LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team, who finished their season as national semifinalists in the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship, had eight student-athletes receive All-America recognition by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) on Thursday morning.
Senior
Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) headlined the release for the Hawks as the program's second-ever major national award recipient, receiving the Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder award and a spot on the All-America First Team. Joining Larsen on the First Team was graduate student defenseman
Ryan Slattery (North Andover, Mass.). Senior
Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) was named to the All-America Second Team at the attack position, while fifth-years
Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) and
Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.) were named Third Team All-Americans at the short stick defensive midfield and faceoff positions, respectively. Senior defenseman
Jonathan Holland (Derry, N.H.), senior attacker
Noah Larsen (Northborough, Mass.), and sophomore midfielder
Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.) earned All-America Honorable Mention distinction.
Out of 117 total selections to the All-America teams, Saint Anselm was tied with the University of Tampa for the second-most selections with eight. Only Adelphi University had more with nine total selections, while Lenoir-Rhyne University and Mercy University closely followed with seven All-Americans apiece. Saint Anselm was one of just five schools to represent the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) on All-America squads, producing eight of the league's 26 All-Americans. All-America teams were comprised of three or four attackmen, midfielders, and long pole defenders; two or three short stick defensive midfielders (SSDM); one or two long stick midfielders (LSM); one or two faceoff specialists; and one or two goaltenders, in addition to honorable mention selections.
Saint Anselm wrapped up the season with a 12-5 record and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Championship Semifinals. It is the second-most wins in a single-season in program history. The team has now won 10 or more games and clinched a berth in the NCAA postseason in four consecutive seasons.
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Nick Larsen, this year's recipient of the Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder award, becomes the program's second-ever national major award winner, joining 2021 Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie award winner
CJ Hart '21. The senior adds to his loaded trophy case, having already earned this year's USILA North Region Co-Offensive Player of the Year and the NE10's Co-Player of the Year, both of which were firsts in team history. Larsen additionally earned a spot on this year's All-America First Team to go along with All-North Region First Team and All-NE10 First Team honors. He becomes a three-time USILA All-American, having earned Third Team recognition the previous two seasons. The midfielder had a stellar season for the Hawks, setting single-season career-highs in goals (25), assists (28), and points (53). Larsen, the team's leader in assists in 2024, ranked in the top 20 in the conference in scoring and was tied for third in helpers. He finished his career in the program's top 10 all-time with 154 points and is third all-time in career assists with 90.
Slattery becomes Saint Anselm's first-ever four-time All-American. He has now been named to the All-America First Team the past three seasons after an Honorable Mention nod as a sophomore in 2021. For the third straight season, the graduate student was named both the USILA North Region's Defensive Player of the Year and the NE10's Defensive Player of the Year, which has also never been accomplished by any Saint Anselm men's lacrosse student-athlete. The four-time All-North Region and All-Conference selection wrapped up his career on the Hilltop as the program's all-time leader in caused turnovers with 97. Additionally, he ranks second in team history with 1.49 caused turnovers per game. Slattery's team-high 25 caused turnovers this year was ninth-most in the NE10. The long pole, who started in all 17 games for the Hawks this spring, finished the season with 36 ground balls and led one of the top defensive units in the nation this season that allowed the second-fewest goals per game in the conference and the 11th-fewest in all of NCAA Division II.
Davis was the team's only All-America Second Team selection and earns All-American status for the first time in his career. The team's leader in goals (38) and points (60), Davis collected All-North Region First Team and All-NE10 First Team plaudits in his first season with Saint Anselm. The attacker ranked seventh in the conference in goals and recorded the sixth-most points. Davis transferred to the Hilltop prior to his senior year and made an immediate impact for the Hawks this season. In addition to his scoring, he also dished out 22 assists, which was second-most on the team, while picking up 28 ground balls and potting two game-winners. The senior started all 17 games this spring, headlined by a five-goal, seven-point performance against Mercy University in the NCAA Quarterfinals to help lead Saint Anselm to its first ever NCAA Semifinal appearance in program history. Davis recorded a point in every game this season and had two or more points in all but one contest.
Andrews earned a spot on this year's All-America Third Team as a short stick defensive midfielder. It is the second time that Andrews has earned All-America recognition after being an Honorable Mention pick a season ago. This year, the fifth-year senior was named to the All-North Region Second Team and was an All-NE10 Second Team honoree as well. Over his career, Andrews has now been named an All-American twice, an All-North Region selection three times, and an All-Conference pick four times. The midfielder took on more of a two-way role for the Hawks this spring after being one of the team's leading scorers the past three seasons. Across 17 starts, he set new career-highs with eight caused turnovers and 32 ground balls. Despite spending more time on the defensive end, Andrews still managed to score 22 goals this year in addition to a pair of assists. In the final game of the season during the NCAA Semifinals, Andrews scored three times and became the program's all-time leading scorer with 141 goals. He now ranks first in program history in career man-up goals as well with 25 after leading the Hawks with four this season.
Yannone collects his first-ever All-America recognition as a Third Team selection at the faceoff position. The fifth-year senior became the NE10's first-ever Faceoff Specialist of the Year and was chosen as an All North-Region pick after being named to the Second Team earlier this season. Yannone had a career-year in his final season on the Hilltop, setting single-season career-bests with a .651 faceoff win percentage and 112 ground balls, the latter of which was sixth-most in the conference. His faceoff percentage this season was the eighth-best figure in all of NCAA Division II while constantly facing top competition in a league that boasted four of the top 16 faceoff performers in the nation. Additionally, Yannone is now the program's all-time leader in career faceoff wins (595), career faceoff win percentage (.591), career ground balls (335), career ground balls per game (6.32), single-season faceoff win percentage (.651), single-season ground balls (112), and single-season ground balls per game (7.47). He matched his career-best with 23 faceoff wins in a victory over American International College and later went 18-for-19 from the X against No. 4 Adelphi during the regular season.
Holland also earned All-American status for the first time in his career as an Honorable Mention pick this year. The long pole culminated his stellar senior campaign with All-North Region Third Team and All-NE10 Second Team accolades earlier this spring. Holland set new single-season career-highs with 17 starts and 19 caused turnovers while picking up 29 ground balls to help lead the conference's second-best and the nation's 11th-best defense. Out of 17 games played, Holland went just two without a ground ball and just five without a caused turnover.
Noah Larsen becomes an All-American for the second time in his career and has now been an Honorable Mention selection for the past two seasons. The two-time All-North Region and All-NE10 attacker ranked third on the squad this season with 14 assists and 38 points in just 15 games played. He finished the year with a new single-season career-best of 24 goals, which was fourth-most on the team, and scooped up 30 ground balls, a figure that was sixth-highest for the Hawks. Larsen registered 12 multi-point performances in 2024 and currently sits in the top 10 in program history with 144 points after finishing his career with 82 goals and 62 assists.
For the first time in his young career, Claflin earns All-America recognition as an Honorable Mention pick. The sophomore also earned All-North Region Honorable Mention and All-NE10 Third Team honors this spring as a result of his excellent second year with the Hawks. He set new career-highs in goals (21), assists (12), and points (33), the last of which ranked fifth on the team, out of the midfield. Claflin was one of just five 20-plus goalscorers for Saint Anselm this season and produced 12 ground balls. The Newton native registered three hat tricks and scored at least once in 12 of his 17 games played.
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