Five Go in 2026 PLL Draft
4/14/2026 9:52:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BRISTOL, Conn. – It was one of the biggest draft classes for Syracuse University men's lacrosse as five Orange were selected across the 32 picks of the 2026 Premiere Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft Tuesday night.
With the draft live in Bristol, Connecticut and a team watch party at the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, senior attackman Joey Spallina was the first Syracuse player off the board, going third overall to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Michael Leo followed shortly after with the sixth overall pick by the California Redwoods.
Billy Dwan III went in the second round and 11th overall to the Maryland Whipsnakes while Luke Rhoa was selected with the final pick of the second round by the New York Atlas with the 16th overall pick. Graduate student Dante Bowen was picked 30th overall late in the fourth round by the California Redwoods.
The five draftees mark the largest group of Syracuse players taken in the PLL, besting last year's group of four. The last time Syracuse had five go in the same draft was the 2015 MLL Draft.
Below is a capsule of each players' 2026 season to date.
Billy Dwan III | Defense | Round Two, Pick 11
Nearly tailor made for the Premiere Lacrosse League, Billy Dwan III has seven goals this season and 19 in his career, becoming the program's all-time leading pole goal scorer. Hailing from Lutherville, Maryland, Dwan has 22 ground balls to date with eight caused turnovers as well.
Michael Leo | Attack | Round One, Pick 6
The second-leading point getter for Syracuse this season, Leo has turned in 42 points on 24 goals and 18 assists. He is third on the team in goals and second on assists. The St. Anthony's High School product has two game-winners with one man-up goal and a pair of short handed strikes.
Luke Rhoa | Midfield | Round Two, Pick 16
Arguably one of the top two-handed shooters in the college ranks, Luke Rhoa has amassed 22 goals this season with six assists for 28 points. He leads Syracuse with eight man-up goals as the Potomac, Marylander has also registered two game-winning goals. A shooter from the outside, Rhoa has scored on over 30 percent of his total shots, putting well over half of his total attempts on target.
Joey Spallina | Attack | Round One, Pick 3
Joey Spallina leads the Orange with 60 points and is on the cusp of breaking the program's all-time career points record. He currently has 306 points, one shy of Mike Powell's 307 (2001-04). The Mount Sinai, New York has hit the 60 point mark for a fourth-straight season with his 25 goals and 35 assists. He has two game-winners with one extra-man tally while shooting north of 30 percent. Spallina has scored on nearly half of his shots on goal.
Dante Bowen | SSDM | Round Four, Pick 30
A graduate student from Ohio State University, Bowen shored up the Orange short-stick defensive midfield corps this spring. Playing in all 13 games, Bowen has 13 ground balls and nine caused turnovers, the second most for any player on the team and the most among non-pole players. The Brampton, Ontario, Canada native has two assists on the year, picking up helps in top 20 wins over Georgetown and Virginia.
Syracuse has one final regular season game at the JMA Wireless Dome, hosting longtime local foe Colgate this Saturday. Opening faceoff between the No. 5 Orange and the Raiders is slated for 5 p.m. on ACC Network.
The Orange will honor their senior class in a pregame ceremony at the Dome. Tickets for Saturday's game are available at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets.
With the draft live in Bristol, Connecticut and a team watch party at the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, senior attackman Joey Spallina was the first Syracuse player off the board, going third overall to the Maryland Whipsnakes. Michael Leo followed shortly after with the sixth overall pick by the California Redwoods.
Billy Dwan III went in the second round and 11th overall to the Maryland Whipsnakes while Luke Rhoa was selected with the final pick of the second round by the New York Atlas with the 16th overall pick. Graduate student Dante Bowen was picked 30th overall late in the fourth round by the California Redwoods.
The five draftees mark the largest group of Syracuse players taken in the PLL, besting last year's group of four. The last time Syracuse had five go in the same draft was the 2015 MLL Draft.
Below is a capsule of each players' 2026 season to date.
Billy Dwan III | Defense | Round Two, Pick 11
Nearly tailor made for the Premiere Lacrosse League, Billy Dwan III has seven goals this season and 19 in his career, becoming the program's all-time leading pole goal scorer. Hailing from Lutherville, Maryland, Dwan has 22 ground balls to date with eight caused turnovers as well.
Michael Leo | Attack | Round One, Pick 6
The second-leading point getter for Syracuse this season, Leo has turned in 42 points on 24 goals and 18 assists. He is third on the team in goals and second on assists. The St. Anthony's High School product has two game-winners with one man-up goal and a pair of short handed strikes.
Luke Rhoa | Midfield | Round Two, Pick 16
Arguably one of the top two-handed shooters in the college ranks, Luke Rhoa has amassed 22 goals this season with six assists for 28 points. He leads Syracuse with eight man-up goals as the Potomac, Marylander has also registered two game-winning goals. A shooter from the outside, Rhoa has scored on over 30 percent of his total shots, putting well over half of his total attempts on target.
Joey Spallina | Attack | Round One, Pick 3
Joey Spallina leads the Orange with 60 points and is on the cusp of breaking the program's all-time career points record. He currently has 306 points, one shy of Mike Powell's 307 (2001-04). The Mount Sinai, New York has hit the 60 point mark for a fourth-straight season with his 25 goals and 35 assists. He has two game-winners with one extra-man tally while shooting north of 30 percent. Spallina has scored on nearly half of his shots on goal.
Dante Bowen | SSDM | Round Four, Pick 30
A graduate student from Ohio State University, Bowen shored up the Orange short-stick defensive midfield corps this spring. Playing in all 13 games, Bowen has 13 ground balls and nine caused turnovers, the second most for any player on the team and the most among non-pole players. The Brampton, Ontario, Canada native has two assists on the year, picking up helps in top 20 wins over Georgetown and Virginia.
Syracuse has one final regular season game at the JMA Wireless Dome, hosting longtime local foe Colgate this Saturday. Opening faceoff between the No. 5 Orange and the Raiders is slated for 5 p.m. on ACC Network.
The Orange will honor their senior class in a pregame ceremony at the Dome. Tickets for Saturday's game are available at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets.
Players Mentioned
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