Eight Cavaliers named USILA All-Americans

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia men’s lacrosse players Connor Shellenberger, Cole Kastner, Matt Moore, Petey LaSalla, Payton Cormier, Jeff Conner, Cade Saustad and Grayson Sallade garnered All-American recognition from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), the coaches association announced Thursday. Virginia’s eight selections are good for third among all Division-I programs nationally.

A Tewaaraton Award finalist, Shellenberger was named a First Team selection. Kastner, the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year garnered Second Team honors. Moore and LaSalla were named Third Team selections, while Cormier, Conner, Saustad and Sallade earned Honorable Mention recognition. Moore is the only honoree that is not expected to return to UVA in 2023.

Players selected for All-American awards were nominated by their coach and then received votes from the All-American Committee.

Shellenberger (Charlottesville) nabbed USILA First Team All-American honors for the second straight year after leading the Cavaliers in points (76) and assists (44) this season. He also finished second on the team in goals (32). Shellenberger, a Second Team All-American selection by Inside Lacrosse, recorded multiple points in 15 out of 16 possible games this season. His highlight performance of the year was in Virginia’s NCAA Tournament First Round matchup at No. 8 seed Brown, where he tied his career high of eight points with four goals and four assists. Shellenberger was also named an All-ACC selection.

Kastner (Palo Alto, Calif.) became UVA’s first defensive player to garner ACC player-of-the-year honors since 2002. Kastner led the ACC and finished sixth in the nation in caused turnovers (2.00/game). He appeared in all 16 possible games for the Cavaliers, including 15 starts, after starting in just four contests last season. Like Shellenberger, Kastner was named a Second Team All-American according to Inside Lacrosse.

Moore (Garnet Valley, Pa.) concluded his career as Virginia’s all-time leader in career points with 277. For his career, Moore registered 143 goals and 134 assists in 73 games played. He wrapped up his career at UVA on a 63-game point streak that began March 31, 2018. In 13 appearances this season, Moore posted 26 goals and 26 assists, including a pair of goals and six assists in the Cavaliers’ regular-season finale, a 20-10 win over Lafayette on Senior Night – the same night he broke UVA’s all-time points record. With six points in UVA’s two NCAA Tournament games this season, Moore concluded his career with 43 career points in 11 NCAA Tournament games, good for No. 3 all-time in program history.

LaSalla (Miller Place, N.Y.) became UVA’s all-time leader in career faceoff wins (781) and ground balls (390) midway through the 2022 season. An All-ACC selection, LaSalla led the conference and finished eighth in the nation in faceoff percentage this season after going 215-360 (.597) at the faceoff-X. His 215 faceoffs wins are also good for fourth all-time on UVA’s single-season list. LaSalla was 19-for-30 (.633) in the Cavaliers’ playoff game against the Bears and collected 11 ground balls in the win. He also posted a career-best .900 (9-10) faceoff win percentage in Virginia’s 19-8 win over Johns Hopkins.

For the second straight year, Cormier (Oakville, Ontario) led the Cavaliers in scoring (50 goals) this season and was second on the team with 60 points. Cormier is Virginia’s first 50-goal scorer in a single season since former teammate Ian Laviano did so in 2019. His 3.12 goals-per-game average was good for third in the ACC. Cormier recorded a team-best 14 multi-goal games this season, including nine hat tricks. With six goals against the Blue Jays, Cormier became the first player in UVA history since 2013 to score at least six games in multiple games for a career. He also tallied a game-high five goals in the Cavaliers’ win at Brown.

Conner (Wallingford, Pa.) was named an All-ACC selection after appearing in 13 games, including 11 starts, in which he scored 14 goals and dished out 18 assists. His 18 assists were good for third on the team this season, while his 32 points were fifth. Conner orchestrated his signature performance in UVA’s ACC title-clinching win at Syracuse, where he posted a career-high seven points on four goals and three assists. His four goals at the Carrier Dome are also a career best.

Saustad (Dallas, Texas), a team captain, started in 15 games for the Cavaliers at close defense this season. He collected 27 ground balls in 2022, good for second on the team. Saustad was named a USILA Team-of-the-Week selection on April 12 after anchoring a UVA defense that held UNC to just four goals, which was the Tar Heels’ lowest goal total in a single game since 2006.

Like Saustad and Moore, Sallade (Lancaster, Pa.) was also one of Virginia’s three team captains this season. As Virginia’s top short-stick defensive midfielder, Sallade appeared in all 16 of UVA’s games this season. He finished fourth on the team in ground balls with 29 and registered eight caused turnovers. Sallade collected six ground balls in UVA’s first ACC road game this season, a 15-11 decision over UNC. The very next game, he tallied five ground balls against No. 1 Maryland at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Sallade made his first official start of his career on Senior Night against the Leopards.

2022 USILA Individual Award Winners 

Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year: Logan Wisnauskas, Maryland

Lt. Col. JI Turnbull Outstanding Attackman: Chris Gray, Noth Carolina

Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder: Sam Handley, Penn

William C. Schmeisser Defensive Player of the Year: Will Bowen, Georgetown

Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie: Owen McElroy, Georgetown