Four Cortland Players Earn USILA Men's Lacrosse All-America Recognition
Cortland Sports Information Department
Four members of the Cortland men's lacrosse team – senior midfielder Troy Morris (Long Beach), senior defender Dominick Natale (Homer), junior defender Jake Smeader (Hamburg) and senior attack Dante Yacavone (Homer) - have been recognized as Division III honorable mention All-Americans for the 2022 season by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA).
In addition, senior short-stick midfielder Kyle Boden (Wading River/Shoreham-Wading River) has been selected to the North squad for the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game, scheduled for Friday, May 27 at 5 p.m. at Providence College in Rhode Island.
Morris appeared in 20 games, 19 as a starter, and finished the season with 28 goals and 14 assists for 42 points. He was tied for first on the team in goals and was second in points. Morris also registered two game-winning goals, 13 ground balls and three caused turnovers. He had three goals and two assists in a win over New Paltz, two goals and three assists in a victory at Oswego, and scored four goals each in wins versus Oneonta in the regular season and the SUNYAC semifinals.
Natale earned honorable mention All-America honors for the second straight year. A starter in all 20 games, he led the Red Dragons with 66 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers. Natale scooped up seven ground balls in Cortland's SUNYAC championship-game win over Geneseo, had six ground balls and three caused turnovers in a home game versus Scranton, and caused four turnovers in a win at Brockport.
Smeader started 17 games this spring and recorded 45 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers and one goal. He was tied for second on the Red Dragon squad in caused turnovers and ranked third in ground balls. Smeader grabbed seven ground balls in a win over Skidmore, had six ground balls and a caused turnover in a regular-season win over Oneonta, and finished with five ground balls and two caused turnovers against Oneonta in the SUNYAC semifinals. He also caused three turnovers in a road game at Cabrini.
Yacavone is an honorable mention All-American for the second straight year. He appeared in 17 games, 16 as a starter, and finished with 28 goals and 23 assists for 51 points. He was Cortland's leader in points and assists and was tied for first in goals. Yacavone notched four game-winning goals and also had 20 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. He totaled four goals and four assists in a win over Nazareth, had four goals and two assists in a victory at Roanoke, and finished with four goals and an assist in a regular-season win versus Oneonta.
Boden appeared in 20 games and finished with 22 ground balls, eight caused turnovers and two goals. He grabbed four ground balls in a regular-season win versus Geneseo and scored a goal in the NCAA second round versus St. Lawrence.
Cortland finished the season with an 13-7 record. The Red Dragons won their fourth straight SUNYAC title and earned a bye into the NCAA second round to tie for 17th place nationally.
