Cavaliers Now

Virginia Lacrosse Leads All Schools With Six Alums on PLL Players Top 50

Matt Newton

The Lacrosse Network

The Premier Lacrosse League unveiled its "Players Top 50" for the 2024 season, a ranking of the top 50 players in the league as voted on by the players. For the first time since the inception of the PLL, the Virginia men's lacrosse program led all schools with six selections to the Top 50. There were six former Cavaliers named to the Players Top 50 this year, up from three former Wahoos on the 2023 Players Top 50.

Matt Moore dropped six spots, but still made the list in the final spot at No. 50. He missed some time with injuries, but tallied 10 points on four goals, one two-point goal, and four assists in the 2024 PLL season. Moore showed once again that he plays his best lacrosse when it matters most, recording two goals and an assist in the PLL title game to help the Utah Archers beat the Maryland Whipsnakes to win their second-straight PLL Championship. Moore finished his UVA career as the program's all-time leader in career points (277), second in goals (143), and fifth in assists (134) and won two national titles in his time in Charlottesville.

Jared Conners entered the Players Top 50 for the first time in his professional career, going from unranked to No. 41. After getting traded from the Archers to the California Redwoods during the offseason, Conners posted three points on two goals and one assist from the LSM position and also registered 33 ground balls and four caused turnovers. Conners was the 2021 Most Outstanding Midfielder, a two-time USILA First-Team All-American, and is UVA's all-time points leader among long poles with 35 career points.

Connor Shellenberger made his debut in the Players Top 50 at No. 35 after a solid rookie season, recording 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists. He reunited with former UVA teammates Xander Dickson and Dox Aitken and helped the New York Atlas to the best record in the PLL in the regular season. Of course, Shellenberger's UVA resume is legendary: 2021 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Virginia's only three-time Tewaaraton Finalist and only four-time USILA First-Team All-American, UVA's all-time leader in points (323), the ACC's all-time leader in assists (192), and the NCAA Tournament's all-time leader in points (67).

Xander Dickson entered the Top 50 at No. 33 in his second season in the PLL. He scored 30 points (up from 20 as a rookie) and 24 goals (up from 14 as a rookie) and also had six assists and 14 ground balls. Dickson was the first player to ever score 60 goals in a season at Virginia and ended his UVA career with 113 goals.

Continuing the pipeline from the UVA lacrosse program to the New York Atlas to the Players Top 50, Dox Aitken came in at No. 25 from unranked last year. Aitken opted out of the 2023 PLL season as he pursued a career in the NFL, but then returned in a big way this summer, posting career-highs in points (16), goals (15) and ground balls (16). Aitken was a five-time Inside Lacrosse All-American and finished his career as UVA's all-time leader in points (176) and goals (138) from the midfield position.

Finally, Zed Williams moved up from No. 20 to No. 15 after registering 31 points and 26 goals (most since 2019) on 35% shooting (best since 2017). He also added three assists and 14 ground balls. Last week, Williams was traded from the Maryland Whipsnakes to the Philadelphia Waterdogs, where he'll join another former Wahoo Thomas McConvey. Williams was a two-time USILA All-American in his time at UVA, which spanned the end of the Dom Starsia era of Virginia lacrosse and the beginning of Lars tiffany's tenure in Charlottesville.

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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.