You won't find a classier human being than Syracuse men's lacrosse senior Joey Spallina

When my son, who is about to turn 10 years old soon (double-digits!), is a senior in college, I hope he's the kind of young man who Syracuse men's lacrosse senior attackman Joey Spallina is.

Spallina, the Mount Sinai, N.Y., native who saw his 'Cuse career end on Saturday afternoon in the Final Four, finishes his tenure on the Hill with a ridiculous 333 total points in an Orange uniform, the most ever for this storied program.

Syracuse (13-6 overall), in the 2026 season, advanced to its second straight national semifinal appearance, but the Orange is still searching for its first national championship since 2009. Spallina and the other seniors have done an admirable job bringing SU back to national relevancy.

However, the 'Cuse, as the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, fell on Saturday in the Final Four to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Notre Dame, the No. 2 seed, by a final score of 15-7 in Charlottesville, Va.

Undeniably, Spallina and his teammates are devastated. They had national title aspirations this season, and they didn't reach their goal. Yet after SU's defeat, there Spallina was at Scott Stadium, signing autographs and talking with fans, even as his heart was assuredly breaking.

As Syracuse.com reporter Chris Carlson appropriately and accurately wrote on X of Joey: "I know it’s just what he does but I am amazed."

Amen, Chris. Amen.

Joey Spallina's brilliant Syracuse men's lacrosse career is over. He heads to the pros next.

Spallina, over his four years at SU, has won too many awards and honors for me to list here. In 2026, he's a first-team All-American, the national attackman of the year and a finalist for this campaign's Tewaaraton Award.

On Thursday, May 28, in Washington, D.C., the Tewaaraton Award winner will be named, and Spallina has a good shot at prevailing. Still, I'd put money down that he'd much rather have a national championship than claim the 2026 Tewaaraton Award.

That's just the kind of person Spallina is. Team accomplishments over personal accolades. Always and forever. He's got high character and integrity. That's the kind of role model whom I want my son to emulate.

Following Saturday's loss, Spallina said, "Sadly, I lied, frankly. I said I was going to bring it back and win a championship and obviously we didn’t get it done. It’s the way sports is and the way life is. Luckily enough for myself, I get to keep playing the sport that I love (in the pros). Not luckily enough, I don’t get to do it wearing a Syracuse jersey. I love this place, and I’d do anything for it. There were some rough patches where I was thinking about other things, but screw all that stuff. There’s nowhere else I would have rather played."

Spallina and his fellow SU seniors helped bring a Syracuse program that went 4–10 the season before they arrived in Central New York back to national relevancy, with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and two consecutive Final Four berths.

Last month, Spallina was selected No. 3 overall in the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League ("PLL") college draft by the Maryland Whipsnakes, a pro team that plays in Baltimore, my hometown. I look forward to watching Spallina compete at the next level.

Head coach Gary Gait said of Spallina: "It’s been fun to watch Joey grow up as a young man and really become a great leader for this team. That’s just being a great teammate. The fact that he wore 22 while doing it just added pressure to it. But his character came out. He put the team first. And he did a great job representing the university. The number is just a number. He was proud to wear it, and we’re going to miss him."

Indeed, Coach. Indeed.

Thank you, Joey. As much as I appreciate what you did on the field, how you've conducted yourself in life is an even greater win.

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