Luke Rhoa selected by New York Atlas 16th overall in 2026 PLL Draft
Rhoa has been a starter through the past two seasons for the Orange, and accrued 79 goals across his 64 games with the program. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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The New York Atlas selected Syracuse midfielder Luke Rhoa with the 16th overall pick of the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League Draft Tuesday. Rhoa is the fourth Syracuse player to be selected, following Joey Spallina, Michael Leo and Billy Dwan III.
Though he didn’t start a single contest until his junior year, Rhoa became an integral part of SU’s midfield over his final two seasons with the Orange. He’s started 31 games over the past two years and developed a reputation as one of the nation’s best shooters, earning a 2025 USILA All-America Honorable Mention selection.
A native of Potomac, Maryland, Rhoa was a four-star recruit in Syracuse’s highly-touted class of 2022, heavily recruited by Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March. He was high school teammates with SU defender Riley Figueiras at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., where he refined his shot through years of practice.
Rhoa scored 10 goals in his first season with the Orange and doubled that output in 2024 with a 20-goal sophomore season, despite coming off the bench. In his first year as a starter, he ignited for a career-high 27 goals and 33 points — his first 30-point season in college — and he’s followed that up with 22 goals for SU in 2026.
His most recent performance was a four-point outing in Syracuse’s 14-9 win over Virginia, where he scored his fourth hat trick of the season. With two regular-season games remaining for the Orange, Rhoa now stands just six goals shy of breaking his career-high goal tally.
“We’ll see,” Rhoa said of his lacrosse future. “Hopefully I can practice lacrosse wherever I’m at.”
