Cavaliers Now

Shellenberger and Kastner Earn ACC Lacrosse Weekly Honors

Connor Shellenberger was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week and Cole Kastner was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week

Matt Newton

Photos courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

After defeating No. 11 North Carolina 15-11 in Chapel Hill last Thursday, Virginia swept the ACC weekly lacrosse awards as Connor Shellenberger was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week and Cole Kastner was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. 

Shellenberger recorded his tenth-consecutive game with at least five points as he tallied four goals and three assists for a game-high total of seven points to lead the Cavaliers over the Tar Heels. The redshirt sophomore is currently leading the country with 4.17 assists per game and is second in the nation with 6.67 points per game. 

Cole Kastner, who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week last week after causing a career-high five turnovers against Johns Hopkins, earned the award for a second-consecutive week as he led the UVA defensive unit to a smothering second-half performance at UNC on Thursday. The Virginia defense held North Carolina scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the second half, including a shutout third quarter, and allowed just one Tar Heel goal in the entire second half. Kastner was tasked with guarding Chris Gray, the ACC's leading goal scorer, and held Gray to a season-low one goal scored in the game. 

This is the second week in a row that multiple Cavaliers have garnered weekly ACC lacrosse awards, as Payton Cormier was Co-Offensive Player of the Week with Chris Gray last week alongside Kastner as the Defensive Player of the Week. 

Virginia (6-0) plays No. 1 Maryland (6-0) in a rematch of last year's National Championship Game on Saturday at 3pm at Audi Field in Washington D.C. 

See more Virginia men's lacrosse news and content: Virginia Men's Lacrosse on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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