Men's Lacrosse named 2026 USILA Scholar All-America team; four Polar Bears earn individual Scholar All-America honors

Men's Lacrosse named 2026 USILA Scholar All-America team; four Polar Bears earn individual Scholar All-America honors
July 7, 2026

By Mallory Meister

| 2026 USILA D3 Scholar All-Americans |

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's lacrosse team earned the Academic Team Award from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association for 2026, and had four players become USILA Scholar All-Americans.

This marks the seventh time in the past eight years that at least one Polar Bear has won the honor.

It is the fifth time that ONU has received the team award.

Senior J.D. Hale (West Chester/Lakota West), a midfielder and construction management major, was second on the team in goals with 27 and had 32 total points.

In four years at ONU, he's scored 48 goals, dished 7 assists, and had a SH% of 30.8.

Senior Luke Ferro (Bethesda, Md./Chevy Chase), a short-stick defensive midfielder and finance major, scored 7 goals, dished out 2 assists, grabbed 27 ground balls, and caused 10 turnovers in 2026.

In 65 career games, he's fielded 61 ground balls, caused 17 turnovers, scored 8 goals, and passed out 7 assists.

Senior Rudy DeFilippis (Plains, N.Y./White Plains), the defender and pharmaceutical and healthcare business major, started all 21 games, caused 12 turnovers, and fielded 27 ground balls.

In four years at ONU, he grabbed 48 ground balls and caused 16 turnovers.

Senior Nathan Flynn (Springboro), the midfielder and mechanical engineering major, recorded 21 goals, 7 assists, and 26 ground balls this season.

In 78 career games played, he has fielded 95 ground balls, caused 16 turnovers, scored 48 goals, and thrown 30 assists. 

These players now join former Ohio Northern standouts Ian Roy (2025) Cole Zaferakis (2024), John Lynn (2024), Bennett Michel (2024), Ben Wilson (2024), Brian Dalidowicz (2022), Joe O'Connell (2021), Cameron Marous (2020), and Jackson Pfister (2019) to have won the award.

The Polar Bears posted a 14-7 overall record in 2026 with an OAC record of 7-1. They won the program's second OAC Tournament to become back-to-back champions en route to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.