Notre Dame's lacrosse team, ranked No. 1 nationally, received three season awards and four All-ACC honors as the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference awards were announced.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lacrosse team is ranked No. 1 in the nation as it heads to the postseason, so it should come as no surprise that the ACC yearly awards and All-ACC team is filled to the brim with Blue and Gold honors.
From the ACC:
2026 Men’s Lacrosse All-ACC Team and Award Winners Announced
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame claimed three season awards and four all-conference honorees as the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards and All-ACC Team were announced Tuesday.
The All-ACC Team and award winners were determined by a vote of the league’s five head coaches.
Syracuse senior attackman Joey Spallina was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, while North Carolina junior faceoff specialist Brady Wambach and Notre Dame junior defenseman Shawn Lyght shared Defensive Player of the Year honors. Notre Dame senior Thomas Ricciardelli claimed Goalie of the Year honors, while Fighting Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan was selected Coach of the Year. Virginia rookie attackman Brendan Millon was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Year.
The All-ACC Team was nearly equally split amongst the five ACC programs, as each school had either three or four honorees. Duke, Notre Dame and Virginia each featured four honorees, while North Carolina and Syracuse each had three. Eleven of the honorees repeated after earning 2025 All-ACC honors. Notre Dame long-stick midfielder Will Donovan claimed All-ACC honors for the fourth straight season, while UNC attackman Owen Duffy was named All-ACC for the third straight season.
Spallina is the first Syracuse player to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors since Sergio Salcido in 2017. He ranks among the ACC leaders in each of the major offensive categories again this season. He leads the league in assists (41) and points (71) and is sixth in goals (30). Spallina became Syracuse’s all-time points leader on April 18 and currently owns 312 career points, which currently is fourth in ACC history.
Wambach has been one of the top faceoff specialists again this season, leading the ACC in face-off winning percentage (.684), which also ranks fourth nationally. He has won an eye-popping 238 of his 348 faceoffs this season.
Named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, Lyght heads a Notre Dame defense that leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 8.27 goals allowed per game. While regularly serving as the primary defender on the top opposing offensive threat, he owns 17 groundballs and nine caused turnovers this season.
Q&A
What awards did Notre Dame lacrosse win in the ACC for 2026?
Notre Dame lacrosse claimed three season awards in the 2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards.
How many players from Notre Dame were named to the All-ACC team in 2026?
Four players from Notre Dame were honored as All-ACC team members in 2026.
What is the current ranking of Notre Dame lacrosse heading into the postseason?
Notre Dame lacrosse is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation as it heads into the postseason.
When were the 2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards announced?
The 2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards were announced on Tuesday.
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Ricciardelli also has been a key figure in Notre Dame’s stout defense. He leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally in save percentage at .589. His 8.06 goals-against average is second in the league and fifth nationally, while his 11.18 saves-per-game average stands second in the ACC.
Millon has exploded on the scene this season, leading all freshmen nationally in points per game (4.79) and assists per game (2.64). He tops all ACC players in points per game this season and is third in assists per game. He has totaled 37 assists and 67 points this season, both of which rank second among all freshmen in Virginia history.
Corrigan guided Notre Dame to a 10-1 regular-season record, including a 3-1 mark in the ACC, as Notre Dame secured the outright ACC regular-season title, marking the third straight year in which the Fighting Irish earned at least a share of the regular-season crown. The Fighting Irish currently are ranked No. 1 nationally in both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse polls. Corrigan was named ACC Coach of the Year for the second time (2024).
The 2026 Allstate ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be played Friday, May 1, and Sunday, May 3, at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the Friday semifinals, top-seeded Notre Dame plays No. 4 seed Virginia at 5 p.m. ET, and No. 2 seed North Carolina faces No. 3 seed Syracuse at 8 p.m. ET. The championship game will be played at noon ET on Sunday. ACC Network has the broadcast of all three games.
All five of the ACC’s programs rank among the top 10 nationally in the NCAA’s latest RPI, which was released Monday: Notre Dame (1), North Carolina (2), Syracuse (4), Duke (8) and Virginia (9).
2026 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Season Awards
**Offensive Player of the Year:**Joey Spallina, Sr., A, Syracuse
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Brady Wambach, Jr., FO, North Carolina; Shawn Lyght, Jr., D, Notre Dame
**Goalie of the Year:**Thomas Ricciardelli, Sr., Notre Dame
**Freshman of the Year:**Brendan Millon, A, Virginia
