Cavaliers Now

Virginia Lacrosse Alums Lighting Up the PLL With the New York Atlas

With UVA alums Connor Shellenberger, Xander Dickson, and Dox Aitken leading the charge, the "Virginia Atlas" have taken over as the best team in the Premier Lacrosse League.

Matt Newton

Xander Dickson, Connor Shellenberger and Dox Aitken celebrate after the New York Atlas defeated the Carolina Chaos in Charlotte.
Xander Dickson, Connor Shellenberger and Dox Aitken celebrate after the New York Atlas defeated the Carolina Chaos in Charlotte. / The Lacrosse Network

The Virginia men's lacrosse program has returned to the pinnacle of the sport since Lars Tiffany became head coach in 2016, winning two national titles and going to four Final Fours in the last seven seasons. A less discussed aspect of UVA's success as a program under Tiffany is the way the Cavaliers have taken over professional lacrosse in recent years.

In the six-year history of the PLL College Draft, Virginia has had 11 players selected, including at least one first-round pick in every draft. UVA is the only college program with seven first-round draft picks all-time. Three of the five PLL Champions have had a Cavalier on the roster.

This summer, Virginia's takeover of the Premier Lacrosse League has reached new heights, as the best team in the sport is fueled by an offense littered with former Cavaliers.

Perhaps the best to ever wear the Virginia uniform, Connor Shellenberger wasted no time at all in becoming an unstoppable force at the professional level. In his PLL debut just one week after Championship Weekend, Shellenberger matched the league record with eight points in a 19-12 victory for the New York Atlas over the Boston Cannons.

The No. 2 overall pick is currently second in the league in points with 18, third in goals with nine, and tied for first in shooting percentage at 60%. Shellenberger has done all that while playing in only three of his team's four games so far. In his most recent game, Shellenberger registered seven points on four goals and three assists to lead the Atlas to a 20-15 victory over the California Redwoods.

While Shellenberger has been putting up video game numbers and making himself an early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, the most exciting part of his first month in the PLL has been his reunion with former UVA teammates. The Atlas selected Xander Dickson in the second round of the 2023 PLL College Draft and when they selected Shellenberger the next year, they paired a player who set the UVA single-season goals record with the player who assisted on many of those goals. Shellenberger and Dickson have had no trouble reestablishing their prolific connection while wearing a lighter shade of blue at the professional level.

Former UVA midfielder Dox Aitken was drafted by the Atlas in the first round in 2021, but after a couple of seasons in the PLL, Aitken spent 2023 away from the sport as he tried to make a run at the NFL. It was announced shortly before the 2024 PLL season that Aitken would be returning to the Atlas this summer and he hasn't skipped a beat, scoring nine goals in the first four games.

Phil Shore of USA Lacrosse Magazine wrote a story on Aitken's journey and return to the sport this summer. Read it here: Dox Aitken Turning NFL 'Fail' Into Career-Best Pro Lacrosse Season

Aitken and Shellenberger have also revitalized their connection as former Virginia teammates. (This was a pass, right?)

With current MVP frontrunner Jeff Teat seemingly having unlocked a superhero version of himself while playing alongside these former Wahoos on offense, the Atlas are crushing the competition this summer and sitting firmly atop the standings at 4-0. And they might still be getting better. The NCAA's all-time leading goal scorer Payton Cormier signed with the Atlas as an undrafted free agent (not sure how the rest of the PLL let that happen) and after missing the first few weeks of the season while getting his visa approved to work in the United States as a Canadian, Cormier has finally been placed on the active roster. That will give the New York Atlas, or should I say, the Virginia Atlas, four offensive players who were on the 2021 UVA men's lacrosse team that captured the national championship.

The Atlas are one of only two teams who have played four games this season, but their offense is producing at a record pace. Look no further than the PLL's current individual statistical rankings below for evidence of how Jeff Teat and his cohort of Cavaliers are taking over the Premier Lacrosse League this summer:

Points
1. Jeff Teat (Atlas) - 30
2. Connor Shellenberger (Atlas) - 18
3. Xander Dickson (Atlas) - 15
4. Michael Sowers (Waterdogs) - 14
5. Asher Nolting (Cannons) - 13

1pt Goals
1. Xander Dickson (Atlas) - 13
2. Jeff Teat (Atlas) - 12
T3. Connor Shellenberger (Atlas) - 9
T3. Dox Aitken (Atlas) - 9
5. Connor Fields (Archers) - 8

Scoring Points
1. Xander Dickson (Atlas) - 13
2. Jeff Teat (Atlas) - 12
T3. Connor Shellenberger (Atlas) - 9
T3. Mac O'Keefe (Archers) - 9
T3. Brennan O'Neill (Outlaws) - 9

Assists
1. Jeff Teat (Atlas) - 18
2. Asher Nolting (Cannons) - 10
3. Connor Shellenberger (Atlas) - 9
4. Josh Byrne (Chaos) - 8
5. Michael Sowers (Waterdogs) - 7

Shooting %
T1. Connor Shellenberger (Atlas) - 60%
T1. Tre Leclaire (Archers) - 60%
3. Xander Dickson (Atlas) - 54.2%
T4. Sergio Perkovic (Chaos) - 50%
T4. Zac Tucci (Cannons) - 50%

The New York Atlas aren't the only lacrosse club benefiting greatly from UVA alums. Ryan Conrad, who has won championships at essentially every level of lacrosse, including the 2022 PLL Championship with the Waterdogs and the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship with Team USA, is still proving to be a winner at the highest level. Conrad has tallied four goals and an assist through three games, including this clutch finish off a dish from Michael Sowers to tie the game against the Cannons with eight-tenths of a second remaining.

Additionally, former UVA attackman Zedd Williams has seven points on four 1-point goals, one 2-point goal, and one assist in three games for the Maryland Whipsnakes and Charlie Bertrand had three goals and one assist in two games for the Redwoods.

The PLL is set to come to Minneapolis this weekend and all eight teams will be in action on Friday and Saturday
Friday at 7pm (ESPN+): New York Atlas vs. Maryland Whipsnakes
Friday at 9:30pm (ESPN)+): Boston Cannons vs. Utah Archers
Saturday at 6pm (ESPN2): California Redwoods vs. Denver Outlaws
Saturday at 8:30pm (ESPN+): Philadelphia Waterdogs vs. Carolina Chaos

Published
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.