BETHLEHEM, Pa. —  Six members of the Navy men's lacrosse team were named to the 2024 All-Patriot League Teams announced Monday afternoon, including Zach Hayashi (FO / North Potomac, Md.) who was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Two of Navy's six all-league selections were named to the 16-player first team, while three are first-time winners of postseason accolades. It's the 10th time since Navy joined the Patriot League (2004) that it has placed six or more players on the All-Patriot League Teams, while it's the 14th time one of its players has been the recipient of one of the five major awards.

First-Team All-Patriot League
Jackson Bonitz - Sr | D | Shrewsbury, Pa. | McDonogh School
Earning his fourth All-Patriot League citation, including his third first-team nod, Bonitz joins Brady Dove (2014-15-16-17) as the only two players in school history to earn All-Patriot League honors all four years of their careers. Revered by his teammates and fellow Naval Academy student-athletes, Bonitz not only serves as co-captain of the lacrosse team, he was also elected to serve as the Captain of the Captains this year. He has started every game in which he has played (53) over his four-year career and will graduate second on the program's caused turnovers list (76). He joins three-time All-Patriot League long-stick midfielder Matt Rees as the only two players in school history to reach 70 caused turnovers in a career, while they are also the only two players to have their name appear 3 times on Navy's single-season caused turnovers leader board. Bonitz recorded 18 caused turnovers in 2022, posted 22 last spring and currently leads the team with 26. He has presented himself as a dangerous threat in the transition game where he has produced 11 points over his career on 6 goals and 5 assists. He is ranked fifth all-time among Navy's defensemen (close defense / long stick midfielders) in career points and stands alone in sixth in career goals. He has scored 3 goals and added 3 assists this spring. Bonitz also has a nose for loose balls, joining Navy's career ground balls record book where he ranks 14th with 151 over 4 years. He has been the cornerstone on a defensive unit that has ranked among the top 12 in scoring defense in each of his first three seasons and is currently first in the Patriot League and 25th nationally (10.71).


Jackson Peters - Sr | SSDM | Darien, Conn. | Darien
Peters serves alongside Bonitz as a team captain for the Mids and has proven to be one of the best members of Navy's rope unit in recent memory. A former offensive middie, Peters has been sensational in the transition game the last two seasons and has shown his true colors as an old-school two-way middie. This year, he has produced 14 points on 10 goals and 4 assists and played both ways in the Mids' games against Boston U. and Lehigh. Like Bonitz, he has helped propel Navy among the top 12 scoring defensive units in the country in each of his first three seasons and one that is currently first in the Patriot League and 25th nationally (10.71). Navy's defense has held half of its opponents to single digits this season, including the nation's No. 2 team in the country, Johns Hopkins. Navy held the Blue Jays to just 3 goals over the final 48-plus minutes en route to a 10-9 overtime victory.

Peters was a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection last season and is one of 31 players in school history to earn all-league honors multiple times. He is among 6 Navy defensive midfielders to garner postseason honors over the years.


Patriot League Rookie of the Year | Second-Team All-Patriot League
Zach Hayashi - Fr | FO | North Potomac, Md. | McDonogh School
Hayashi's resume this season has been nothing short of sensational. The first-year standout is ranked second in the Patriot League and 19th nationally in faceoff winning percentage (185-324, 57.1), has been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week 4 times, the Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week 4 times and has earned a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week once. He tied Navy's single-season faceoff wins record (185) last Friday night with his 20-for-28 performance against Bucknell. He shares the record with Anthony Ghobriel, who broke the previous record of 173 wins that stood for nearly 20 years (Chris Pieczonka, 2004). Hayashi also broke Navy's freshman records for faceoff wins, attempts and ground balls. All three of those records were previously held by Brady Dove, who won 163 of the 289 draws he took in 2014, and grabbed 83 ground balls. With 90 ground balls, Hayashi is just 10 away from tying Navy's single-season record held by Brady Dove (100 / 2017), who is the only player in school history to pick up 100 ground balls. Hayashi has also proven he's not just a faceoff-and-get-off player, as he has scored a pair of goals and added a pair of assists this spring.

Hayashi is one of only 5 Navy freshmen all-time to garner All-Patriot League accolades, joining midfielder Basil Daratsos (2007), faceoff specialist Brady Dove (2014), defenseman Jackson Bonitz (2021) and long-stick midfielder AJ Marsh (2024). It's the first time in program history Navy has had two freshmen garner all-league honors in the same season. Additionally, Hayashi is just the third Navy player to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors, joining midfielder Billy Looney (2004) and attackman Tucker Hull (2011). Meanwhile, he is the fourth faceoff specialist in Patriot League history (since 1991) to earn the award, joining Colgate's Peter Strid (1993), Lehigh's Craig Brown (1995) and Colgate's Parker Gibson (1998).


Second-Team All-Patriot League
Dan Daly - So | GK | Wayne, N.J. | Wayne Hills
A first-year starter in goal for the Mids, Daly has been steady for the Mids throughout their 14-game slate. He is ranked second in the Patriot League and 26th nationally in save percentage (53.5), making 166 saves while yielding 144 goals. He leads the league and is 24th nationally in goals-against average (10.63), while he's ranked 29th nationally in saves per game (11.86). His 166 saves this spring are the 17th most by a Navy player in a single season and the most since Ryan Kern's 167 in 2019. Daly joins Kern and RJ Wickham (2010) as the only players since 2000 to appear on the Mids' single-season leader board. He is part of a defensive unit that has held half of Navy's opponents to single digits this season, including the nation's No. 2 team in the country, Johns Hopkins. Navy held the Blue Jays to just 3 goals over the final 48-plus minutes en route to a 10-9 overtime victory.

Daly is a first-time recipient of All-Patriot League honors and is the seventh different Navy goalkeeper to garner postseason recognition.


Max Hewitt - Sr | M | Denver, colo. | Kent Denver
A four-year starter for the Midshipmen, Hewitt has etched his name into the Navy record books as one of the best midfielders in program history. Last Friday, he became the 37th player and the 11th midfielder in the program's 117-year history to reach the 100-point milestone. With 102 points over 4 seasons (2021 was modified due to the pandemic), he stands ninth among midfielders and 32nd overall in career scoring. He is one of only eight midfielders in Navy history to score 30 points multiple times in a career  - Max Hewitt (2022-23), Greyson Torain (2017-18-19), Ryan Wade (2018-19), Graham Gill (2004-05), Jamie Slough (1992-93-94), Brian Keith (1989-90), Glen Miles (1984-86) and Mike Chanenchuk (1977-78-79) - and just 3 points shy of doing it a third time. The two-time All-Patriot League standout is Navy's third-leading scorer this year and the top midfielder with 27 points on 16 goals and 11 assists. He heads into the Patriot League Tournament riding a 12-game point-scoring streak.

Hewitt was a First-Team All-Patriot League selection last season and is one of 31 players in school history to earn all-league honors multiple times.


AJ Marsh - Fr | LSM | Reisterstown, Md. | McDonogh School
A highly-decorated player coming out of high school, Marsh has made a seamless transition to the Div. I level. Ranked #6 on Inside Lacrosse's 2023 Power Freshmen rankings, he was the top-ranked defenseman among the top 100 rookies entering this season. He began the season as a starter on close defense, before injuries to Navy's top-two long-stick midfielders forced a position change where he has settled in over the last 8 games. Navy's defensive unit stands atop the Patriot League in scoring defense (10.71) and is 25th nationally. Additionally, Navy has held half of its opponents to single digits this season, including the nation's No. 2 team in the country, Johns Hopkins. Navy held the Blue Jays to just 3 goals over the final 48-pluse minutes en route to a 10-9 overtime victory. Marsh has proven himself to be a threat in the transition game where he has produced 4 points on a goal and 3 assists this spring. He has also scooped up 23 ground balls and recorded 4 caused turnovers this season.

Marsh is one of only 5 Navy freshmen all-time to garner All-Patriot League accolades, joining midfielder Basil Daratsos (2007), faceoff specialist Brady Dove (2014), defenseman Jackson Bonitz (2021) and Zach Hayashi (2024). It's the first time in program history Navy has had two freshmen garner all-league honors in the same season. Additionally, Marsh is the sixth different Navy long-stick midfielder to earn postseason honors and the first since Matt Rees (2015-16-17).

The 2024 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Tournament kicks off tomorrow night with quarterfinal contests featuring Loyola at Navy (6:00 pm / ESPN+) and Colgate at Boston U. (6:00 pm / ESPN+). Top-seeded Army will play host to the Patriot League Semifinals (Friday / 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm) and Championship Game (Sunday / 12:00 pm) which will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.

2024 All-Patriot League Team
First Team
A - Reese Burek Army / 5th yr
A - Vince D'Alto, Boston U. / Gr
A - Louis Perfetto, Boston U. / Gr
A - Scott Cole, Lehigh / Sr
M - Jacob Morin, Army / 5th yr
M - Evan Plunkett, Army / So
M - Hunter Drouin, Colgate / So
M - Adam Poitras, Loyola / Gr
D - AJ Pilate, Army / Jr
D - Patrick Morrison, Boston U. / Gr
D - Richard Checo, Lehigh / So
D - Jackson Bonitz, Navy  / Sr
FO - Will Coletti, Army / Jr.
LSM - Max Yates, Colgate / Jr
SSDM - Jackson Peters, Navy / Sr
GK - Matt LaCombe, Colgate / Jr

Second Team
A - Jackson Eicher, Army / Jr
A - Connor Davis, Bucknell / Jr
A - Evan James, Loyola / Gr
A - Matthew Minicus, Loyola / So
M - Jack Cates, Boston U. / Gr
M - John Mathes, Lafayette / Sr
M - Quinn Armstrong, Lehigh / Sr
M - Max Hewitt, Navy / Sr
D - Aidan Murnane, Colgate / Jr
D - Tommy McGee, Lafayette / Sr
D - Luke McAuliffe, Lehigh / So
D - Remi Reynolds, Loyola / Jr
FO - Sean Dow, Lehigh / Jr
FO - Zach Hayashi, Navy / Fr
LSM - Roy Meyer, Boston U. / Gr
LSM - AJ Marsh, Navy / Fr
GK - Matt Barnes, Boston U. / Jr
GK - Dan Daly, Navy / So

Offensive Player of the Year:  Evan Plunkett, Army
Defensive Player of the Year:  AJ Pilate, Army
FO Specialist of the Year:  Will Coletti, Army
Goalkeeper of the Year:  Matt LaCombe, Colgate
Rookie of the Year:  Zach Hayashi, Navy
Coach of the Year:  Joe Alberici, Army

### Go Navy ###