MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) has announced its all-conference team and major award winners for the 2025 men's lacrosse season.
Concordia University Wisconsin senior attack
Max Esposito was named NACC Offensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, while Aurora University junior long-stick midfielder
Austin Spoklie was named the NACC Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Lake Forest College attack
John Shannon was named NACC Freshman of the Year and the Aurora University coaching staff led by head coach
Reid Mayberry was recognized by its peers as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
NACC Offensive Player of the Year --- Max Esposito, sr., A, Concordia University Wisconsin
Esposito has played in all 19 of Concordia Wisconsin's games this season heading into Saturday's NACC Tournament final against Aurora. He has posted league-leading totals in assists (61) and points (109), while ranking third in goals (48) for the NACC's top offense.
He has recorded a goal in all but two games and an assist in all but one. Esposito posted a season-high six goals twice this season - against Beloit and Marian in consecutive games in mid-April. He set a conference season-high with seven assists as part of an eight-point day against North Central on March 1, then matched the figure with seven helpers against Benedictine three weeks later before exceeding it with eight in a nonconference game against Carroll on April 7. Esposito also scooped up a season-high four ground balls against the Pioneers.
Already the NACC's career leader in assists and points when the season began, Esposito added the NACC's career goals mark to his resume with his first of two tallies against Elmhurst on Feb. 26.
Esposito ranks sixth in NCAA Division III in points per game (5.74) and ninth in assists per game (3.21).
NACC Defensive Player of the Year --- Austin Spoklie, jr., LSM, Aurora University
Spoklie, a junior has started all 18 games for Aurora this season, compiling 48 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers as one of the top cover defenders in the region.
He recorded at least two ground balls in 15 of 18 games played this season, posting six along with two caused turnovers against Illinois Wesleyan. Spoklie also had five ground balls and four caused turnovers in a close 10-9 victory over Lake Forest on April 16.
Spoklie's numbers likely would have been higher had he not been pulled before halftime in nearly half of Aurora's contests due to the score
This is the second time in three years (Phillip Gianelle, 2023) that an Aurora student-athlete has been named NACC Defensive Player of the Year
NACC Freshman of the Year --- John Shannon, A, Lake Forest College
Shannon played in all 18 games for the Foresters this season, tying for second on the team in points (35) and ranking third in both goals (23) and assists (12) while helping lead Lake Forest to a tie for third place in their first year in the NACC. He also had 18 ground balls.
Shannon scored at least one goal in 14 of 16 games, scoring a season-high three in wins over Marian and Illinois Tech.
He also played a significant role defensively, helping the Foresters hold opponents to a .710 clear percentage - a NACC-leading figure that ranks in the top 15 in NCAA Division III.
Shannon is the first Forester to receive a NACC major award in men's lacrosse.
NACC Coaching Staff of the Year --- Aurora University (Reid Mayberry, head coach)
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Reid Mayberry, the Spartans won the NACC title for the fourth year in a row with a perfect 11-0 mark and take a 13-5 record into Saturday's NACC Tournament final against Concordia Wisconsin. Aurora has 38 consecutive NACC regular-season matches dating back to 2021. The Spartans have rebounded from an 0-5 start against a challenging nonconference slate to win their last 13 games by an average margin of 12.9 goals per game.
Defense has been a hallmark this season for the Spartans, who rank ninth in NCAA Division III in scoring defense, allowing a NACC-low 7.56 goals per game. That, along with a top-50 scoring offense (41st, 14.61 gpg), has allowed Aurora to post a league-best scoring margin at +7.06.
The Spartans are in the top half of the NACC in virtually every statistical category. In addition to leading in scoring defense and scoring margin, Aurora sits second in assists (156), assists per game (8.67), points (419), points per game (23.28), caused turnovers per game (11.39), faceoff winning percentage (.587), scoring offense (14.61), and fewest turnoves per game (18.72), and third in ground balls (667), ground balls per game (37.06), and opponents' clear percenrage (.767).
Mayberry is assisted by
Joseph Dey,
Camron Arnaud, and
Kyle Honn.
This is the third time in four years (2022, 2024-2025) that a Mayberry-coached Aurora staff has been recognized as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
All-Conference Team Announced
NACC champion Aurora University landed a league-best nine players on this year's all-conference teams, including seven on the 13-member first team. Lake Forest College was next with five selections, followed by Concordia University Wisconsin and the University of Dubuque with three apiece. Concordia Wisconsin was the only institution other than Aurora with multiple first-teamers (2), while Lake Forest and Dubuque had one each.
Cornell College and Milwaukee School of Engineering both had two players receive all-league honors, with MSOE receiving one first-team nod and one second-team nod. Cornell landed both of its honorees on the second team. Benedictine University secured the final first-team slot with its lone all-conference honoree, while Illinois Institute of Technology had a player selected to the second team.
| 2024 All-NACC Men's Lacrosse Team |
| Offensive Player of the Year - Max Esposito, sr., A, Concordia Wisconsin |
| Defensive Player of the Year - Austin Spoklie, jr., LSM, Aurora University |
| Freshman of the Year - John Shannon, A, Lake Forest College |
| Coaching Staff of the Year - Aurora University (Reid Mayberry, head coach) |
|
| First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Asher Deputy |
Aurora |
So. |
G |
South Jordan, Utah |
| Benjamin Jasper |
Aurora |
Sr. |
D |
River Falls, Wis. |
| Liam Bradley |
Lake Forest |
So. |
D |
Manchester, Vt. |
| Carson Harris |
MSOE |
Sr. |
D |
Wales, Wis. |
| Owen Spencer |
Aurora |
Jr. |
M |
Blaine, Minn. |
| Ben Strub |
Aurora |
Sr. |
M |
River Falls, Wis. |
| Gio Nowotarski |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Sr. |
M |
Reading, Pa. |
| Reilan Pura |
Aurora |
Sr. |
A |
Warrenton, Va. |
| Max Esposito |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Sr. |
A |
Gaithersburg, Md. |
| Sam Todd |
Dubuque |
Sr. |
A |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| Jack Whalon |
Benedictine |
Jr. |
FO |
Woodstock, Ill. |
| Austin Spoklie |
Aurora |
Jr. |
LSM |
Eagle, Idaho |
| Dean Romaker |
Aurora |
Jr. |
SSDM |
Andover, Minn. |
| Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Thomas Cook |
Cornell College |
Sr. |
G |
Anthem, Ariz. |
| Noah Kosmicki |
Aurora |
So. |
D |
Lincoln, Neb. |
| Torii Greiskalns |
Cornell College |
Sr. |
D |
Oakdale, Minn. |
| Ethan Smith |
Dubuque |
So. |
D |
Hartland, Mich. |
| Aiden Ennett |
Dubuque |
Sr. |
M |
Fayetteville, N.C. |
| Macklin Thomas |
Lake Forest |
So. |
M |
Brentwood, Tenn. |
| Case Roberts |
MSOE |
So. |
M |
Houston, Texas |
| Tyler Foerstal |
Aurora |
Jr. |
A |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| Jackson Brass |
Illinois Tech |
Sr. |
A |
Woodland Hills, Calif. |
| Brendan Herbert |
Lake Forest |
Jr. |
A |
Milford, N.H. |
| Jaxon Hill |
Concordia Wisconsin |
So. |
FO |
Bismarck, N.D. |
| Conor Murphy |
Lake Forest |
Sr. |
LSM |
Springfield, Mass. |
| Connor Tartaglione |
Lake Forest |
Sr. |
SSDM |
Bernardsville, N.J. |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Chris Bucci |
Aurora |
Jr. |
M |
Gambrills, Md. |
| Eli Etzler |
Aurora |
Jr. |
FO |
Frederick, Md. |
| Eric Seo |
Beloit |
Sr. |
G |
Woodridge, Ill. |
| Liam Walker |
Beloit |
Jr. |
A |
Elmhurst, Ill. |
| Dominick Flores |
Benedictine |
Jr. |
LSM |
Denver, Colo. |
| Carlos Hernandez |
Benedictine |
Jr. |
A |
Billings, Mont. |
| Oliver Roa |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Jr. |
D |
Dunlap, Ill. |
| Preston Meier |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Jr. |
M |
Owatonna, Minn. |
| Bryce Petersen |
Concordia Wisconsin |
So. |
A |
Waukesha, Wis. |
| Caleb Ruger |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Sr. |
A |
Grafton, Wis. |
| Michael Lange |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Sr. |
LSM |
Brookfield, Wis. |
| Tyler Foster |
Cornell College |
So. |
M |
Ankeny, Iowa |
| Ben Schwartz |
Cornell College |
Jr. |
D |
Westminster, Colo. |
| Aidan Culligan |
Dubuque |
Sr. |
A |
Eagle, Idaho |
| John Lewis |
Dubuque |
Jr. |
FO |
Arlington Heights, Ill. |
| Eric Brostek |
Dubuque |
So. |
SSDM |
Bend, Ore. |
| Luke Quakenbush |
Edgewood |
Sr. |
SSDM |
Verona, Wis. |
| Zane Neville |
Edgewood |
Jr. |
D |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Kyle Johnson |
Illinois Tech |
Sr. |
G |
Lakewood, Calif. |
| Henry Rankin |
Illinois Tech |
Gr. |
D |
Bay Village, Ohio |
| Bodey Goertzen |
Illinois Tech |
Fr. |
D |
Woodbury, Minn. |
| Connor Montgomery |
Illinois Tech |
Fr. |
M |
Morgantown, W. Va. |
| Diego Sosa |
Illinois Tech |
Jr. |
M |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Micah Manookian |
Illinois Tech |
Jr. |
SSDM |
Riverside, Calif. |
| Jack Gillard |
Lake Forest |
Sr. |
D |
Allen, Texas |
| Trip Gaston |
Lake Forest |
Sr. |
M |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Gabe Boston |
Lake Forest |
Jr. |
FO |
Littleton, Colo. |
| John Shannon |
Lake Forest |
Fr. |
A |
Cohasset, Mass. |
| Brody Herr |
Lawrence |
Fr. |
A |
Shoreview, Minn. |
| Robbie Spielmann |
Lawrence |
Fr. |
M |
New Berlin, Wis. |
| Serge Simard |
Marian |
Sr. |
A |
Winnipeg, Man. |
| Jayden Gerhardt |
Marian |
So. |
D |
Oneida, Wis. |
| Alex Lo |
MSOE |
Jr. |
G |
Scotch Plains, N.J. |
| Griffen Kaiser |
MSOE |
Sr. |
D |
Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Graden Jansen |
MSOE |
So. |
FO |
Ballwin, Mo. |