Stines & DiPonio Drafted to PLL, RMLC & RMAC Tournaments This Weekend in Utah, Movement in Both Polls at Play Heats Up
Plus, Wasatch Whalers are in Prague and more!
It was another great week for lacrosse in the state of Utah. On Tuesday, history was made as Ryan Stines was selected as the First Pick in the Second Round of the PLL draft, becoming the first player from the University of Utah to be drafted. Later in the night, teammate Nikko DiPonio was also selected. Stines is staying home with the Archers, while DiPonio will play for the Atlas. I spoke with both players this week to get their reactions. I also asked for their advice for younger players looking to get better at lacrosse. Give it a listen/watch!
Friend of the Utah Lax Report, Sean Walker, covered the PLL Draft from the Arrowhead watch party for KSL. Read the story here.
We also caught up with a few Utahns Abroad who played locally in high school then went on to play college out of state. We’ll do more of these in coming weeks!
Utahns Abroad
When I was running Utah Lacrosse News, I had a feature for ‘Utahns Abroad’. It was a series to highlight student-athletes playing in college who were from Utah. At the time, there were maybe 30-40. I decided to revitalize the series and when I was looking into it, I was shocked by the number of players playing at the next level. I won’t be able to interview all of them, but I’m really excited to see the number of players who’ve decided to play in college. I’ve reached out to a handful and asked them the same questions. I think their responses are great and there’s something to be learned for everyone! Hope you enjoy.
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College
Mens
The college action started on Wednesday with No. 2 BYU hosting the Utah Club team in Provo. A dominant first quarter by the Cougars was the difference in this one as they scored 11 goals and allowed just 2. The Cougars scored 10 goals the rest of the game while the Utes had trouble finding a flow offensively. Gavin Taylor, Cade Kirschner and Hutton Murphy finished with 6 points. Mason Quick had 5 points as the Cougars retained The Beehive Trophy for another year.
On Saturday, Utah beat Queens, 18-0, which was Utah’s first shutout in school history. Luke McNamara had 6 goals and broke the Utah single-season goal record in the process. Zach White finished with 1 goal and 6 assists. Luca Pivetta, Blake Franckowiak, Joel Mullen and Nikko DiPonio each had 2 or more takeaways for the Utes. Utah went 15-22 from the faceoff X. Colin Lenskold finished with 2 saves in 45 minutes of play, then made way for Ethan Jaffe who notched 4 saves in his second game for the Utes.
Westminster took care of business against Northwest Nazarene, winning 20-7, and clinched the RMAC Regular Season Championship. Luke Sillstrop had 5 goals and 1 assist. Ridge Crouch had 3 goals and 2 assists. Theo Le had 4 points. Christian Jones had 12 saves for the Griffins.
BYU hosted Utah Tech and won, 17-5. Quick had 5 goals and 2 assists while Kirschner and Taylor had 5 points each. Easton Wilkey had 13 saves. Harley Kenney made several great saves for the Trailblazers.
The nightcap featured No. 1 Utah Valley hosted the Utah Club team and won 17-8. The game was closer than the score suggests and at one point the Utes were within 4 late in the game. The Wolverines put it into high gear in the fourth while scoring 6 goals and allowing 1. Utah Goalie Anton Goodick stood tall for the Utes making save after save.
Coming Up
If you’re a college lacrosse fan, this week was built for you. On Friday, fans can catch 6 conference tournament games featuring four Utah teams.
Westminster is hosting the RMAC tournament and will take on Northwest Nazarene at 4:00pm at Dumke Field. Colorado Mesa will then take on Concordia-Irvine at 7:00pm. The winner of each game will play on Sunday at 1:00pm MT for the RMAC Championship which holds an Automatic Qualifier spot to the NCAA D-II tournament. All games will be streamed on the RMAC Network.
Utah Valley is hosting both the D-I and D-II RMLC tournament at Zions Bank Stadium beginning on Friday. In D-II, Montana State will take on Denver Club and Air Force Club will take on Utah State. The D-I games feature UVU taking on Colorado at 4:00pm and BYU facing Colorado State at 7:00pm. The winner of the D-II games will compete for the championship game at 11:00am on Saturday. The D-I championship game will be at 3:00pm on Saturday. All games will be streamed on tv.mcla.us.
Last but not least, Utah will host Air Force in the last regular-season game for the Utes. The game will begin at Noon after Senior Day festivities at Ute Field. The Utes have clinched a spot in the ASUN tournament and a win will give Utah the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament that begins next week in Jacksonville, Florida. You can watch all Utah lacrosse games on ESPN+.
Friday
10:00am - Air Force Club v. Utah State - RMLC Semifinals @ Zions Bank Stadium
1:00pm - Montana State v. Denver Club - RMLC Semifinals @ Zions Bank Stadium
4:00pm - Northwest Nazarene @ Westminster - RMAC Semifinals @ Dumke Field
4:00pm - Colorado State v. UVU - RMLC Semifinals @ Zions Bank Stadium
7:00pm - Colorado Mesa v. Concordia-Irvine - RMAC Semifinals @ Dumke Field
7:00pm - Colorado v. BYU - RMLC Semifinals @ Zions Banks Stadium
Saturday
11:00am - RMLC D-II Championship @ Zions Bank Stadium
Noon - Air Force @ Utah - Ute Field
3:00pm - RMLC D-I Championship @ Zions Bank Stadium
Sunday
1:00pm - RMAC Championship @ Dumke Field
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Womens
Westminster went 2-0 on the weekend with a 14-8 win over CSU-Pueblo and a 20-3 win over Regis on Sunday.
The Griffins qualified for the RMAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face UCCS on Thursday at 7:00pm. The game will be streamed on the RMAC Network and will be played at Regis in Denver. The winner of this game will face the winner of Regis/Colorado Mesa on Saturday for the RMAC Championship.
The fate of the WCLA teams will be known this week as the WCLA National Tournament teams will receive invites. Utah is headed to Richmond as the RWMLL AQ pick so the other Utah teams will rely on an at-large bid.
All college scores, recaps, schedules, live stream links and more can be found on our Scores page.
High School
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Boys’ Week 7 Coaches Poll
No. 1 Park City is the lone team whose position didn’t move this week. The Miners had the week off and will take on West Jordan on Wednesday. Park City will then host No. 5 Farmington on Friday.
No. 2 Corner Canyon beat No. 8 Judge on Tuesday, 9-7. Cameron Crayk had 3 goals for the Chargers. Jack Rasmussen had 14 saves in the win. Corner Canyon opens region play this week as it hosts American Fork and Lone Peak.
No. 3 Brighton lost to No. 4 Alta, 14-13 on Wednesday then beat Woods Cross, 15-2, on Friday. Dylan Despain had 3 goals and 3 assists for the Bengals against Alta. Brighton faces Mountain Ridge on Tuesday, Skyline on Wednesday and No. 7 Bountiful on Friday.
No. 4 Alta beat No. 3 Brighton on Wednesday then beat East, 15-7, on Friday. Beckham Horoba had 6 goals and 6 assists over the two games. Bridger Tueller was a key factor for the successful week with 23 combined saves.
No. 5 Farmington beat Davis, 16-2, and Syracuse, 22-2. Brock Milne was the star of the week offensively for the Phoenix. The Junior had 11 goals and 3 assists. The Phoenix will head to Layton on Tuesday then No. 1 Park City on Friday.
No. 6 Olympus beat Woods Cross, 18-3, and Skyline, 14-4. James Cannon had 9 goals and 2 assists this week for the Titans. Oly has five games remaining and four of them are against Top 10 teams. It begins this Wednesday against No. 7 Bountiful. The Titans then face No. 1 Park City, Viewmont, No. 4 Alta and No. 3 Brighton.
No. 7 Bountiful beat Viewmont this week, 18-1. Carter Terry had 5 goals and 2 assists in the win. Dawson Allsop went 16-17 from the faceoff X. The Redhawks travel to Highland today then face No. 6 Olympus on Wednesday and No. 3 Brighton on Friday.
No. 8 Judge lost to No. 2 Corner Canyon, 9-7, on Tuesday then made the trip to Grand Junction on Friday to take on the Tigers. It was a classic game but ultimately the Tigers won, 10-9. Freddy Gowski had 2 goals and 2 assists against Corner Canyon to lead the Bulldogs. Dallas Mattena went 15-20 from the faceoff X. East and Hillcrest are up next for Judge. Games against No. 1 Park City and No. 5 Farmington loom large and will happen on May 1 and May 8 respectively.
No. 9 Skyridge beat American Fork, 22-4, this week. Cabell Buechner had 2 goals and 6 assists for the Falcons. Kaiden Hobbs had 4 goals and 3 assists. Skyridge will host Lehi and Canyon View this week before hosting No. 2 Corner Canyon on April 28.
No. 10 Juan Diego beat Sky View, 11-5, on Friday. Trey Nicolodemos had 2 goals and 3 assists. Cooper Pecora went 18-19 from the faceoff X. The Soaring Eagle will face Waterford on Wednesday and Jordan on Friday.
Dane Stewart previewed several games happening this week:
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Boys Spotlight Game of the Week by Hill and Hill Photography
Week 7 – Dixie vs Hillcrest
The 4A Dixie Flyers traveled north for a Saturday doubleheader, starting in Midvale against the 5A Hillcrest Huskies. The Flyers dominated early, fueled by seniors Noah Biehl and Ryan Turman, who combined for seven goals in the first quarter. Biehl set the tone immediately, scoring just 10 seconds after the opening faceoff and adding another less than a minute later. By the end of the first, Dixie held a commanding 7-0 lead.
The Flyers extended their lead to 10-0 in the second quarter with goals from Turman, Eastin Gates, and Scott Edie. Hillcrest finally broke the shutout before halftime when Franco Winders found a crease to make it 10-1.
The Huskies rallied in the second half with a more physical defense and improved possession. Quick scores from Ian Pelger and Ivan Pearson cut the lead to 10-3. While Dixie’s Caleb Field briefly slowed the momentum, Hillcrest added two more goals from Lars Dalgleish and Winders to pull within six. However, Turman stifled the comeback by netting two late goals, entering the final frame up 13-5.
In the fourth quarter, Hillcrest outscored Dixie 4-1, including two goals by Ivan Pearson. Despite the Huskies’ late-game surge, they couldn’t overcome Dixie’s early offensive explosion. The Flyers secured a 14-9 victory before heading to their second game against Bonneville, while Hillcrest prepared to host Hurricane later that afternoon.
Girls’ Week 7 Coaches Poll
No. 1 Park City is still at the top of the heap, and that is unlikely to change as we head into the final weeks of regular play. The team was on spring break last week, but will hit the field again on Tuesday to take on Lone Peak before finally facing off against Riverton on the 28th.
No. 2 Riverton is still unbeaten. It will be interesting to see how long they can continue the streak. They likely will keep it clean this week as they face off with Bingham, but could Park City stop them? Or could they take down the Miners and claim the top spot.
No. 3 Skyridge is a powerhouse in the field. The team is a high-scoring machine, topping more than 20 points in most of their games. This week, they have a rematch with Lehi before taking on Farmington.
No. 4 Bear River is the only other undefeated team in the top 10. They are showing that even after losing several top players last year they are still a force to be reckoned with. Their schedule this week, with games against Logan and Ridgeline, means it is unlikely their win streak will be broken.
No. 5 Mountain Ridge had a decisive victory over Copper Hills this week, with sophomore Lucy Rigby scoring an amazing seven goals. Rigby is rivaling Park City’s Natalia Szwajkun as the best 2028 player in the state. This week will be rough as they face Riverton, but it will be interesting to see what Rigby can do against the Silverwolves.
No. 6 West Jordan will face off with Salem Hills this week, and both teams have similar records heading into the game. That could cause some changes in next week’s poll, so keep an eye on what happens.
No. 7 Fremont has the powerful pair of junior Makenzi Overdiek and senior Kate Jenkins, who have led them to multiple wins, topping 20 points. They don’t have a lot of major competition in the coming weeks, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the playoffs.
No. 8 Brighton has had a great season. In most of their wins, they have doubled the scores of their opponents, showing excellent work on both the offensive and defensive sides. They face off with Skyline again this week, and the Eagles will be looking for revenge. We’ll see if they get it.
No. 9 Provo only has one loss on their sheet for the season, and they want to keep it that way. We will see if they can do it in the final six games of the season.
No. 10 Salem Hills is new to the rankings this week, but don’t expect them to be leaving any time soon. Their game this week against West Jordan could really shake things up.
Dane Stewart offered insights on several important games this week:
Girls Spotlight Game of the Week by Hill and Hill Photography
Week 7 - Woods Cross vs Brighton
The Brighton Bengals entered their Region 6 matchup against the Woods Cross Wildcats in a deceptively quiet season, but they made a loud statement Friday night at Freestone Field with a dominant 17-5 victory.
The tone was set just 12 seconds into the game when Sophie Nielson won the opening draw and scored—the first of her 10 goals on the night. Supported by goals from Siri Thackery and Gabby Raemish, Brighton jumped to a 4-0 lead. Woods Cross’s Hunter Thomas broke the shutout with 46 seconds left in the quarter, providing a brief spark for the Wildcats.
In the second quarter, Savannah Carter cut the Bengal lead to two, but Nielson responded with back-to-back goals. Although Ellie DeWaal scored for Woods Cross to keep the game within reach, Brighton’s Chloe Smith netted a goal just before the halftime buzzer to secure a 7-3 lead.
Brighton pulled away in the third quarter. Nielson scored four more times, while Raemish completed a hat trick and Thackery added another. Despite a goal from the Wildcats’ Lilli Dunn, the Bengals headed into the final period with a commanding 14-4 advantage.
The fourth quarter was a clinic in possession. Nielson, Raemish, and Emery Gallegos all found the net, bringing Brighton’s total to 17 goals from five different players. A late score by the Wildcats’ Katie Stewart finalized the score at 17-5.
Brighton looks to carry this momentum to Viewmont next week, while Woods Cross hopes to bounce back at home against Alta.
Stick Clicks
Thank you to all the photographers who submitted this week! We have a great variety of pictures and I’m very grateful for the response to this feature. We’ll do this every week! On a separate, but related note, we’ll be hosting an end-of-year photo contest! Stay tuned for details.
Click on the photos to see them in a gallery. Photos this week come from: Tyree McFarland, Christy Marshall, Tim Haslam and Ron Hill (Best viewed on a computer!)
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Notes
Wasatch Whalers Travel to Prague
The Whalers headed to Prague and will participate in the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial Tournament. The squad will begin play on Wednesday against the Nanaimo Timberman then face Adler Lacrosse on Thursday.
Interview w/ Vessel Kitchen Board Chair Brent Nixon
We’re right in the heart of lacrosse season, and I’m excited to have Brent on to talk about his unique path into the sport and how it eventually intersected with one of Utah’s favorite clean-eating spots, Vessel Kitchen. Brent’s story is a great example of how lacrosse brings people in from all different backgrounds and builds lasting community along the way. Hope you enjoy the show.
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That’s it for this week! See you on the sidelines.