Utah lacrosse senior Nikko DiPonio was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Team of the Week, according to a March 10 announcement from the organization. DiPonio was one of ten players selected across all Division I men’s lacrosse and one of four defensemen recognized.
The recognition is the first time in DiPonio’s career that he has been named to the USILA Team of the Week. He has previously earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honors three times this season. Utah has now had players represented on the Team of the Week ten times, with DiPonio joining Ryan Stines as Utah’s honorees this season.
DiPonio led Utah’s defense in a recent 17-10 win against Dartmouth, causing a team-high four turnovers and tying for the team lead with seven ground balls. He captained a defensive unit that set a program record by causing 21 turnovers during the game and forced six turnovers on clearance attempts.
Through six games this season, DiPonio has recorded 32 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, along with one goal and three assists. He currently leads all Division I players with an average of 3.33 caused turnovers per game and anchors a Utah defense that averages 13.33 caused turnovers per game, which ranks second nationally. DiPonio is also tied for most caused turnovers in a single game after forcing six in Utah’s season-opening win against Delaware.
Entering this week, DiPonio has accumulated 91 career caused turnovers and is just seven away from breaking Utah’s program record. The Utes are scheduled to play next on Wednesday, March 10, facing Marquette in Milwaukee at 11 a.m. Mountain Time with coverage available on ESPN+.
