Bridgewater, NJ -- When a season reaches new heights, the honors tend to follow.
 
Undefeated regular season champion Robert Morris completed the first-ever sweep of all five major NEC men’s lacrosse awards, led by dynamic freshman Dylan Anderson (Victoria, British Columbia/Royal Bay Academy), who became the first player to capture Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year trifecta in the same season.
 
The anchor of the league’s top-ranked defense, junior Owen Tapper (Whitby, Ontario/The Hill Academy), took home NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
 
Fifth-year Robert Morris head coach Craig McDonald rounded out the program’s historic showing, earning NEC Coach of the Year for the first time.
 
Anderson burst on to the collegiate scene and immediately emerged as a difference-maker on the offensive end for RMU. The Canadian attacker racked up a team-high 47 points on 35 goals and 12 assists. Anderson finished the regular season ranked third in the NEC in goals and tied for third in points. A six-time NEC Rookie of the Week and one-time NEC Player of the Week, Anderson was instrumental in RMU’s league-best 186 goals on the season. He was one of the most productive freshmen in the country, scoring the second-most goals of any first-year player and logging the fourth-most points. Anderson recorded at least a hat trick in seven games and put up a eye-popping nine-point game against Bucknell on February 13. He became the fifth RMU player to be named Player of the Year, the third to capture Offensive Player of the Year honors and the second to earn Rookie of the Year recognition. Prior to Anderson, no NEC player had ever won Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
 
Tapper, an All-NEC first team selection in 2025, became the third RMU recipient to win NEC Defensive Player of the Year, joining Sean Meagher (2013) and Zach Bryant (2018). Tapper has caused more turnovers than any player in the conference this season, averaging 2.27 per game to rank seventh nationally. He’s also sixth on the circuit with 4.27 ground balls per game. The Whitby, Ontario native anchored a stingy defensive unit that allowed just 46 goals in seven NEC games, ten fewer than any other team in the league.
 
McDonald’s first-ever NEC Coach of the Year accolade comes off the back of a 12-3 campaign that saw the Colonials go a perfect 7-0 in conference play and win their last 11 games heading into the postseason. The outstanding campaign is a historic one for RMU, marking the best win percentage (.800) in program history and the second-ever perfect conference campaign in its 21-year history. The Colonials, who are receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse and USILA Top-20 polls, claimed a second consecutive NEC regular season title and the third in school history. McDonald is now 46-33 during his time in Moon Township, PA. Drew McMinn previously won this award for RMU back in 2012 and 2017.
 
In addition to the five major awards winners, the league unveiled its All-NEC first and second teams and All-Rookie squad, as determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
 
Regular season champion Robert Morris landed a league-best nine players on All-NEC teams, followed by LIU with five. The Colonials placed six student-athletes on the first team, also an NEC-best. Cleveland State and VMI each had four all-conference selections, while Detroit Mercy, Le Moyne and Wagner all landed two apiece.
 
In addition to Anderson and Tapper, the Colonials saw Ben Eck (Sterling Heights, MI/Brother Rice), Elijah Edwards (Cambridge, Ontario/The Hill Academy), Nathan Ruff (Caledon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) and Nate Fechter (Dresher, PA/Upper Dublin) earn first-team recognition as well. Eck was another productive member of the Colonial offense, tallying 29 points on 17 goals and 12 assists. Fechter, an All-NEC second team honoree last season, bumped up to the first team with a .571 save percentage and a 9.57 goals against average. The latter is good for second-best in the NEC. Edwards, a long-stick middie, repeated as an All-NEC first team selection after a campaign that saw the junior scoop up 26 ground balls. , Ruff, an elite D-middie, was a vital cog in RMU’s shutdown defense.
 
LIU explosive offense was spearheaded by All-NEC first team junior attacker Ben McIsaac (Toronto, Ontario/Humberside). His 48 points is tied for a league-best, coming from 37 goals and 11 assists. McIsaac was a second-team member a season ago. Junior midfielder Aidan Zuhoski (Riverhead, NY/St. Anthony’s) made a second consecutive appearance on the All-NEC first team after recording 47 points off 32 goals and 15 assists. Zuhoski paces the league in points per game (3.92) and ranks third in goals per game (2.97). Senior midfielder Cameron Connolly (Seaford, NY/Seaford) was another cog in LIU’s attacking machine, picking up All-NEC first team recognition after posting 32 points on 16 goals and 16 assists. He earned second team accolades in 2025. Senior Shaun Hill (Oakdale, NY/Connetquot), a fourth first team honoree for the Sharks, was the premier faceoff specialist in the NEC this year. Hill lead the league in faceoff percentage (.610) and ground balls (81). He ranks 12th nationally in the former and 17th in the latter.
 
Sophomore defender Seth Alejandrino (Centerville, OH/Centerville) and sophomore midfielder Adam Van Voorhis (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Davidson) will go down as the first two All-NEC first team award winners in Cleveland State history. Alejandrino, wreaked havoc on the defensive front, causing the second-most turnovers of any NEC player (29) and picking up 37 ground balls. Van Voorhis proved to be one of Cleveland State’s primary attacking threats, registering 13 goals and ranking third in the league with 17 assists. The first-team duo, along with second teamers Payton Corpus (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Christian) and Robbie Stewart (Raleigh, NC/Leesville Road), helped Cleveland State qualify for the NEC postseason for the first time.
 
VMI had a plethora of attacking options this season, but it was All-NEC first teamer Dayton Bagwell (York, PA/Central York) who was the most lethal threat. Bagwell, a junior attacker, is tied for the NEC lead in points (48) and paces the league in goals (41). He became the fourth VMI player to ever score 40 or more goals in a season. The York, PA product helped VMI punch its first NEC playoff ticket, with help from All-NEC second team honorees Beau Durkin (Castle Rock, CO/Castle View), Jack Duncan-Bloom (Portland, OR/Jesuit) and Greg Peters (Sparta, NJ/Sparta).
 
Wagner earned a pair of second team selections after a season that fell just short of a postseason berth. Senior midfielder Jake Mitchell (St. Louis, MO/Christian Brothers College) and junior defensive midfielder Ian Muchinueta (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) were each key contributors for the Seahawks. Mitchell led the Green and White in scoring with 39 points on 26 goals and 13 assists, while Muchineuta was a rock-solid defensive midfielder who picked up 26 ground balls and caused five turnovers.
Kyle Grant (Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids) was as steady as ever for Detroit Mercy in 2026, picking up 38 ground balls and causing 24 turnovers. The latter is the fourth best total in the NEC this season. The senior defender has now been named an All-NEC first team pick in back-to-back years. He was joined on the All-NEC list by teammate Andrew Parker (Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion), a sophomore midfielder who was named to the second team.
 
The All-Rookie team was spread out across seven of the league’s eight schools, with no team having more than two members. Detroit Mercy, LIU, Robert Morris and VMI each accounted for two honorees, while Cleveland State and Wagner had one apiece.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.