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Four Star Defender Riley Figueiras Commits to Syracuse Lacrosse

Figueiras was committed to Rutgers, but flipped to the Orange.

Mike McAllister

Four Star Defender Riley Figueiras Commits to Syracuse Lacrosse
Four Star Defender Riley Figueiras Commits to Syracuse Lacrosse /

Syracuse men’s lacrosse picked up a commitment from 2022 four star defenseman Riley Figueiras on Wednesday. Figueiras was previously committed to Rutgers, but flipped to join the Orange. Figueiras is a star for St. Johns College High School in Washington, D.C. Figueiras is Syracuse’s 14thcommitment this cycle and joins high school teammates Vincent Trujillo, Luke Rhoa and Billy Dwan in Syracuse’s 2022 class.

A significant weakness to Syracuse’s 2021 squad that was ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was defense. Syracuse now has six defensemen in its 2022 class, highlighted by five star Billy Dwan and now four star Riley Figueiras. Analysts on social media described Figueiras as “cerebral” and “high IQ with an active stick.” The Orange has one of the most talented recruiting classes in the country in the 2022 cycle. That includes the aforementioned defenders as well as the number one player in the class Joey Spallina.

The men’s lacrosse program underwent significant change in the offseason. Gone is legendary head coach John Desko, who retired following the 2021 season. Gary Gait, one of the game’s all-time great players, came over from leading the women’s program to replace Desko as head coach.

The top men’s lacrosse program in the country historically, Syracuse has not performed that way recently. Syracuse has not won an NCAA Tournament game in four years, has not been to a Final Four in eight years and has not won a National Championship in 12 years. The influx of talent along with Gait’s impact should change that.

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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