Syracuse men’s lacrosse: Joey Spallina’s impact goes beyond the points record

Saying someone isn’t as good as Mike Powell is a bit like saying a Syracuse basketball or football player isn’t as good as Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Freeney. You’re measuring someone against the best of the best and falling short doesn’t mean they haven’t lived up to their potential.

I’m not a “lax guy” and I’m not going to pretend like I can break down the skill sets or compare these legends, but I feel comfortable saying that I’ve never seen anything from Spallina that questions his desire for his team to win. In an era where a lot of people talk about loyalty and bemoan the fact that they can’t follow athletes for four years, it’s perplexing that some of those same folks want to trash Spallina.

He’s embraced the pressure that comes with 22. He’s embraced the weight of wearing that legendary number and through his time here- he’s embraced what it means to give back to the next generation.

After becoming Syracuse men's lacrosse's all-time points leader, Joey Spallina took nearly an hour after the game to stay and sign autographs for every single fan that wanted one 🍊🥍

He even ran to the other side of the field and hopped into the stands to take photos: pic.twitter.com/HBCJnFCbLu

— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) April 19, 2026

Thank you @jtspallina22 for everything. Since your 1st year, Max has looked up to you. You’ve been nothing but amazing – 1 on 1 trainings, dinners, birthday messages, and even helping with his science fair project. You will be missed. The Shalers are Spallina fans for life. pic.twitter.com/kNT50w6UBC

— Matt Shaler (@mattshaler) April 19, 2026

In this era where we’ve become so jaded about money and athletes playing for the love of the game, it’s ok to celebrate someone who’s an example of what we want our Orange players to be.

With the regular season finale at Notre Dame, and post-season play still ahead, there’s been a lot for Spallina to add to his Syracuse legacy, but no matter how it ends, his career has brought the Orange back to a position where they belong, and hopefully sowed the seeds for future 22s to come.