Conference Play Continues for Utah Lacrosse

Saturday, April 4

Macon, Ga.

9:00 AM

University of Utah

Mercer

4/2/2026 12:26 PM | Lacrosse

Game Notes (PDF)Record Book (PDF)

Utes take on Mercer in Georgia at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah lacrosse team will look to improve to 2-0 in Atlantic Sun Conference play when it takes on the Mercer Bears in Macon, Ga., at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, April 4. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Utah is unbeaten in its last four games against Mercer and is 5-1 overall since the 2019 season.

Opponent: Mercer (5-4, 1-0 ASUN)
Location: Five Star Stadium | Macon, Ga.
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 11 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: UtahUtes.com

UTAH LACROSSE: NEED TO KNOWS
Utah is in its eighth year as a Division I program, holding a 58-45 overall record.

Head coach Andrew McMinn is in his fifth season with the Utes and is the all-time wins leader at Utah with a record of 46-26.
The Utes are in their fifth season in the ASUN Conference, coming off four consecutive ASUN regular season titles (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and two ASUN Championships in the last three seasons (2023, 2024).
Utah is receiving votes in the USILA Coaches Poll.
Nikko DiPonio was named the 2025 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America Honorable Mention status by USA Lacrosse, USILA and Inside Lacrosse. He was named a USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America Honorable Mention in 2026.
DiPonio was unanimously selected as the Preseason ASUN Defensive Player of the Year while Ryan Stines was unanimously voted the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year last month.
Utah earned the top spot in the preseason ASUN Coaches Poll, the fifth straight year that Utah has been voted at least tied for No. 1 in the preseason ranking in the league.
Per LacrosseReference, Utah returns 98% of its production in goal, 96% from the stripe, 81% on defense and 78% on offense.
In five seasons under Coach McMinn, Utah has set more than 70 program records and has gone 33-4 against ASUN opponents.

AMONG THE BEST
Ryan Stines and Nikko DiPonio were among the 11 players selected nationally in the second round of additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List. This marks the second year in a row that Stines has been named to the Tewaaraton Watch List and the first such honor for DiPonio. Utah has now had at least one team member on the watch list in each of the last three seasons. Utah is the only program in the Atlantic Sun Conference recognized on this season's watch list.

Founded in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse players in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. "Tewaaraton" is the Mohawk word for lacrosse, and The Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse's Native American Heritage.

NO SHORTAGE OF FIREPOWER
Through the first eight games of the 2026 season, Utah has boasted one of the nation's best offensive attacks.

Utah ranks third nationally in goals per game (15.38), assists per game (9.50) and points per game (24.88) and fourth in scoring margin (+5.88).
Luke McNamara (4.25, 1st) and Ryan Stines (3.00, 9th) both sit in the top-10 nationally in goals per game.
Stines (38) and McNamara (37) have both eclipsed 35 points this season; Utah is one of four teams nationally with multiple 35-plus point scorers and both rank in the top-20 individually (Stines - 4.75, 11th; McNamara - 4.63, 14th).
Much of Utah's success can come down to possession time - Utah leads the NCAA in ground balls per game (39.50), ranks second nationally in clearing percentage (.918) and caused turnovers per game (12.63) and 20th in faceoff win percentage (.551).

RECORD WATCH
This season's Utah team has already left its mark on the record book, with a number of players looking to set career records before season's end.

Stat	Current Player	Total (Rank)	Record Holder	Total
Points	Ryan Stines	222 (1)	--	--
Goals	Ryan Stines	134 (2)	Jordan Hyde	150
Assists	Ryan Stines	88 (2)	Tyler Bradbury	108
Ground Balls	Nikko DiPonio	272 (2)	Cole Brams	363
Caused Turnovers	Nikko DiPonio	99 (1)	--	--
Man-Up Goals	Luke McNamara	14 (1)	--	--
Saves	Colin Lenskold	602 (1)	--	--

NUMBERS TO KNOW

44 – Ryan Stines is riding a 44-game point streak, scoring at least a point in every game since May 5, 2023. He has also scored a goal in each of his last 16 games dating back to March 29 of last season.
1 – Nikko DiPonio leads the nation with 3.11 caused turnovers per game, and as a team, Utah ranks second in the NCAA with 12.78 per contest.
10 – Luke McNamara became the first NCAA Division I men's lacrosse player to score 10 or more goals in a game since the 2020 season when he net 10 against Iona.
1999 – Utah became the first squad since the turn of the century to eclipse the 30-goal mark when it dropped 32 against Iona. The last team to put up a 30-burger was Johns Hopkins against Saint Joseph's on April 21, 1999.
15.89 – Utah is averaging 15.89 goals per game through the first nine games of the season, the third-best mark nationally and the highest in the ASUN.
217 – Ryan Stines became Utah's all-time career points leader against Virginia, scoring once to log his 217th point as a Ute to break the program record.
51 – Utah has outscored its opponents by 51 goals this season, owning a 143-92 scoring margin. Only three other teams (Duke, Richmond and North Carolina) boast a +51 margin or better.
4.44 – Luke McNamara is averaging 4.44 goals per game, the highest mark in the nation. For his career, the sophomore is averaging 3.17 goals per outing (73 scores in 23 outings), the best career mark among all NCAA Division I players.

LOOKING BACK
Utah opened conference play with a 20-14 win over Bellarmine last time out, improving to 11-0 all-time against the Knights.

Luke McNamara (6 G) and Zachary White (3 G, 3 A) led the Utah offense in the conference opener with six points. Ryan Stines tallied two goals and three assists, extending his point streak to 44, and Will Overly added a career-best five helpers.
Nikko DiPonio led the Utah defense with five caused turnovers and six ground balls. Luca Pivetta matched his career high with four caused turnovers to go with a pair of GBs.
Tyler Kloeckl was a force on the faceoff, winning 22 of his 31 tries and nabbing a team-high 14 ground balls. His 22 faceoff wins were a personal best and tied for the fourth-most in a game in program history, while his 14 ground balls also marked a new career high and tied for sixth-most in a game in the Utah record book.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Utes stay on the road for their next contest, jetting down to Jacksonville on Saturday, April 11. Gametime is set for noon ET (10 a.m. MT) and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow along on social media (X: @UTAHLacrosse | Instagram: @utahlacrosse), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.