Former Syracuse men's lacrosse first-team All-American off to stellar start in the pros

Former Syracuse men's lacrosse first-team All-American Joey Spallina wasted no time in making his mark at the next level.

This weekend, Spallina had his professional debut with the Maryland Whipsnakes in the Premier Lacrosse League ("PLL"). The former 'Cuse senior attackman helped guide the Whipsnakes to a pair of wins, and Spallina tallied a combined seven points in those two victories.

A huge congrats to Joey! What made his PLL debut even sweeter is that his first goal was assisted by another former Syracuse men's lacrosse standout, defenseman Billy Dwan III.

So far in the 2026 season, the Whipsnakes are 3-1. On Friday and Saturday, the Whipsnakes had two games at their home venue, the Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore. First, the Whipsnakes knocked off the Boston Cannons, 17-10. In that triumph, Spallina notched two goals and three assists.

On Saturday, the Whipsnakes beat the Utah Archers, 8-5, with Spallina posting two assists. That result made Maryland's Jim Stagnitta the all-time winningest head coach in professional lacrosse history, according to a post on X from the Whipsnakes.

Next up, Spallina, Dwan and the Whipsnakes will travel to the New York Atlas (1-2 overall) on Saturday, June 20, at 9:00 pm EST, from the James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y., on Long Island. ESPN2 will provide television coverage.

Numerous Syracuse men's lacrosse alums are suiting up in the PLL.

In mid-April, at the 2026 PLL college draft, five Orange players were selected, the most ever for the storied program. Spallina was picked third overall by Maryland. Michael Leo, a midfielder, went No. 6 overall to the California Redwoods.

The Whipsnakes chose Dwan at No. 11, followed by midfielder Luke Rhoa to the New York Atlas at No. 16 and short-stick defensive midfielder Dante Bowen to the Redwoods at No. 30 overall.

This past campaign, the Orange went 13-6 and reached the Final Four for the second consecutive season. The 'Cuse fell in the national semifinals to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Notre Dame, which then lost in the title game to Princeton.

Spallina, as a senior, was a Tewaaraton Award finalist, a first-team All-American, the national attackman of the year and the ACC's offensive player of the year, among many other accolades. Some observers thought Spallina was the favorite for the 2026 Tewaaraton Award, but that honor ultimately went to Notre Dame junior defenseman Shawn Lyght.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Spallina, a native of Mount Sinai, N.Y., produced 35 goals and 52 assists as a senior, and he finished as Syracuse's all-time leader in career total points, at 333.

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