CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke senior midfielder Max Sloat earned Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week honors, and Syracuse junior faceoff specialist John Mullen claimed ACC Defensive Player of the Week for games played in the opening weekend of the 2026 regular season.
 
All five ACC teams are ranked in the preseason USILA Coaches poll, with Syracuse at No. 2, Notre Dame at No. 6, North Carolina at No. 8, Duke at No. 11 and Virginia at No. 14.
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK – Max Sloat, Sr., M, Duke (San Mateo, California)
• Matched his career-high with five goals and six points overall in the Blue Devils’ 23-8 season-opening win over Bellarmine.
• Had a hat trick in the first quarter and five goals in the first half. He scored all five of his goals on just seven shots.
• Scored half of Duke's 10 first-half tallies.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK – John Mullen, Jr., FO, Syracuse (Norwell, Massachusetts)
• Won 14-of-19 of his faceoffs (73.7 percent) in a 13-6 win over No. 16 Boston University, including the first six of the game.
• Nearly half of Syracuse's 13 goals came directly following a Mullen faceoff win, including a goal of his own early in the third quarter.
• Also grabbed eight ground balls along the way.
 
2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week
Feb. 3 – Max Sloat, Sr., M, Duke
 
2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week
Feb. 3 – John Mullen, Jr., FO, Syracuse