NEW YORK - On the eve of the 2026 BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championship presented by JEEP, the league announced the regular season award winners and All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams.
 
Georgetown, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and BIG EAST regular season champion, earned four major awards – Rory Connor was unanimously named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, Ty Banks was selected as unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, Jake Bickel Freshman of the Year honors, and Georgetown’s staff, led by head coach Kevin Warne, was honored as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Rounding out the major awards, Denver’s Grayson Manning was announced as the unanimous BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, while Villanova’s Long Stick Midfielder Jake Melchionni garnered Specialist of the Year.
 
Connor, a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team, capped conference play averaging 4.40 points per game, tallying 19 goals and dishing out three assists in five league games. He led the conference with 3.80 goals per game in league play and 4.0 goals per game overall.  Overall, he ranks second in the nation through 12 contests averaging 4.0 goals per game, capping the regular season with 48 goals, 11 assists and 59 points. He ranks seventh nationally with 4.92 points per game.
 
Anchoring the Georgetown back line, Banks captured BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year accolades for the second straight season and was a unanimous selection on the All-BIG EAST First Team. The junior All-American capped the regular season with 15 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls in 11 games. As a team, Georgetown has limited opponents to just 9.83 goals per game, ranking 15^th nationally, including a league best just 7.4 goals against in five conference games.
 
In his second season, Manning has been named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST member. The Denver netminder led the Pioneers with a top five scoring defense nationally, ranking fifth with just 8.54 goals against per game in regular season action. Individually, he leads the nation with a .616 save percentage, making 175 saves against just 109 goals allowed. He ranks fifth nationally with 13.46 saves per game, surpassing double digit saves in 12 out of 13 contests. He opened the season with seven saves and zero goals allowed in a 20-1 win over Cleveland State on Jan. 31.
 
Villanova’s Melchionni earned Specialist of the Year honors for the second straight season, after capping the regular season with three goals, two assists, 32 caused turnovers and 62 ground balls. In five league games, he tallied a league best 2.80 caused turnovers per game, along with 4.0 ground balls per contest. Overall, he ranks fourth nationally with 2.46 caused turnovers per contest.
 
Warne and his staff won Coaching Staff of the Year honors after capping league play with a perfect 5-0 record and plus-7.8 per game margin of victory. The Hoyas have secured the No. 1 overall seed in the BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep.
 
In addition to the regular season major awards, the BIG EAST also released its 2026 First and Second teams.
 
The All-BIG EAST First Team and Second Team included votes for a goalkeeper, two specialty players and 10 at-large players on each.
 
Seven players were unanimous selections for the First Team. The teams and awards are voted on by the conference’s six head coaches who are not allowed to cast ballots for their own team.
 
For a full list of the honorees see below.
 
2026 Men’s Lacrosse All-BIG EAST Teams and Regular Season Awards
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Rory Connor, Georgetown, A *
 
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Ty Banks, Georgetown, D *
 
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Grayson Manning, Denver, G *
 
BIG EAST Specialist of the Year
Jake Melchionni, Villanova, LSM
 
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Jake Bickel, Georgetown, M
 
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Georgetown
 
All-BIG EAST First Team
Grayson Manning, Denver, G *
Russell Overly, Denver, D
Ty Banks, Georgetown, D *
Liam Connor, Georgetown, A *
Rory Connor, Georgetown, A *
Carsen Brandt, Marquette, A
Nolan Rappis, Marquette, A *
Rhett Chambers, Providence, M *
Richie Joseph, Providence, A
Ian Olenik, Providence, LSM
David Evanchick, Villanova, D
Jake Melchionni, Villanova, LSM *
Luke Raymond, Villanova, A
 
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Cody Malawsky, Denver, A
Gordon Reynolds, Denver, D
Marek Tzagournis, Denver, A
Jake Bickel, Georgetown, M
Evan MacFarland, Georgetown, LSM
Kevin Miller, Georgetown, M
Anderson Moore, Georgetown, G
Robert Plath, Georgetown, D
Peter Detwiler, Marquette, SSDM
Noah Plenn, St. John's, A
George Glomb, Villanova, FOS
Nick Lucchesi, Villanova, M
Colin Michener, Villanova, A
 
*Unanimous Vote