NEW YORK, N.Y. – The BIG EAST Conference has announced its end of season honors for men's lacrosse. Fifth year Stephen Zupicich and senior Matt Licata earned First Team selections as Reid Colwell, Stevie Jones and Colin Michener garnered Second Team honors.

Zupicich and Licata have led the Wildcats in their respective areas of the field this season. Licata leads the team in assists and points while finishing second in the conference with 3.64 points per game. His best performance this season came on February 24th when he put up three goals and four assists in Villanova's first win over Colgate. The Sandown, New Hampshire native earned five Weekly Honor Roll selections and was named Player of the Week on March 18th after back-to-back five-point outings against Monmouth and Navy.

Zupicich finished the regular season as the nation's leader in caused turnovers with 44. He capped off his impressive campaign by causing five turnovers and picking up five ground balls against Georgetown on Friday. He is second on the team with 53 ground balls this season and took home BIG EAST Specialist of the Week on March 25th and six Weekly Honor Roll selections. The Ohio State transfer has caused three or more turnovers in 10 games this season including a stretch of seven in a row from March 5-April 6.

Reid Colwell earns his second career All-BIG EAST selection after an impressive senior campaign. The Westfield, New Jersey native is a staple in the Villanova back line and has played a key role in numerous Wildcat victories. Colwell has 12 caused turnovers on the year and 22 ground balls and is back to full strength after missing two of the last three games due to injury.

Short stick defensive midfielder and Wildcat veteran Stevie Jones earns his first career accolade with a Second Team selection. Jones is prevalent in the clear game for the Wildcats as he is a top defender in the 10-man ride and a key piece in completing successful clears on offense. The Reston, Virginia native has caused eight turnovers with 20 ground balls this season and his best performance came in the loss to Providence as he caused three of 20 Friar turnovers and scooped up three ground balls.

Colin Michener has been a force in the BIG EAST this season. The local product has scored in every game in his rookie campaign and finished second in the conference with 2.5 goals per game. He took home Freshman of the Week honors on March 18th for his hat trick against Monmouth. Michener has seven hat tricks this season and broke the programs freshman scoring record with 35 goals.

This is the ninth consecutive season Villanova has had at least five players earn All-BIG EAST honors to go along with the 12th consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Tournament. These five standouts will lead the Wildcats against top seeded Denver in the first semifinal game on Thursday at Villanova Stadium. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. 
 
2024 Men's Lacrosse All-BIG EAST Teams and Regular Season Awards

Offensive Player of the Year
Ryan Bell, Providence, A
Defensive Player of the Year
Jimmy Freehill, Denver, D *
Specialist of the Year
Alec Stathakis, Denver, FO *
Goalkeeper of the Year
Malcolm Kleban, Denver, G
Freshman of the Year
Anderson Moore, Georgetown, G
Coaching Staff of the Year
Denver
Matt Brown, Head Coach
 
All-BIG EAST First Team ^
Jimmy Freehill, Denver, D *
Malcolm Kleban, Denver, G
Michael Lampert, Denver, A
AJ Mercurio, Denver, LSM *
Alec Stathakis, Denver, FO *
Ty Banks, Georgetown, D
Graham Bundy Jr., Georgetown, M *
Aidan Carroll, Georgetown, A *
Dylan Hess, Georgetown, SSDM
Alexander Vardaro, Georgetown, M
Mason Woodward, Marquette, D *
Ryan Bell, Providence, A *
Brian Kelly, St. John's, A
Stephen Zupicich, Villanova, LSM
Matt Licata, Villanova, A
 
All-BIG EAST Second Team #
Richie Connell, Denver, M
Jack DiBenedetto, Denver, D
Jake Edinger, Denver, SSDM
Casey Wilson, Denver, SSDM
TJ Haley, Georgetown, A
Anderson Moore, Georgetown, G
Bobby O'Grady, Marquette, A
Luke Williams, Marquette, FO
Michael Chabra, Providence, M
James Corasaniti, Providence, G
Richie Joseph, Providence, A
Bobby Seel, St. John's, A
Reid Colwell, Villanova, D
Stevie Jones, Villanova, SSDM
Colin Michener, Villanova, A
 
*Unanimous Selection
^ due to a tie in voting, there are 15 players on the First Team
# due to a tie in voting, there are 15 players on the Second Team