LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East has announced its 2026 Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference Teams and Major Award winners. The two All-Conference teams are each made up of three attack, three midfielders, three defenders, one short-stick midfielder, one long-stick midfielder, one faceoff specialist and one goalkeeper. The conference also awarded its Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and its Coach of the Year.
Major Award Winners
Co-Offensive Player of the Year - Elliot Dotson (Penn College)
Co-Offensive Player of the Year - Gavin McKay (St. Mary's College of Maryland)
Defensive Player of the Year - Joe Szymanski (St. Mary's College of Maryland)
Rookie of the Year - Ryder Palubinski (Penn College)
Coach of the Year - Jordan Williams (Penn College)
Dotson collected his second Offensive Player of the Year award in as many seasons. The Wilmington, Del., native ranked second in the conference with 4.95 points per game while his 2.37 goals per game were tied for fifth. Dotson poured in 45 goals and 49 assists, falling just one point shy of tying is single-season program record. He recorded a hat-trick on nine separate occasions during the 2026 campaign. Against conference opponents, Dotson tallied 16 points on eight goals and eight assists. For his efforts, Dotson earned two Offensive Player of the Week selections this season.
McKay racked up 76 points on 47 goals and 29 assists to lead the Seahawk offense in all three categories this season. The Urbana, Md., native finished fourth in the conference with 2.47 goals per game while his 4.0 points per game sits fifth in the league. He registered at least two goals in each of the first 12 games, while his hat-trick in the conference semifinal against Cairn helped the Seahawks reach their fifth consecutive conference final. McKay was also a two-time Offensive Player of the Week selection during the 2026 season.
Joe Szymanski earned his second straight Defensive Player of the Year nod as the senior led a defensive unit that ranked 13th in the country with 753 ground balls and 43rd in scoring defense by limiting opponents to just 8.63 points per game. Szymanski recorded a conference-high 32 caused turnovers per contest and scooped 92 loose balls. He earned Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors on four separate occasions throughout the season.
Palubinski continued the string of Penn College newcomers to earn the Rookie of the Year award for the third consecutive season, joining Aidan McFalls (2024) and Dotson (2025). The freshman long-stick midfielder caused five turnovers and scooped up 24 ground balls for the Wildcats defense while also scoring one goal and three assists in his freshman campaign.
In his sixth year leading the program from the beginning, Williams collected his second conference Coach of the Year honor. Williams guided his team to their third consecutive United East Championship. The Wildcats offense ranked among the nation's best with a top-5 mark of 215 assists and sixth nationally with 530 points on the season. Williams led the Wildcats to their second consecutive 14-win season while also guiding Dotson to his second Player of the Year honor and Palubinski as Rookie of the Year this season.
Check out all of the All-Conference members below:
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Position |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
| Attack |
Elliot Dotson |
Penn College |
| Attack |
Gavin McKay |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Attack |
Owen Kupsey |
Penn College |
| Midfield |
Aidan McFalls |
Penn College |
| Midfield |
Will Ehret |
Penn College |
| Midfield |
Owen Wynot |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Defense |
Joe Szymanski |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Defense |
Adam Martin |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Defense |
Ben Malarkey |
Penn College |
| SSM |
Will Hock |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| LSM |
Ryder Palubinski |
Penn College |
| Faceoff Specialist |
Matteo Ciccarello |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Goalkeeper |
Ryan Twist |
Penn College |
| Goalkeeper |
Ty Spencer |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Position |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
| Attack |
Luke Amberman |
University of Pitt-Bradford |
| Attack |
Joshua Martel |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Attack |
Declan Horton |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Midfield |
Ethan Smelcer |
Cairn University |
| Midfield |
Sam Kemp |
University of Pitt-Bradford |
| Midfield |
Tyler Diffenderfer |
Penn College |
| Defense |
Ian Stambaugh |
Penn College |
| Defense |
Alex Arno |
University of Pitt-Bradford |
| Defense |
Bret Hussey |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| SSM |
Jake Small |
Penn College |
| LSM |
Cooper Dunwoody |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
| Faceoff Specialist |
Antonio Santora |
Penn College |
| Goalkeeper |
Hunter Shank |
University of Pitt-Bradford |
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The United East boasts 14 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.