Barbetti and Paltauf Selected to Play in NEILA East/West Senior All-Star Game, Cullen to Coach West Team
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Seniors Sam Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) and Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team have been selected to compete in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) East/West Senior All-Star Game, which will be held on Friday, June 7, at Bayside Field on the campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, at 7:00 p.m. In addition, USJ associate head coach Will Cullen was chosen as a coach of the West Team.
2024 NEILA EAST/WEST SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME ROSTERS
Both Barbetti and Paltauf will play on Cullen's West All-Star Team. The selections mark the second time in program history and the second consecutive year that Blue Jays were selected for the NEILA Senior All-Star Game. The duo will also be two of seven players representing the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) at the event.
Barbetti had a breakout year in his senior season, posting 28 points of 25 goals and three assists. As the primary face-off man for the Blue Jays, Barbetti went 118-232 at the "X" on the season. He was also a force defensively, corraling a team-best 109 ground balls and causing a team-high 35 turnovers. Paltauf enjoyed a stellar 2024 campaign becoming the first player in USJ men's lacrosse history to earn USA Lacrosse All-America honors after being named an Honorable Mention. This past season, he recorded a program-high 81 points off a record breaking 61 assists and 20 goals to lift the Blue Jays to the programs first GNAC Championship. In addition to being named an All-American, Paltuaf received a spot on the All-GNAC Second Team.
The NEILA East/West Senior All-Star Game consists of 46 players across NCAA Divisions I, II and III. All players were nominated by head coaches within the NEILA. Players were then ranked and selected by a committee, awarding seniors from all three NCAA Divisions who played their college career in the New England region with a spot in the event.
The NEILA East-West game also gives assistant coaches from some of the top programs each year the opportunity to take the reins as the coaching staff of each team. Coaches are also nominated by head coaches who are members of the NEILA.
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