FOREST, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference announced its 2025 Men's Lacrosse All-Conference teams and award winners on Wednesday, and Washington and Lee highlighted the league by claiming three major awards and 10 All-ODAC citations.
W&L Head Coach
Gene McCabe was selected as the Coach of the Year, sophomore
Tyler Spano was named the Offensive Player of the Year and senior
Hillis Burns received Scholar Athlete of the Year laurels to lead the way for the Generals. Burns and Spano were also joined on the All-ODAC First Team by senior
Jack Elliott and juniors
Elliot Cohen and
Chris Datz. Senior
Joey Allen and juniors
James Haley and
Jay O'Keefe landed on the second team, with junior
Colin Beatty and first-year
Gabe Reiter completing the honored Generals with third team accolades.
McCabe gets his fourth ODAC Coach of the Year award and second in three years after guiding his squad to a 16-3 overall record so far this season. With McCabe's guidance, the Generals completed the regular season at 10-0 in conference play for the second straight undefeated ODAC season and third in the last four years. Most recently, McCabe's Generals topped Lynchburg in the ODAC championship game for the program's 13th conference title and the fifth under his watch.
A year after being named the ODAC Rookie of the Year, Spano has elevated his game even further this year to become the first General to claim an ODAC player of the year award since A.J. Witherell '19 won three straight from 2017-19. Spano has dominated on face-offs this season, winning 266-of-370 for a 0.719 percentage with 181 ground balls, to go along with eight points on four goals and four assists. His season win percentage is currently good for fifth in a season in program history, while his 266 ground balls this season are the third most in a single campaign. Spano currently leads the ODAC in ground balls, ground balls per game (10.06), total face-offs won and face-off percentage among players with at least 100 attempts.
Burns is the third General in four years to bring the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar Athlete of the Year award back to Lexington (Harris Hubbard 2023, Nick Spagnoletti 2022). A mathematics and business administration double-major, Burns has excelled in the classroom throughout his collegiate career, with a 3.88 grade-point average and numerous W&L Scholar Athlete and ODAC All-Academic Team citations. On the field, Burns is tied with Haley for the team lead in points (65), he leads the team outright in assists (28) and is second with 37 goals. For his career, Burns sits comfortably in third in program history for total points (241), sixth in goals (148) and tied for ninth in assists (93).
Elliott has been another key contributor for the W&L offense this season on his way to his second consecutive All-ODAC First Team. He has produced 37 points on 26 goals and 11 assists in the midfield, while adding 20 ground balls and six caused turnovers. After a slow start to the season, Elliott has found his form over his last 15 games with at least one point in all but one of those contests, including multiple in nine of those 15.
Cohen makes his way onto his second straight All-ODAC First Team, as well, as one of W&L's top defensive midfielders. Through 17 games this season, Cohen has caused three turnovers and picked up 28 ground balls, while scoring 11 points on four goals and seven assists. He has scooped multiple ground balls in 10 games this season, with his top offensive moment coming in the ODAC championship game when he scored the title-clinching goal in overtime.
Datz rounds out this year's first team honorees for the Generals as one of the anchors of the defensive unit. Datz has started all 19 games for the Blue and White this season, caused 19 turnovers and gotten to 52 ground balls, tied for the second most on the team. A 2024 Second Team All-ODAC pick, Datz also has a goal to his credit this season and saw his defensive prowess highlighted in March when he was named ODAC Defensive Player of the Week and to the USILA Team of the Week following a 12-ground ball, six-caused turnover weekend in a pair of wins at the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic.
Allen earns his second All-ODAC Second Team citation in three seasons behind 38 points on 25 goals and 13 assists this season. Allen currently ranks third on the team in points and fourth in goals and assists, while adding 18 ground balls and four caused turnovers. A consistent performer for the W&L offense, Allen has recorded a point in 15 games this season with 11 multi-point performances.
Haley has followed up an 82-point, Third Team All-ODAC season with 65 more points through 17 games for his first second team accolade. His 65 points are tied with Burns for the most on the team, and they have come on a team-high 45 goals with 20 assists to go along with 42 ground balls and five caused turnovers. Haley has tallied multiple points in 16-of-17 games this season and four games of five or more points in four of his last six outings.
O'Keefe slid into the starting lineup for the Generals this season and has been nothing short of sensational. Starting all 19 games so far, O'Keefe leads the Generals and is tied for sixth in the ODAC with 30 ground balls, plus the fourth-most ground balls (43) on the team this season. O'Keefe has caused multiple turnovers in nine games this year, including a career-high seven against Lynchburg in the ODAC championship game. O'Keefe also has two points this season on a goal and an assist.
Beatty and Reiter have been two more strong contributors to the W&L defense this season, with Beatty logging 22 ground balls and five caused turnovers to 52 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers for Reiter. Beatty has added nine points on the offensive end on six goals and three assists, with Reiter at two goals on the year and multiple ground balls picked up in 15-of-18 games.
The Generals own a 16-3 overall record this season and will play host to an opening weekend, four-team pod to begin NCAA Tournament play. They will face the winner of a Scranton/Immaculata first-round game on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
