SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior Matthew Paolatto was named the USILA Faceoff Player of the Year and a first-team All-American to lead six Union men's lacrosse players earning All-American honors for the 2024 season, the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association announced on Thursday morning.
 
In addition to Paolatto's first-team honor, senior Zach Davis and junior Patrick Reilly were named to the USILA second team, sophomore John Sula earned a spot on the third team, and seniors Peter Kip and Dan Donahue earned honorable mention. Paolatto is only the 14th first-team USILA All-American in program history and just the fifth since 1938, while the six honorees are tied for the second-most in program history in a single season.
 
Paolatto, who was previously named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America first team, was recognized as the top faceoff man in Division III after an excellent season that saw him win 71.7 percent (321-of-448) of his draws and grab 199 ground balls to go with six goals and three assists for nine points. The three-time USILA All-American ranked third in Division III in faceoff percentage and seventh in ground balls per game while setting new Union single-season records in both categories. He was a three-time USILA Team of the Week honoree this season and won a season-best 27 faceoffs on 29 attempts in a win over Clarkson University on March 24. In three years playing in Schenectady, Paolatto won 69.2 percent (771-of-1114) of his faceoffs and grabbed 494 ground balls, setting new program career standards in faceoff wins, faceoff percentage and grounders.
 
Davis earns a second straight spot on the USILA All-America second team and also was recently named an All-America honorable mention by USA Lacrosse Magazine. The senior continued to be a mainstay in the midfield during his final season in garnet, leading all Union middies with 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points while also grabbing 28 ground balls and causing five turnovers. He will graduate from Union with 75 goals and 38 assists for 113 points in 62 games over four seasons.
 
Reilly earns his first national honor from the USILA to go with USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America honorable mention. In his first season as a starter, the short-stick midfielder ranked second on the team with 67 ground balls and also caused 11 turnovers to finish fourth on the squad, while also chipping in two goals and three assists. Along with Paolatto and Sula, he played a huge role on the Union faceoff unit that ranked third in Division III at 69.0 percent for the season, and also was a key part of the team's clearing efforts. After missing his rookie season due to injury, Reilly has recorded 88 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers in the first 37 games of his career.
 
Sula also is nationally recognized for the first time, adding third-team USILA honors to his second-team All-America nod from USA Lacrosse Magazine. As a sophomore, the long-stick midfielder ranked second on the team with 13 caused turnovers and finished third among Union players with 55 ground balls, in addition to scoring one goal with two assists. Along with Paolatto and Reilly, he played a huge role on the Union faceoff unit that ranked third in Division III at 69.0 percent for the year. In his first two seasons, Sula has already grabbed 108 grounders and caused 27 turnovers in 36 games.
  
Donahue earns a third straight USILA All-America honorable mention after another solid season in the cage as a senior. He started all 18 games with an 11.83 goals against average and .528 save percentage, leading the Liberty League in saves per game (12.5). In four years at Union, Donahue won a program-record 44 games and boasts three of the top-six single-season save totals in program history, finishing his time in garnet second all-time with 793 saves.
 
Kip earns a second straight USILA All-America honorable mention after leading Union in scoring with 46 goals and 23 assists for 69 points to go with 24 ground balls in 18 games. He finished the season fifth in the Liberty League in goals and seventh in points, while also ranking sixth in single-season goals and ninth in single-season points in program history. With one season to go, Kip is 10 goals and 13 points away from cracking Union's all-time top-10 with 95 goals and 47 assists for 142 points in 65 contests.
 
As a team, Union posted a 12-6 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season under fifth-year head coach Derek Witheford '11, continuing a string of consecutive national rankings that dates back to 2019 and is the fourth-longest active streak in Division III.