Men's Lacrosse Brings in Eight All-MAAC Selections

Photo by: Greg Vasil

Men's Lacrosse Brings in Eight All-MAAC Selections

4/25/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

SHU has four players on the first team, three on the second, and one on the all-rookie team

EDISON, N.J— The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced the all-conference awards ahead of the 2025 MAAC Championship. The #16 nationally ranked Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse had eight players earn All-MAAC honors for the second straight year.

Tucker Spencer, John Murray, Jack Ramsay, and Luke Catolico have all been named to the All-MAAC first team. Jake Ward, Michael Amoruso, and Alex Pazienza were selected to the second team. First-year Dom Basti earned a spot on the All-MAAC rookie team.

In addition to the postseason awards, the MAAC has also announced its All-Academic team. SHU has 25 athletes represented from the men's lacrosse program.

The Pioneers, who have been nationally ranked throughout the final two weeks of the season, have secured the program's second straight MAAC regular season title, earned the number one seed, and hosting duties for the MAAC Championship. The 2024 champions host MAAC postseason play for the first time in program history.

With his first All-MAAC nod, Spencer paced the Sacred Heart offense this season. He leads the team and is second in the conference in goals (33) and is tied for the team lead in points (38). Spencer has 11 multi-point games this season, including a career-high seven goals in the Pios season opener. The senior midfielder has tallied three or more goals in five games this season.

Murray also collects his first All-MAAC honor after a breakout junior season. He is second on the team in goals (21), assists (15), and third in points (36) as a key contributor to Sacred Heart's offense. In two games this season, Murray has been the overtime hero, scoring the game-winning goal against Siena on March 15 and then again against Marist on March 29. He has multi-point performances in all but one game this year and most recently scored three goals in SHU's 11-7 win over Manhattan to claim the regular season title.

Catolico, who was named to the All-MAAC preseason team, brings in the first postseason honor of his career with the first-team selection. He has been one of the core pieces of the Pioneers' shutdown defense this season. The senior captain has caused eight turnovers and has picked up 23 ground balls. He also tallied his first career goal in SHU's 13-10 win over Mount St. Mary's.

Ramsay has been a force on the Pioneers' defense all season, after earning a spot on the All-MAAC second team last year and the All-MAAC preseason team this year, Ramsay earns first-team honors for the first time in his career. He is the team leader and is fifth in the MAAC in caused turnovers (17), and is fourth on the team in ground balls. As a defender, Ramsay also has scored three goals, including two in SHU's 13-10 win over Mount St. Mary's.

Amoruso brings in his All-MAAC honor with a spot on the second team. He has been another key contributor on the Pios defensive unit. The junior long-stick midfielder is fourth on the team in caused turnovers (14) and tied for second in ground balls (33). He also has tallied one goal and one assist, for two points this season.

For the second straight season, Pazienza has been selected to the All-MAAC second team. The graduate goalie has been solid in between the pipes all season long as he became the Sacred Heart all-time leader in saves and wins. Pazienza has the top GAA in the conference (8.28), which is ranked fifth in the country. His 57.3% save percentage is second in the MAAC and 12th in the nation. The Holtsville, NY native has made 10 or more saves in 10 games this year. He is second on the team in caused turnovers (17) and ground balls (33).

Ward earns his second consecutive All-MAAC second-team nod after being selected to the All-MAAC preseason team. He is tied for the team lead in points (38), leads the team and is second in the conference in assists (25), and has 13 goals this season. The senior attackman has nine multi-point games this season, including a career-high seven points from three goals and four assists against Wagner on March 1. He has dished out three or more assists in five games and has picked up 29 ground balls along with four caused turnovers.

Basti rounds out the All-MAAC selections with a spot on the All-Rookie team. With 11 appearances in his rookie campaign, Basti put away eight goals and dished out six assists for 14 points. He's tallied six multipoint games and has tallied two goals in at least three games. Basti was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week twice during the season.

The Pioneers end the regular season with an 11-2 overall record and 7-1 in conference play, securing the number one seed in the MAAC Championship. Sacred Heart will be back in action to kick off postseason play on Thursday, May 1 at 3:00 PM at Campus Field.

The MAAC All-Academic team has 25 Pioneers represented. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
All-Academic Team:
Cayden Brodnax
Cam Brown
Craig Daria
JJ Fox
Connor Garrison
Tillman Griffeth
Colby Helfrich
Finn Hoey
Ethan Hughes
Graham Kelly
Tim Kiely
Mason Mac
Garrett Mangels
James Moran
Will Moulton
John Murray
Joel Palasz
Alex Pazienza
Quentin Pellegrino
Carson Reeder
Ryan Rooney
Hunter Sancetta
Jake Ward
Brant Ward
Declan Wilkie