, Mason Oak, Zach Vigue
One of the few positions that has a very clear favorite at the start of the year. Emmet Carroll had an off the charts good season a year ago, the only thing keeping him from being a first team All American was this guy named Entenmann. Carroll made 255 saves last year, finishing with a 58.9% save percentage. On a per game basis, no one in DI made more saves. In fact, only two goalies in DI made 15+ saves per game. Carroll and Quinnipiac’s Mason Oak. The Bobcats netminder had an outstanding first full year as the starter. He had double digit saves in every game, and had 19+ three times. Gianforcaro is taking a grad year at UNC after an excellent career at Princeton; while Fracyon is back at Penn State. Those four netminders are part of a group of just nine goalies who made over 200 saves in 2024. Vigue was the A-10 Goalie of the Year and an All American a year ago. He had a 17 save game against UVA a year ago, standing up to a barrage of shots all game. Richmond plays a challenging schedule, he’ll have the chance to shine against tough opponents.
Lt. Raymond Enners Award (Most Outstanding Player)
Winner: CJ Kirst, Cornell
Finalists: Coulter Mackesy, Ben Wayer, Joey Spallina, Chris Kavanagh
CJ Kirst is taking home some hardware this year. He’s as dangerous a dodger as anyone in the nation. Game on the line, there are few players more ready to meet the moment. Entering this year, Kirst has 48 career starts and 10 game winning goals. Roughly 20% of the time he takes the field, he hits the game winner. Safe bet he hits a few more this year. The answer is because I want to, and because it happens all the time. In 2023, Kirst won the Turnbull and Brennan O’Neill won the Enners. Chris Gray won the Turnbull in 2022 and 2021, while Logan Wisnauskas and Jared Bernhardt won the Enners respectively in those years. If the award givers don’t have to explain it, neither do I. Chris Kavanagh is right behind Kirst here for me, and Coulter Mackesy right behind them. Wayer, as noted above, has some lofty expectations right now coming off his excellent 2024. The way he rises to those expectations will tell you just how much individual honor he takes home.
Tewaaraton Award
Winner: Coulter Mackesy, Princeton
Finalists: CJ Kirst, Joey Spallina, Chris Kavanagh, Brendan Lavelle
Last year Pat Kavanagh won the Tewaaraton while Ajax Zappitello won the Enners Award, and it was the first time they went to different players since 2011 when Rob Pannell won the Enners Award and Steele Stanwick won the Tewaaraton. In 2014 Lyle Thompson won the Enners Award while he and Miles Thompson shared the Tewaaraton, but otherwise they’ve typically been given to the same player. I am not considering this at all while I do my preseason awards, so I have different players winning the awards.
CJ Kirst is the odds on favorite, rightfully so, but it’s no fun to just pick the favorite. Mackesy has everything in front of him to capture the award. He’ll be the leader of a potentially very high powered offense this year. He’ll draw the top matchup every week. Princeton has a very difficult schedule that includes non-conference games against Duke, UNC, Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers. That’s to say nothing of the Ivy schedule, which is hardly a cake walk. That’s a lot of opportunities for the fabled “Tewaaraton Moment.” Even in a loaded offense, it could be another 150 shot, 50ish goal season for Mackesy. If he exceeds where he typically has been the last two years, even by fairly small amounts, he will have a Tewaaraton resume in his last year with the Tigers.