GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke junior attackman Brennan O’Neill was tabbed the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, while Notre Dame senior goalie Liam Entenmann earned both the Defensive Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year honors, highlighting the 2023 ACC Men’s Lacrosse season awards and All-ACC Team, which were announced Tuesday.
The All-ACC Team and award winners were determined by a vote of the league’s five head coaches.
Syracuse attackman Joey Spallina was selected ACC Freshman of the Year, while Duke head coach John Danowski was chosen ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth time (2007, 2011, 2012).
Notre Dame led all schools with seven All-ACC honorees. Virginia followed with six All-ACC recipients, while Duke had four and Syracuse one. Five student-athletes were named to the All-ACC Team for the third straight season: O’Neill, Entenmann and Pat Kavanagh (Notre Dame) and Petey LaSalla and Connor Shellenberger (Virginia).
O'Neill is one of the nation’s premier attackmen and has 44 goals and 36 assists for an ACC-leading 80 points. A Tewaaraton nominee, O’Neill ranks third nationally in points per game (5.33), 12
th in assists per game (2.4) and 19
th in goals per game (2.93). He heads up a potent Blue Devils’ offense that ranks fourth nationally in team scoring offense (15.3). O’Neill is just the eighth player in program history to record 80 points in a season.
Entenmann led all ACC goalies with a 9.65 goals-against average (sixth nationally) and .552 save percentage. He also ranked third in the conference in saves per game with 11.5. The Tewaaraton nominee has made at least 10 saves in each of Notre Dame’s last 10 games. He has allowed fewer than 10 goals in six of the Fighting Irish’s 12 games this season and spearheads a Notre Dame defensive until that ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense (9.3).
Spallina led ACC freshmen this season in goals (36), assists (32) and points (68). He ranked third in the league in points, fourth in assists and sixth in goals. Spallina leads all freshmen nationally in points per game (4.53). He ranks third all-time for a Syracuse freshman in single-season points, fifth in freshman goals (36) and third in freshman assists (32).
Danowski led the Blue Devils to a 13-2 overall record and 5-1 league mark as Duke won its second ACC title in the last three seasons. Duke heads into the NCAA Tournament with the No. 1 overall seed.
ACC teams comprise the top three seeds in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Duke claimed the tournament’s top seed, while Virginia picked up the No. 2 seed and Notre Dame earned the No. 3 seed. This marks the first time since 2015 that a conference will boast the tournament’s top three seeds.
No. 2 seed Virginia plays host to Richmond in the tournament’s first game at noon Saturday. No. 3 seed Notre Dame follows at 2:30 p.m. Saturday with a home game against Utah. Top-seeded Duke plays host to the Delaware/Marist play-in winner at 5 p.m. Sunday. ESPNU will broadcast each game.
2023 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Brennan O’Neill, Jr., A, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year – Liam Entenmann, Sr., G, Notre Dame
Goalie of the Year – Liam Entenmann, Sr., Notre Dame
Freshman of the Year – Joey Spallina, A, Syracuse
Coach of the Year – John Danowski, Duke
2023 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team
A - Brennan O'Neill, Duke
A - Dyson Williams, Duke
A - Chris Kavanagh, Notre Dame
A - Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame
A - Xander Dickson, Virginia
A - Connor Shellenberger, Virginia
M - Eric Dobson, Notre Dame
M - Cole Kirst, Syracuse
M - Thomas McConvey, Virginia
D - Kenny Brower, Duke
D - Chris Fake, Notre Dame
D - Cole Kastner, Virginia
D - Cade Saustad, Virginia
G - Liam Entenmann, Notre Dame
LSM - Will Donovan, Notre Dame
SSDM - Ben Ramsey, Notre Dame
FO - Jake Naso, Duke
FO - Petey LaSalla, Virginia