Navy's
Jackson Bonitz (Jr / D / Shrewsbury, Pa.) and
Patrick Skalniak (Sr / M / Dallas, Texas) have been named Third-Team Preseason All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine it was announced on Tuesday. The publication identified 76 players overall as Preseason All-Americans that were split into 13-player first-, second- and third-team squads as well as honorable mentions.
Bonitz, who concluded the 2022 campaign by receive All-America recognition from USA Lacrosse Magazine (Third Team), Inside Lacrosse (Honorable Mention) and the USILA (Honorable Mention), helped spearhead an exceptionally young defensive unit as the lone returning starter among the entire defense (close defense, long-stick midfield, short-stick defensive midfield, goalkeeper). The Mids finished the 2022 season ranked #12 nationally and #2 in the Patriot League in scoring defense, allowing 10.13 goals per game. Navy held 6 of its 15 opponents to single digits, earning victories in each of the six. Navy's defense held three-consecutive opponents to 6 or fewer goals (5 by Mercer, 6 by Hofstra, 6 by Manhattan), marking the first time the Mids have achieved that mark since holding six-straight foes to 5 or fewer goals in 2008. Bonitz led the team with 18 caused turnovers which tied for the 10th most in program history, while his 28-career takeaways is the13th-best mark on the Mids' all-time leader board.
Bonitz also spent the summer gearing up for the U21 World Lacrosse Championship in Limerick, Ireland where he and his Team USA teammates won gold. He helped anchor a defensive unit that held 6 of its 7 opponents to 5 or fewer goals, while he also was active on the offensive end of the field, scoring a pair of goals.
Skalniak also garnered 2022 All-America honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine (Third Team), Inside Lacrosse (Honorable Mention) and the USILA (Honorable Mention). The two-time First-Team All-Patriot League midfielder paced Navy last spring with 48 points on a team-best 28 goals and 20 assists. He closed out the season as one of just five midfielders in the program's 115-year history to reach 40 points in a single season with his 48 points tying Ryan Wade (2019) as the third most by a Navy midfielder. Additionally, Skalniak joined forces with
Dane Swanson (Jr / St. Mary's City, Md.) and
Max Hewitt (Jr / Denver, Colo.) to become the first midfield trio in school history to each reach 30 points.
Skalniak, who enters his senior campaign having produced a point in each of the 29 games Navy has played since his arrival in 2020, has scored a goal in 22 contests and dealt out assists in 23. Voted a co-captain for the 2023 season, he needs 18 points to become the 37th player in program history to reach 100-career points.
Navy opens its season the weekend of Feb. 4 when it plays host to Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 4 / 12:00 pm) and Queens University (Feb. 5 / 12:00 pm). Single-game tickets for home Navy men's lacrosse games are on sale now and may be purchased by stopping by the Navy Ticket Office at Ricketts Hall, by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY, via the internet at www.navysports.com or at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on game day. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under (Army will be $15/$10), while groups of 20 or more will be offered a discounted ticket (in advance only, contact Jordan Albright at 410-293-8791 / grouptickets@usna.edu). Additionally there is a $10 charge to park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for all games.
2023 USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-Americans
First Team
Attack – Matt Brandau, Yale / Brennan O'Neill, Duke / Connor Shellenberger, Virginia
Midfield – Graham Bundy Jr., Georgetown / Matt Campbell, Villanova / Sam Handley, Penn
SS Midfield — Payton Rezanka, Loyola
LS Midfield — Ethan Rall, Rutgers
Defense — Gavin Adler, Cornell / Will Bowen, Georgetown / Brett Makar, Maryland
Goalkeeper — Liam Entenmann, Notre Dame
Faceoff – Luke Wierman, Maryland
Second Team
Attack – Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame / CJ Kirst, Cornell / Jack Myers, Ohio State
Midfield – Shane Knobloch, Rutgers / Kyle Long, Maryland / Jake Stevens, Princeton
SS Midfield — Connor Maher, North Carolina
LS Midfield — Tyler Carpenter, Duke
Defense — Owen Grant, Delaware / Cole Kastner, Virginia / Ajax Zappitello, Maryland
Goalkeeper — Logan McNaney, Maryland /
Faceoff – Zach Cole, Saint Joseph's
Third Team
Attack – Tucker Dordevic, Syracuse / Devon McLane, Brown / Ross Scott, Rutgers
Midfield – Eric Dobson, Notre Dame / Sam English, Princeton /
Patrick Skalniak, Navy
SS Midfield — Piper Bond, Penn
LS Midfield — Roy Meyer, Boston U.
Defense —
Jackson Bonitz, Navy / Kenny Brower, Duke / Chris Fake, Yale
Goalkeeper — Connor Theriault, Brown /
Faceoff – Mike Sisselberger, Lehigh
Honorable Mention
Attack – Payton Cormier, Virginia / Vince D'Alto, Boston U. / Dylan Gergar, Penn / Leo Johnson, Yale / Owen Murphy, Maryland / Mike Robinson, Delaware / Griffin Schutz, Virginia / J.J. Sillstrop, Denver / Alex Slusher, Princeton / Dylan Watson, Jacksonville
Midfield – Aiden Blake, Cornell / Jeff Conner, Virginia / Hugh Kelleher, Cornell / Declan McDermott, Georgetown / Andrew McAdorey, Duke / Brad Sharp, Yale / Brian Tevlin, Notre Dame
SS Midfield — Chet Comizio, Villanova / Beau Pederson, Princeton / Grayson Sallade, Virginia / Chase Yager, Harvard / Trevor Yeboah-Kodie, Brown
LS Midfield — Pace Billings, Princeton / Greg Campisi, Harvard / BJ Farrare, Penn / John Geppert, Maryland / Alex Mazzone, Johns Hopkins
Defense — Jack DiBenedetto, Denver / Marcus Hudgins, Ohio State / Brendan Lavelle, Penn / Cade Saustad, Virginia / Bobby Van Buren, Ohio State / Cam Wyers, Loyola
Goalkeeper — Matt Garber, Boston U. / Will Mark, Syracuse
Faceoff – James Reilly, Georgetown / Petey LaSalla, Virginia
### Go Navy ###
