2023 SUNYAC Men's Lacrosse Awards Announced
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC is pleased to announce its 2023 men's lacrosse annual awards including Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Paul Rose Coaching Staff of the Year as voted on by the conference coaches.
Offensive Player of the Year - Dante Yacavone, Cortland
Yacavone started all 18 games and scored a total of 44 goals and added 18 assists this season for the Red Dragons. The senior attack had a season high of six goals against Plattsburgh in a 20-9 win. Yacavone was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament team after totaling five goals and adding three assists in the semifinal and final games. The team fell to No. 1 Geneseo, 13-7, in the SUNYAC men's lacrosse championship game. The Red Dragons finished the season 13-5 overall.
Defensive Player of the Year - Mark Pav, Geneseo
Pav, a senior from South Setauket, NY has been solid in the goal for the Knights this season. So far, he holds a .608 save percentage in 18 games played and had a game high of 20 saves against Rochester Institute of Technology and Clarkson earlier in the season. Pav, the SUNYAC Tournament MVP, had 19 saves in the Knights' championship win against the Cortland Red Dragons, 13-7. With the win Geneseo earned an automatic berth into the NCAA III Tournament and will face Amherst in the first round on Sunday.
Rookie of the Year - Jamie O'Neil, Oenonta
O'Neil started all 14 games at attack for Oneonta and led the league in goals (54) and points (71). He also added 17 assists. O'Neil had a game high of seven goals against Potsdam this season. Oneonta finished the season 7-7 overall.
Paul Rose Coaching Staff of the Year - Geneseo
The Geneseo Knights are led by head coach Drew Bezek and assisted by Tanner Hay, Tyler Bushnell and Jack Atkinson. Bezek is in his second season with the Knights and has clinched his first and the program's fourth SUNYAC men's lacrosse championship title. So far, Bezek has a 24-12 overall record over the past two years and will continue the 2023 season down in Salisbury, MD competing in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Knights will take on Amherst College in the first round of the tournament.
Paul Rose coached the Geneseo men's lacrosse team for 10 seasons from 1971-80, compiling a record of 83-44 and leading the team to the ECAC Upstate Championship in 1974 and 1975. He went on to coach at Division I Colgate and at SUNY-Morrisville. Rose was inducted into the Geneseo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and remained active in Geneseo's Men's Lacrosse Alumni activities. The Cortland ('67) Hall of Fame member passed away on March 27, 2010.
2023 Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams (PDF)
| First Team | ||||
| Name | School | Position | Year | Hometown / High School |
| Dante Yacavone | Cortland | Attack | Sr. | Homer, NY / Homer |
| Jimmy Atkinson | Geneseo | Attack | So. | Northport, NY / Northport |
| Brady Sullivan | Geneseo | Attack | Sr. | Garden City, NY / Garden City |
| Troy Morris | Cortland | Offensive Midfielder | Sr. | Long Beach, NY / Long Beach |
| Robert Boniello | Geneseo | Offensive Midfielder | Jr. | Levittown, NY / Division Central |
| William McCumiskey | Geneseo | Offensive Midfielder | Sr | Oyster Bay, NY / Chaminade |
| Dominick Natale | Cortland | Defender | Sr. | Homer, NY / Homer |
| Trevor Bollinger | Geneseo | Defender | Jr. | Ithaca, NY / Ithaca |
| Kevin Ehli | Geneseo | Defender | Sr. | Smithtown, NY / Smithtown West |
| Justin Wainwright | Cortland | Long Stick | Sr. | Homer, NY / Homer |
| Joe Luconte | Geneseo | Short Stick | Gr. | Webster, NY / Webster Thomas |
| BB Syrop | Geneseo | Face-Off Specialist | Jr. | Holtsville, NY / Sachem East |
| Mark Pav | Geneseo | Goalkeeper | Sr. | South Setauket, NY / Ward Melville |
| Second Team | ||||
| Name | School | Position | Year | Hometown / High School |
| Jason Chiodo | Cortland | Attack | Sr. | Hamburg, NY / Hamburg |
| Christian Marcello, Jr. | Geneseo | Attack | Sr. | Saint James, NY / Smithtown East |
| Jamie O'Neil | Oneonta | Attack | Fr. | Bath, NY / Haverling |
| Nate Askin | Brockport | Offensive Midfielder | So. | Geneva, NY / Geneva |
| Tyler Starrett | Cortland | Offensive Midfielder | Sr. | Redding, CT / Joel Barlow |
| Peyton Walsh | Potsdam | Offensive Midfielder | Sr. | Ballston Spa, NY / Ballston Spa |
| Anthony McGee | Brockport | Defender | Sr. | Warwick, NY / Warwick Valley |
| Dino Bowen | Cortland | Defender | Fr. | Yorktown, NY / Yorktown |
| Evan Coleman | Oswego | Defender | Sr. | Horseheads, NY / Horseheads |
| Ethan Cone | Geneseo | Long Stick | Jr. | Holbrook, NY / Sachem East |
| Jesse AlfanoStJohn | Oneonta | Long Stick | Jr. | Westhampton Beach, NY / Westhampton Beach |
| Alex Thrasher | Cortland | Short Stick | So. | Vestal, NY / Vestal |
| Owen Neubauer | Cortland | Face-Off Specialist | So. | Monroe, NY / Monroe-Woodbury |
| Matt Brignati | New Paltz | Face-Off Specialist | Jr. | Eastnorthport, NY / John H. Glenn |
| Logan Prescott | Oswego | Face-Off Specialist | So. | Lancaster, NY / Lancaster |
| Cameron Kuzniar | Brockport | Goalkeeper | Sr. | Rochester, NY / Rush-Henrietta |
| Travis Wagner | Cortland | Goalkeeper | Jr. | Penfield, NY / Penfield |
| Ryan Steinhart | New Paltz | Goalkeeper | Jr. | Hauppauge, NY / Hauppauge |
