Redshirt senior Ryan Stines and senior Nikko DiPonio were named Honorable Mention Midseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse, the organization announced on April 3.
The recognition highlights the national attention both players have received during this season for their performances with the Utah Utes men’s lacrosse team.
Stines has been a key offensive player, leading Utah with 43 points—ranking him twelfth nationally—with 25 goals and 18 assists. He recently broke the program’s career points record against Virginia, reaching his 217th career point in the first quarter of that game. Stines is averaging three goals per game, which ranks ninth in Division I lacrosse, and leads the ASUN Conference with an average of 4.78 points per game. He is also approaching other program records, sitting just seventeen goals shy of setting a new career scoring record and twenty-five assists away from breaking Utah’s all-time assist mark.
DiPonio has been recognized as one of the nation’s top defensive players. He currently leads all players nationally with an average of three caused turnovers per game and ranks eighteenth in ground balls per game at 6.22. Under his leadership, Utah’s defense allows only ten goals per contest while causing nearly thirteen turnovers each game—the second most in the country—and collecting a nation-leading forty ground balls per contest. DiPonio has led position players in ground balls per game for three consecutive seasons and was unique as a top-25 finisher among position players for both 2024 and 2025.
Both athletes had previously received unanimous preseason honors within their conference: Stines as Offensive Player of the Year and DiPonio as Defensive Player of the Year. They were also added to this season’s Tewaaraton Award Watch List last week.
Utah continues its ASUN Conference schedule on Saturday, April 4, facing Mercer Bears in Georgia at 9 a.m. Mountain Time; coverage will be available on ESPN+. Fans can follow updates through social media or via Utah Athletics’ official mobile app.
