(Photo Courtesy of Utah Athletics)

The 2023 college lacrosse season has come to an end and thus it is time to take a look back at the season that was. Over the next few weeks, Lacrosse Bucket will be taking a look back at the season had in each of the 10 conferences.

Each of theses conference reviews will name a team that shined, a team that surprised or took a step forward, and a team that didn’t meet expectations. Each review will also name a player of the year, freshman of the year, a player that broke out the most, and a game of the year.

This conference review series gets underway today with a look at the ASUN.

Shining Star: Utah Utes

Year six proved to be the best in program history for the Utah Utes as Andrew McMinn led them to an ASUN title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in just his second season in Salt Lake City. The Utes went unscathed in league play, which included decisive wins over Air Force and Jacksonville just days apart.

Utah’s banner season was headlined by its offense which ended the season second in DI in goals per game (16.12). The stellar attack line of Jordan Hyde (49G/8A), Tyler Bradbury (

Breakout Team: Bellarmine Knights

It was a record-breaking season in Louisville as Andy Whitley’s squad put together the best season in Bellarmine history. The Knights basically rewrote the program record book along the way. Bellarmine went 11-6 overall and 5-4 in ASUN play. The Knights beat Mercer 14-13 in the ASUN quarterfinals for the program’s first postseason win before falling to Utah in the semifinals.

The Knights were headlined by a Kyle Playsted-led offense that averaged 13.7 goals per game as the 18th best scoring offense in college lacrosse.

Underachiever: Robert Morris Colonials

I considered both Jacksonville and Robert Morris for this spot and honestly either would make sense. However, I ultimately went with the Colonials as they have been the more consistent competitor of the two. In the second year of the Craig McDonald era and coming off the program’s third conference title in four full seasons, the Colonials had its worst season since the mid-2010s as they went 8-8 (4-5 ASUN).

As the host of the ASUN tournament, Robert Morris did upset Jacksonville in the first round. However, they were blow out in the semifinals by Air Force.

Player of The Year: Brandon Dodd, A, Air Force

A consistent playmaker all of his career, Dodd continued to shine through his final season in Colorado Springs. He led the Falcons with 75 points off 41 goals and 34 assists. He ranked 17th in DI in assists per game (2.12) and 13th in points per game (4.69).

Freshman of The Year: Ryan Stines, A, Utah

The redshirt freshman showed up big time for the Utes this past season as he tallied 49 points off 38 goals and 11 assists.

Breakout Player of The Year: Christian Della Rocco, A, Bellarmine

Della Rocco had his best season in Louisville in 2023 as a junior. He helped lead Bellarmine to its best season ever. He ended the year with 60 points off 50 goals and 10 assists. Della Rocco ranked 16th nationally in goals per game.

Game of The Year: Bellarmine vs Air Force

Having seen this one in person may have swayed by decision here but it is undeniable that the Knights’ 11-10 defeat of the Falcons in early April was one of the best games of the season in the ASUN. Air Force took the early 2-0 lead and neither side would gain more than a four-goal lead. The goalie battle between Air Force’s Jason Rose and Bellarmine’s Dante Batista was fantastic and it was a massive Batista save on Luke Vrsansky with 31 seconds left that secure the game for the Knights.