Army West Point Athletics
Six Black Knights, Coach Alberici Honored By Patriot League
April 29, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Three Army West Point men's lacrosse members and Jack Emmer head coach Joe Alberici received individual awards the Patriot League announced Monday afternoon.
"These three are so deserving of the individual awards," Coach Alberici said. "I think each one of them would be the first to admit that their individual successes was in part due to their teammates and team's success."
AJ Pilate won Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He becomes the first Army defender to take home back-to-back DPOY awards since Bill Henderson in 2010-11. The junior caused 23 turnovers which is fifth most in the league while taking on the opponent's best player in every game. He also had 32 ground balls and scored his first career goal this season.
"AJ is a relentless competitor and the backbone of our defense. He has continued to improve at every season. As a junior team captain and team leader he has been invaluable to our team," said Alberici.
Evan Plunkett followed up his Patriot League Rookie of the Year campaign by winning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The sophomore was named a mid-season All-American by Inside Lacrosse and finished the regular season with 28 goals and 18 assists. He had six games with at least three goals this season and nine games with four or more points. He is the first midfielder to take home the award since Army's Ross Yasrzemsky in 1997.
On Plunket, Coach Alberici said: "Evan had an incredible regular season. What he has done for us in terms of in the six-on-six game offensively, his ability to score it and feed his teammates is at a level that very few in the country are at. He's a defender, he's a ground ball player, he just he can do it all and he's continuing to get better. His work ethic is incredible."
Will Coletti's season long dominance paid off with Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year honors. This season he set the program record for career ground balls and faceoff wins. He went 206-324 at the faceoff x this season for a stellar .636 faceoff percentage which ranks second in the country. He finished the regular season with 111 ground balls. His 9.25 ground balls per game is also second most in the nation. His seven goals matches a career high.
"I'm so happy for for Will. He's tough, competitive, hardworking, he understands his craft. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: he's our MVP. The way he is able to tilt the field in our direction is so valuable to what we do as a team," said Alberici.
Jack Emmer Head Coach Joe Alberici won Patriot League coach of the year for the fourth time (2008, 2014, 2023, 2024), which is the most in league history. He earns this award after winning the regular season title for the first time since 2010. The 2024 regular season was a historic one that saw the Black Knights rise to No. 1 in the USILA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for the first time in program history. An 11-win regular season marks the third consecutive 10+ win season and the eighth in Alberici's tenure.
On the award, Alberici said: "This is an award for our whole staff and organization. You have to have great players and we are very fortunate to have incredible assistant coaches that are knowledgeable about the game but more importantly care deeply for the players."
Reese Burek and Jacob Morin join Pilate, Plunkett, and Coletti were named to the All-Patriot League First Team. Five first team selections marks the most in the league this season. Burek put up an impressive senior campaign with 25 goals and 25 assists. His 50 points are second most on the team. Morin scored 26 goals and tacked on seven assists this season as well. Both of them made First Team last season and Morin made Second Team in 2022 as well.
Jackson Eicher was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team. He led Army with 35 goals and 54 points. His breakout season comes on the heels of missing all of the 2023 season due to injury. Eicher had eight games with at least three goals. He also had four games with at least six points.
The full awards are as follows:
2024 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, So., M
Defensive Player of the Year – AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Jr., D
Faceoff Specialist of the Year – Will Coletti, Army West Point, Jr., FO
Goalkeeper of the Year – Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Jr., GK
Rookie of the Year – Zach Hayashi, Navy, Fr., FO
The William Lawson Coach of the Year – Joe Alberici, Army West Point
2024 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse All-Patriot League Teams
Student-athletes are listed by position, then alphabetically by school
First Team
Reese Burek, Army West Point, Sr., A
Louis Perfetto, Boston University, Gr, A
Vince D'Alto, Boston University, Gr., A
Scott Cole, Lehigh, Sr., A
Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, So., M
Jacob Morin, Army West Point, Sr., M
Hunter Drouin, Colgate, So., M
Adam Poitras, Loyola Maryland, Gr., M
AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Jr., D
Patrick Morrison, Boston University, Gr., D
Richard Checo, Lehigh, So., D
Jackson Bonitz, Navy, Sr., D
Will Coletti, Army West Point, Jr., FO
Max Yates, Colgate, Jr., LSM
Jackson Peters, Navy, Sr., SSDM
Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Jr., GK
Second Team*
Jackson Eicher, Army West Point, Jr., A
Connor Davis, Bucknell, Fr., A
Evan James, Loyola Maryland, Gr., A
Matthew Minicus, Loyola Maryland, So., A
Jake Cates, Boston University, Gr., M
John Mathes, Lafayette, Sr., M
Quinn Armstrong, Lehigh, Sr., M
Max Hewitt, Navy, Sr., M
Aidan Murnane, Colgate, Jr., D
Tommy McGee, Lafayette, Sr., D
Luke McAuliffe, Lehigh, So., D
Remi Reynolds, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Sean Dow, Lehigh, Jr., FO
Zach Hayashi, Navy, Fr., FO
Roy Meyer, Boston University, Gr., LSM
AJ Marsh, Navy, Fr., LSM
Matt Barnes, Boston University, Jr., GK
Dan Daly, Navy, So. GK
* Due to a tie, there are 18 members on the second team.
"These three are so deserving of the individual awards," Coach Alberici said. "I think each one of them would be the first to admit that their individual successes was in part due to their teammates and team's success."
AJ Pilate won Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He becomes the first Army defender to take home back-to-back DPOY awards since Bill Henderson in 2010-11. The junior caused 23 turnovers which is fifth most in the league while taking on the opponent's best player in every game. He also had 32 ground balls and scored his first career goal this season.
"AJ is a relentless competitor and the backbone of our defense. He has continued to improve at every season. As a junior team captain and team leader he has been invaluable to our team," said Alberici.
Evan Plunkett followed up his Patriot League Rookie of the Year campaign by winning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The sophomore was named a mid-season All-American by Inside Lacrosse and finished the regular season with 28 goals and 18 assists. He had six games with at least three goals this season and nine games with four or more points. He is the first midfielder to take home the award since Army's Ross Yasrzemsky in 1997.
On Plunket, Coach Alberici said: "Evan had an incredible regular season. What he has done for us in terms of in the six-on-six game offensively, his ability to score it and feed his teammates is at a level that very few in the country are at. He's a defender, he's a ground ball player, he just he can do it all and he's continuing to get better. His work ethic is incredible."
Will Coletti's season long dominance paid off with Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year honors. This season he set the program record for career ground balls and faceoff wins. He went 206-324 at the faceoff x this season for a stellar .636 faceoff percentage which ranks second in the country. He finished the regular season with 111 ground balls. His 9.25 ground balls per game is also second most in the nation. His seven goals matches a career high.
"I'm so happy for for Will. He's tough, competitive, hardworking, he understands his craft. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: he's our MVP. The way he is able to tilt the field in our direction is so valuable to what we do as a team," said Alberici.
Jack Emmer Head Coach Joe Alberici won Patriot League coach of the year for the fourth time (2008, 2014, 2023, 2024), which is the most in league history. He earns this award after winning the regular season title for the first time since 2010. The 2024 regular season was a historic one that saw the Black Knights rise to No. 1 in the USILA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for the first time in program history. An 11-win regular season marks the third consecutive 10+ win season and the eighth in Alberici's tenure.
On the award, Alberici said: "This is an award for our whole staff and organization. You have to have great players and we are very fortunate to have incredible assistant coaches that are knowledgeable about the game but more importantly care deeply for the players."
Reese Burek and Jacob Morin join Pilate, Plunkett, and Coletti were named to the All-Patriot League First Team. Five first team selections marks the most in the league this season. Burek put up an impressive senior campaign with 25 goals and 25 assists. His 50 points are second most on the team. Morin scored 26 goals and tacked on seven assists this season as well. Both of them made First Team last season and Morin made Second Team in 2022 as well.
Jackson Eicher was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team. He led Army with 35 goals and 54 points. His breakout season comes on the heels of missing all of the 2023 season due to injury. Eicher had eight games with at least three goals. He also had four games with at least six points.
The full awards are as follows:
2024 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, So., M
Defensive Player of the Year – AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Jr., D
Faceoff Specialist of the Year – Will Coletti, Army West Point, Jr., FO
Goalkeeper of the Year – Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Jr., GK
Rookie of the Year – Zach Hayashi, Navy, Fr., FO
The William Lawson Coach of the Year – Joe Alberici, Army West Point
2024 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse All-Patriot League Teams
Student-athletes are listed by position, then alphabetically by school
First Team
Reese Burek, Army West Point, Sr., A
Louis Perfetto, Boston University, Gr, A
Vince D'Alto, Boston University, Gr., A
Scott Cole, Lehigh, Sr., A
Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, So., M
Jacob Morin, Army West Point, Sr., M
Hunter Drouin, Colgate, So., M
Adam Poitras, Loyola Maryland, Gr., M
AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Jr., D
Patrick Morrison, Boston University, Gr., D
Richard Checo, Lehigh, So., D
Jackson Bonitz, Navy, Sr., D
Will Coletti, Army West Point, Jr., FO
Max Yates, Colgate, Jr., LSM
Jackson Peters, Navy, Sr., SSDM
Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Jr., GK
Second Team*
Jackson Eicher, Army West Point, Jr., A
Connor Davis, Bucknell, Fr., A
Evan James, Loyola Maryland, Gr., A
Matthew Minicus, Loyola Maryland, So., A
Jake Cates, Boston University, Gr., M
John Mathes, Lafayette, Sr., M
Quinn Armstrong, Lehigh, Sr., M
Max Hewitt, Navy, Sr., M
Aidan Murnane, Colgate, Jr., D
Tommy McGee, Lafayette, Sr., D
Luke McAuliffe, Lehigh, So., D
Remi Reynolds, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Sean Dow, Lehigh, Jr., FO
Zach Hayashi, Navy, Fr., FO
Roy Meyer, Boston University, Gr., LSM
AJ Marsh, Navy, Fr., LSM
Matt Barnes, Boston University, Jr., GK
Dan Daly, Navy, So. GK
* Due to a tie, there are 18 members on the second team.
Players Mentioned
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