The University of Utah men’s lacrosse team will face the Mercer Bears in Macon, Georgia, on April 4 as it seeks to improve its record to 2-0 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The game is scheduled for 9 a.m. Mountain Time and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
This contest marks another opportunity for Utah to continue its recent success against Mercer, having won the last four meetings and holding a 5-1 record since the teams first played in 2019. The Utes are coming off a conference-opening win over Bellarmine, where they improved their all-time record against the Knights to 11-0.
Utah is currently in its eighth year as a Division I program and fifth season competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Head coach Andrew McMinn leads the team with an overall record of 46-26 at Utah and has guided them to four consecutive regular season conference titles and two championships over the past three years. This season, Utah earned the top spot in the preseason ASUN Coaches Poll for a fifth straight year.
Key players include Nikko DiPonio, who was named both Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by unanimous vote and received All-America Honorable Mention recognition from multiple organizations. Ryan Stines was also unanimously selected as Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Both Stines and DiPonio were recently added to this year’s Tewaaraton Award Watch List—an honor that recognizes top college lacrosse players nationally.
Through eight games this season, Utah ranks among national leaders in several offensive categories: third nationally in goals per game (15.38), assists per game (9.50), points per game (24.88), and fourth in scoring margin (+5.88). Luke McNamara leads all NCAA Division I players with an average of 4.44 goals per game.
Looking ahead, after facing Mercer, Utah will travel to Jacksonville for another conference matchup on April 11.
