Regular Season Wraps Up Saturday at Ute Field

Saturday, April 25

Salt Lake City, Utah

12:00 PM

University of Utah

Air Force

4/23/2026 11:46 AM | Lacrosse

Game Notes (PDF)

Utah looks to secure top seed in ASUN Tournament against Air Force

SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 18-ranked University of Utah lacrosse program has clinched its spot in the upcoming ASUN Tournament and will look to secure the No. 1 seed when it takes on the Air Force Academy Falcons on Saturday, April 25, at Ute Field. Admission is free for all fans. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dane Stewart and Brad Searle on the call.

Prior to game time, Utah will honor this year's graduating class and recognize the impact that the group has had on the Utah Lacrosse program. The senior day ceremony will begin at approximately 11:45 a.m.

Opponent: Air Force (5-7, 3-1 ASUN)
Location: Ute Field | Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 12 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: UtahUtes.com

UTAH LACROSSE: NEED TO KNOWS
Utah is in its eighth year as a Division I program, holding a 60-45 overall record.

Head coach Andrew McMinn is in his fifth season with the Utes and is the all-time wins leader at Utah with a record of 49-26.
The Utes are in their fifth season in the ASUN Conference, coming off four consecutive ASUN regular season titles (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and two ASUN Championships in the last three seasons (2023, 2024).
Utah is ranked at No. 18 in both Inside Lacrosse KANE Division I Media Poll and the USILA Coaches Poll.
Nikko DiPonio was named the 2025 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America Honorable Mention status by USA Lacrosse, USILA and Inside Lacrosse. He was named a USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America Honorable Mention in 2026.
DiPonio was unanimously selected as the Preseason ASUN Defensive Player of the Year while Ryan Stines was unanimously voted the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Utah earned the top spot in the preseason ASUN Coaches Poll, the fifth straight year that Utah has been voted at least tied for No. 1 in the preseason ranking in the league.
Per LacrosseReference, Utah returns 98% of its production in goal, 96% from the stripe, 81% on defense and 78% on offense.
In five seasons under Coach McMinn, Utah has set more than 70 program records and has gone 35-4 against ASUN opponents.

POSTSEASON PICTURE
Utah, Air Force, Jacksonville and Mercer have all clinched spots in the ASUN Conference Tournament, but finals seedings will be based on this weekend's results.

Entering the finals weekend of the regular season, Utah sits atop the conference with an unblemished 4-0 record in league play. Jacksonville and Air Force both sit at 3-1, with the Dolphins' loss coming to Utah and the Falcons' coming at the hands of Jacksonville, while Mercer sits at 2-2.
The four teams all face one another this week, with Mercer and Jacksonville battling it out alongside Utah and Air Force.
With a win, Utah would clinch the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record.
A loss to the Falcons would drop Utah to 4-1 in conference play, giving Air Force the top seed and Utah the No. 2 seed – the Utes wins over Mercer and Jacksonville give them the edge in tiebreaker scenarios.
The ASUN Tournament kicks off with semifinal games on Friday, May 1, in Jacksonville, Fla.

JOINING THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS
Ryan Stines and Nikko DiPonio became the first Utah Utes to ever be selected in the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft when they heard their names called during April's selection show.

Stines became the first Utah player to hear his name called when he was picked ninth overall with the first pick in the second round by the Utah Archers.
DiPonio was taken by the defending PLL champs, the New York Atlas, with the 24th overall pick.
Stines was the third attackman taken off the board while DiPonio was the fifth defenseman selected.
Utah was one of five programs nationally to have multiple players drafted in 2026, along with Syracuse, Maryland, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

AMONG THE BEST
Stines and DiPonio were among the 11 players selected nationally in the second round of additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List. This marks the second year in a row that Stines has been named to the Tewaaraton Watch List and the first such honor for DiPonio. Utah has now had at least one team member on the watch list in each of the last three seasons. Utah is the only program in the Atlantic Sun Conference recognized on this season's watch list.

Founded in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse players in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. "Tewaaraton" is the Mohawk word for lacrosse, and The Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse's Native American Heritage.

BIG MAC ATTACK
Sophomore Luke McNamara has blossomed into one of the nation's most lethal scorers.

McNamara leads the country with 52 goals (4.33 goals per game) so far this season.
The sophomore scores at a prolific rate, finding nylon on 53.6% of his total shots.
His 3.31 career goals per game (86 scores in 26 games) are the most among all active Division I players.
McNamara become the first Utah Ute to score 50-plus goals in season last time out.

NO SHORTAGE OF FIREPOWER
Entering the last week of the 2026 regular season, Utah has proven to have one of the nation's best offensive attacks.

Utah leads the nation in goals per game (16.17), assists per game (9.75) and points per game (25.92) and second in scoring margin (+6.83). Only one other team, No. 4 Richmond, has a higher scoring margin.
McNamara (4.33, 1st) and Stines (2.83, 13th) both sit in the top 15 nationally in goals per game, while Zachary White ranks 10th in the country with 2.42 assists per outing.
Stines (55) and McNamara (56) have both eclipsed 50 points this season. Utah is one of four teams nationally with multiple 50-plus point scorers (Bellarmine, Virginia, Georgetown). McNamara ranks 13th nationally in points per game (4.67), one spot ahead of Stines in 14th (4.58).
Utah has also made the most of opponent penalties, as McNamara ranks third nationally with seven man-up goals.
Much of Utah's success can come down to possession time - Utah leads the NCAA in ground balls per game (40.00) and caused turnovers per game (12.75), ranks sixth in clearing percentage (.915) and 21st in faceoff win percentage (.553).

RECORD WATCH
This season's Utah team has already left its mark on the record book, with a number of players looking to set career records before season's end.

Stat	Current Player	Total (Rank)	Record Holder	Total
Points	Ryan Stines	234 (1)	--	--
Goals	Ryan Stines	143 (2)	Jordan Hyde	150
Assists	Ryan Stines	91 (2)	Tyler Bradbury	108
Ground Balls	Nikko DiPonio	289 (2)	Cole Brams	363
Caused Turnovers	Nikko DiPonio	104 (1)	--	--
Man-Up Goals	Luke McNamara	15 (1)	--	--
Saves	Colin Lenskold	627 (1)	--	--

NUMBERS TO KNOW

47 – Ryan Stines is riding a 47-game point streak, scoring at least a point in every game since May 5, 2023. He has also scored a goal in each of his last 19 games dating back to March 29 of last season.
2 – Nikko DiPonio leads the ASUN and ranks second nationally with 2.75 caused turnovers per game, and as a team, Utah leads the NCAA with 12.75 per contest.
10 – Luke McNamara became the first NCAA Division I men's lacrosse player to score 10 or more goals in a game since the 2020 season when he net 10 against Iona.
1999 – Utah became the first squad since the turn of the century to eclipse the 30-goal mark when it dropped 32 against Iona. The last team to put up a 30-burger was Johns Hopkins against Saint Joseph's on April 21, 1999.
2015 – Utah also became the first team since 2015 and just the second since 1985 to shutout a Division I opponent when it blanked Queens, 18-0.
16 – Utah is averaging 16.17 goals per game through the first 12 games of the season, the best mark nationally and the highest in the ASUN.
217 – Ryan Stines became Utah's all-time career points leader against Virginia, scoring once to log his 217th point as a Ute to break the program record.
82 – Utah has outscored its opponents by 82 goals this season, owning a 194-112 scoring margin. Only one other team, No. 4 Richmond, owns a better scoring margin.
3369 – No goalkeeper in Division I Lacrosse has spent more time in the cage than senior Colin Lenskold. Lenny has played 3,369 minutes in front of net for Utah during his four-year career

LOOKING BACK
Utah logged the first shutout by a Division I team since 2015 with an 18-0 thrashing of Queens in the penultimate game of the year.

Colin Lenskold and Ethan Jaffe combined to make six saves in the win while the Utah defense allowed just 16 total shots.
Four Utes – Luca Pivetta, Joel Mullen, Nikko DiPonio and Blake Franckowiak – caused multiple turnovers, Pivetta leading the way with three, while DiPonio paced the defense with six ground balls. Utah tallied 45 ground balls as a team, the seventh time this season the Utes have nabbed 40 or more.
Zachary White led the Utes with seven points, scoring once and adding a career-best seven assists. Seven helpers sit tied for the third most in a single game in program history.
Luke McNamara paced the scoring attack with six goals, moving his season total to 52. Six goals also rank as the fifth-best single-game scoring record in program history. Ryan Stines made it 47 games in a row with a point and 19 in a row with a goal, scoring twice and adding a pair of helpers.
Brady Grandstaff and Nathan Chalmers each scored twice to round out the Utes with multiple points.

FAN INFORMATION
To help fans prepare for game day and enjoy the best possible experience, Utah Athletics has created this page with information on tickets, a map of available parking on game day, as well as stadium policies.

Fans should be advised that due to the running of the Salt Lake City Marathon, roads and parking lots may be closed when traveling to the stadium. Fans should use Foothill Drive to travel towards campus and, when possible, avoid downtown traffic. Fans wishing to tailgate prior to the game are recommended to arrive no earlier than 10 a.m.

The full map of road closures can be found here.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow along on social media (X: @UTAHLacrosse | Instagram: @utahlacrosse), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.