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Syracuse attack Joey Spallina and defender Billy Dwan III were named among 25 nominees for the Men’s Tewaaraton Award, the publication announced Thursday. The award recognizes the best college lacrosse player each season.

Both in their junior campaigns, Spallina and Dwan have been integral to the Orange this season.

Spallina leads SU with 61 points on 27 goals and 34 assists through 12 games. His 5.08 points per game and 2.83 assists per game are sixth in Division I. One of the attack’s signature moments this season came on March 22 against then-No.18 Colgate, when he erupted for 11 points — becoming the first Syracuse player since Casey Powell in 1997 to hit that mark — in a 16-12 victory over the Raiders. Spallina also exploded for four goals in SU’s 14-9 victory over then-No. 5 Notre Dame on April 5 despite being closely marked by ND’s Tewaaraton-shortlisted defender Shawn Lyght.

Dwan has spearheaded the Orange’s backline this campaign, which is tied for the 12th-best scoring defense nationally. Dwan is often tasked with marking opposing teams’ main option. He held Notre Dame’s Tewaaraton nominated attack Chris Kavanagh to two goals when the teams met earlier this season and helped keep the Fighting Irish scoreless for 40 minutes in SU’s win.

The current list of 25 nominees will be narrowed down to five finalists on May 8 and the winner will be announced on May 29. The last time a Syracuse men’s lacrosse player won the prestigious award was Mike Leveille in 2008.

SU is back in action Saturday for its penultimate regular-season game at No. 12 Duke Saturday, before it concludes the regular season versus No. 5 North Carolina on April 26. Then, the Orange head to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, starting May 2.

Published on April 17, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal