28 UNC Men’s Lacrosse Players Earn ACC Academic Honor Roll Accolades

Patrick McCormick and Brian Balkam were two of 28 Tar Heels named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2016-17.

Photo by: Peyton Williams

28 UNC Men’s Lacrosse Players Earn ACC Academic Honor Roll Accolades

July 13, 2017 | Men's Lacrosse

Senior Mark Rizzo makes team a fifth time.

By: Dave Lohse

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A record 385 North Carolina student-athletes have been named to the 2016-17 Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll, announced last week by the league. It's the second year in a row and the fourth time in the past five years that UNC has established a new high and the fifth year in a row that more than 300 Tar Heel student-athletes have been honored.

Coach Joe Breschi's North Carolina men's lacrosse team was responsible for 28 of the 385 Tar Heels on the Honor Roll. Fifty-six percent of the team's 50 members were tapped for the Honor Roll. The ACC champion 2017 Tar Heels placed four more members on the team than the outstanding number of 24 tapped from 2016's NCAA championship squad.

Overall, the 2016-17 school year honorees included freshman Justin Anderson, senior Brian Balkam, sophomore Alex Bassil, sophomore Bug Carper, freshman Tanner Cook, junior Matt Cunningham, redshirt sophomore Mike D'Alessandro, senior Luke Goldstock, junior Riley Graham, sophomore Jack Halpert, sophomore Cole Haverty, senior Stephen Kelly, sophomore Timmy Kelly, senior Peyton Klawinski, senior Jack Lambert, freshman Patrick Lyons, freshman Cam Macri, redshirt junior Ryan Macri, junior Kyle Mathie, sophomore Andy Matthews, junior Patrick McCormick, sophomore Michael Nathan, senior Austin Pifani, redshirt sophomore Jordan Prysko, redshirt senior Mark Rizzo, freshman Tyler Seminetta, sophomore Kevin Walker and senior Luke Walsh.

"We're very proud of our student-athletes' achievement and the improvement they continue to make," UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said. "It takes so much dedication and hard work to achieve academically while balancing the demands of a varsity sport, and all of us applaud the 385 Tar Heels who have earned this honor. To have set a record two years in a row is phenomenal. Congratulations to all of these students."

The ACC Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the full academic year. The conference recognized a record 4,472 student-athletes for their hard work in the classroom.

UNC's record total marked an improvement of 29 over last year, when the Tar Heels had an all-time high of 356 students honored. Carolina had 339 recognized in 2014-15, following a then-record 347 in 2013-14. UNC's total in 2012-13, 329, was also a record at the time.

Six Tar Heels earned the honor for the fifth time. They are RJ Alowonle (men's track & field), Emma Bozek (field hockey), Carly Davis (women's lacrosse), Sarah Howard (women's track & field), Joey Mangili (football) and Mark Rizzo (men's lacrosse).

Earning the honor for the fourth time are Alexis Amato (rowing), Ezra Baeli-Wang (men's fencing), Davis Bateman (men's golf), Josh Beals (men's swimming & diving), Kristy Bernatchez (field hockey), Joanna Boyles (women's soccer), Hayley Carter (women's tennis), Christian Caveness (men's swimming & diving), Abigail Curry (volleyball), Abby Fisher (women's swimming & diving), Emily Godwin (women's track & field), Michael Gopman Slonim (men's fencing), Sydney Holman (women's lacrosse), Caty Hulsey (women's swimming & diving), Stephen Kelly (men's lacrosse), Katie Kinsey (women's lacrosse), Peyton Klawinski (men's lacrosse), Amanda Lalezarian (women's fencing), Jack Lambert (men's lacrosse), Ryan Macri (men's lacrosse), Zachary Martin (men's golf), Sophie McCoy (women's golf), Darcy McFarlane (women's soccer), Katie McKay (women's swimming & diving), Kayla Miles (women's lacrosse), Katie Munch (women's swimming & diving), Sam Night (field hockey), Jack Nyquist (men's swimming & diving), Lucas Popp (men's swimming & diving), Patrick Riess (men's swimming & diving), Ronnie Schneider (men's tennis), Austin Vegas (men's track & field) and Julia Young (field hockey).

The number of UNC students honored for 2016-17 is roughly half of Carolina's total number of student-athletes and is an improvement of about 100 student-athletes over the past decade.

UNC's ACC Academic Honor Roll totals over the past decade:
385 in 2016-17
356 in 2015-16
339 in 2014-15
347 in 2013-14
329 in 2012-13
290 in 2011-12
247 in 2010-11
262 in 2009-10
274 in 2008-09
286 in 2007-08