Army West Point Athletics
Men’s Lacrosse Picked as Patriot League Preseason Favorite; Major Awards Announced
January 22, 2025 | Men's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Men's Lacrosse has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the Patriot League, as determined by the league's preseason poll. The Black Knights also garnered individual recognition, with three players earning major preseason awards and five being named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
Evan Plunkett, AJ Pilate, and Will Coletti claimed major preseason honors, while Jackson Eicher and Christian Mazur joined them on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
Junior midfielder Evan Plunkett was named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earned USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American First Team honors. A native of Roswell, Ga., Plunkett was a unanimous First Team All-American last season and the 2024 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first midfielder to win the award since 1997.
In 2024, Plunkett recorded 29 goals and 19 assists while starting all 14 games. He scored three or more goals in six games and tallied four or more points in nine contests.
Senior defenseman AJ Pilate, a Massapequa, N.Y., native, was named the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Pilate is a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year (2023, 2024) and a cornerstone of Army's defense.
Last season, Pilate ranked among the league's top 10 in caused turnovers, finishing with 23, and collected 36 ground balls while starting all 14 games.
Senior faceoff specialist Will Coletti, from Monrovia, Md., was named the Patriot League Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year and earned USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Second Team honors. Coletti had a record-breaking 2024 campaign, securing unanimous All-American honors and being named the Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
In 2024, Coletti set program records for ground balls and faceoff wins. He led the Patriot League and ranked third nationally in total ground balls (107) and ground balls per game (8.23), while his .620 faceoff win percentage also led the league and ranked third in the nation.
Plunkett, Pilate, and Coletti were joined on the 2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Team by senior attackman Jackson Eicher and short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur. Eicher also earned USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention honors.
Army, which finished the 2024 season with an 11-3 record and atop the Patriot League regular season standings, received 14 first-place votes in the preseason poll. The Black Knights also rank highly in the national polls, sitting at No. 15 in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20 and No. 12 in the Inside Lacrosse Men's DI Media Poll.
The Black Knights will open their 2025 campaign on the road against UMass on Saturday, Feb. 8, with the opening faceoff scheduled for noon.
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Honors
Major Awards
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, Jr.
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Sr.
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year: Will Coletti, Army West Point, Sr.
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year: Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Sr.
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Attack: Jackson Eicher, Army West Point, Sr.
Attack: Connor Davis, Bucknell, Sr.
Attack: Rory Connor, Colgate, Sr.
Attack: Matt Minicus, Loyola Maryland, Jr.
Midfielder: Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, Jr.
Midfielder: Hunter Drouin, Colgate, Jr.
Midfielder: Dakota Eierman, Lehigh, Sr.
Midfielder: Jack Flaherty, Navy, Jr.
Defense: AJ Pilate, Army West Point, Sr.
Defense: Aidan Murnane, Colgate, Sr.
Defense: Richard Checo, Lehigh, Jr.
Defense: Remi Reynolds, Loyola Maryland, Sr.
Goalkeeper: Matt LaCombe, Colgate, Sr.
Faceoff Specialist: Will Coletti, Army West Point, Sr.
Long-Stick Midfielder: Max Yates, Colgate, Sr.
Short-Stick Defensive Midfielder: Christian Mazur, Army West Point, Sr.
Student-athletes are listed by position; then alphabetically
2025 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Army West Point – 125 (14 first-place votes)
Lehigh – 100 (1)
Colgate – 95 (3)
Boston University – 86
Navy – 72
Loyola – 69
Bucknell – 49
Lafayette –35
Holy Cross – 17
