Utah Lacrosse Heads to Ohio State for Season Opener

Saturday, February 1

Columbus, OH

10:00 a.m.

University of Utah

Ohio State

Utah Utes vs. Denver Pioneers at Ute Field in Salt Lake City, UT on Saturday, October 05, 2024.
Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics

Photo by: Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics

Utah Lacrosse Heads to Ohio State for Season Opener

1/30/2025 10:29 AM | Lacrosse

Game Notes

The Utes open with the Buckeyes for the second straight year

THE GAME
The Utah Lacrosse team hits the road this weekend for their season opener, as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face the No. 19 Ohio State Buckeyes. The game is set to start at 10 a.m. MT on Saturday, Feb. 1.

HOW TO WATCH
The game against Ohio State will be broadcast on B1G+. A live stats link is available on the Lacrosse schedule page, but can also be found here.

UTAH LACROSSE: NEED TO KNOWS

Utah is in its seventh year as a Division I program, holding an overall record of 46-34.
Head coach Andrew McMinn is in his fourth season with the Utes and is the all-time wins leader at Utah with a record of 34-14.

PRESEASON PRAISE

Two Utes received ASUN preseason awards, with junior Ryan Stines claiming a unanimous vote for preseason Attack of the Year and senior Cody Hart being named preseason Midfielder of the Year.
Three of four players received unanimous preseason All-ASUN Team votes, as Stines, Colby Plotts, Nikko DiPonio, and Hart join the list.
The Utes earned the top spot in the preseason ASUN Coaches Poll, the fourth straight year that Utah has been voted the No. 1 preseason ranking in the league.

RECORDS ON RECORDS

DiPonio became the school record holder in single-game (6) and single-season (35) caused turnovers in 2024.
Junior Colin Lenskold holds the Utah record for career saves at 325.
Since McMinn's first season in 2022, the Utes have broken over 70 school records in just 48 games.

CAPTAINS CALLING
Prior to the 2025 season, Utah selected its three captains for the season in Stines, Brendan Belz, and DiPonio.

Stines was the 2024 ASUN Player of the Year and a USA Lacrosse All-America honorable mention, setting a school record for single-season points (67). He has started all 34 games in his career, ranking third in career points (116) and goals (86) while leading his team in scoring both seasons, including 48 goals in 2024 and 38 in 2023, when he was named ASUN Freshman of the Year.
Senior, Belz, has appeared in 14 games over three seasons, contributing as a defensive presence. In 2024, he played in six games, recording two ground balls, adding to his career total of four ground balls and three caused turnovers. His leadership and communication on the field make him a key asset, providing energy and guidance to his teammates.
DiPonio has been a dominant defensive force, starting all 34 games of his career and earning 2024 Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention and All-ASUN first-team honors. He holds school records for single-game (6) and single-season (35) caused turnovers, led the ASUN in takeaways, and ranked among the top in ground balls while delivering standout performances like a school-record six caused turnovers against Cleveland State and a career-high 10 ground balls at Lindenwood.

NCAA RANKS

Utah finished 24th overall in the NCAA Men's lacrosse rankings for 2024.
In 17 games, the Utes scored 252 goals, averaging 14.82 per game, solidifying a fifth-place ranking in NCAA scoring offense for 2024.
Utah was ranked No. 9 nationally in CTOs, totaling 168 and averaging 9.88 per game.
The Utes took the ranks at No. 7 in points per game at 397, with 252 goals and 145 assists, averaging 23.35 points per game.

AHEAD OF THE ASUN

The Utes are in their fourth season in the ASUN conference, coming off three consecutive ASUN regular season titles (2022, 2023, 2024) and back-to-back ASUN Championships (2023, 2024).
Utah topped the ASUN ranks in average goals per game at 14.5 in conference play, with Stines at the top of the individuals averaging 2.75 per game.
In the 2024 season, the Utes were ranked No. 1 in CTOs, tallying a total of 159 and averaging 9.94 per game.

FOLLOW US!
Get inside access to the Utes this season by following along on social media on Instagram (@UtahLacrosse), Twitter (@UtahLacrosse) and Facebook (Search University of Utah Men's Lacrosse Program).