O’Neill Named ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year; 25 Earn All-ACC Academic Team Honor

Brennan O'Neill dodges against Notre Dame in NCAA title game

Photo by: Duke Athletics

O’Neill Named ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year; 25 Earn All-ACC Academic Team Honor

6/22/2023 2:01:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

DURHAM – The awards continue to roll in for Duke's Brennan O'Neill as the attackman was named the 2023 ACC Men's Lacrosse Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year to headline the All-ACC Academic Team. Twenty-five Blue Devils overall garnered spots on the squad.

O'Neill shares the honor with Virginia's Connor Shellenberger as he becomes the sixth Blue Devil to capture the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year recognition since it was first awarded in 2008 and the first since Justin Guterding in 2018. He joins Max Quinzani, CJ Costabile, Brendan Fowler, Jordan Wolf and Guterding on the list. Duke owns the most ACC Men's Lacrosse Scholar-Athletes of the Year with Virginia coming in second at four.

Charles Balsamo, Henry Bard, Keith Boyer, Kenny Brower, Tyler Carpenter, Griffin Catlett, Jake Caputo, Owen Caputo, Aidan Danenza, Will Frisoli, Jack Gray, William Helm, Jadon Kerry, Cole Krauss, Garrett Leadmon, Aidan Maguire, Andrew McAdorey, Jake Naso, Charlie O'Connor, Brennan O'Neill, Jack Pappendick, Tommy Schelling, Wilson Stephenson, Dyson Williams and Jamie Zusi all earned the academic recognition.

The 2023 Tewaaraton Award winner as the nation's most outstanding player, O'Neill had a banner season for the Blue Devils. The second player in Duke history to win the USILA Raymond J. Enners Most Outstanding Player award, O'Neill led the talented Blue Devils' attack with 97 points from 55 goals and 42 assists in 2023. He ranked fifth nationally in points per game (5.11) and was first overall in points scored. O'Neill was the lone Division I player to rank in the top 20 in goals, (2.89), assists (2.21) and points (5.11) per game this season.

O'Neill's name is peppered through the Duke record book. The Bay Shore, N.Y., native did it all for the Blue Devils, ranking first on the team in assists and second in goals. His 55 goals are tied for 11th on Duke's single-season chart, while his 42 assists are tied with Danowski at eighth on the single-season list. The 97 points are tied for fourth at Duke and in ACC single-season history.

In Duke's run to Championship Weekend, O'Neill scored seven goals and four assists for 11 points. He netted six goals and an assist in a dominant performance versus Michigan in the NCAA quarterfinals. In the NCAA semifinal and final, the St. Anthony's product had four goals and two assists for six points to earn NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition.

O'Neill enters the 2024 season on a 28-game goal scoring streak, registering 88 goals in that stretch. He is one of 14 Division I players to have scored a goal in at least 15 straight games. The fastest player in Duke history to score 100 goals, O'Neill has played in 52 career games and owns 153 goals and 73 assists for 226 career points. He ranks eighth in career goals, ninth in career points and 16th in career assists. His is on pace to become the sixth player in Duke history to rank in the top 10 in career goals, assists and points.

The Blue Devils captured the 2023 ACC title with a 5-1 overall record and finished the season at 16-3. Duke advanced to its seventh NCAA title game and 14th Championship Weekend before falling to Notre Dame, 13-9, in the NCAA Championship game.

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award was established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. In addition, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of their team's contests.

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