Ryan Stines and Nikko DiPonio, both seniors on the Utah Utes men’s lacrosse team, were named All-America Honorable Mention by Inside Lacrosse and Nike Lacrosse media, according to a May 9 announcement.
The recognition highlights the achievements of two standout players during their final collegiate season. Their performances earned them spots among top national lacrosse athletes this year.
DiPonio was previously named Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He also received an All-America Honorable Mention from USA Lacrosse. Stines, who was named ASUN Offensive Player of the Year, earned his second career All-America nod after first receiving honorable mention honors in 2024 as a sophomore.
During his redshirt senior campaign, Stines started all 14 games for Utah and recorded 64 points with 39 goals and 25 assists. His point total ranked third in program history for a single season, while his goals placed seventh and assists fifth all-time. Stines set a new program record with 243 career points—27 more than any previous player—and ranks second in both career goals and assists at Utah.
DiPonio also started every game this season, causing a program-record 37 turnovers and collecting 85 ground balls along with one goal and five assists. He finished second nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.64) and led the ASUN conference in that category. With a four-year total of 108 caused turnovers, he became the first Utah player to surpass the century mark in that statistic. DiPonio is also just the second player in program history to collect over 300 ground balls—the first non-faceoff specialist to do so.
Both players made history as they became the first Utah Utes selected in the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft: Stines was chosen ninth overall by Utah Archers while DiPonio went twenty-fourth overall to New York Atlas. In their professional debuts on Friday night, Stines scored one goal with an assist against California Redwoods; DiPonio caused a turnover and picked up two ground balls during New York Atlas’s win over Carolina Chaos.
