Army West Point Athletics
Four Black Knights Named to 2025 Tewaaraton Award Top-25 Finalist List
April 17, 2025 | Men's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The No. 4-ranked Army West Point men's lacrosse (10-1, 5-1 Patriot League) team has seen contributions from up and down their roster this season, an effort highlighted by four members of the squad earning places among the top 25 finalists for the 2025 Tewaaraton Award. AJ Pilate, Evan Plunkett, Sean Byrne, and Jackson Eicher represent the Black Knights on the condensed list.
The Tewaaraton Award is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female college lacrosse players in the United States and is considered the sport's premier individual honor. The Black Knights lead the charge with four athletes on the top-25 list and stands as the only men's program to place a representative on the list from every position.
AJ Pilate | Senior | Defense | Massapequa, N.Y.
AJ Pilate was listed to the initial 2025 Tewaaraton Award Watch List along with Evan Plunkett and Will Coletti in February. Pilate has been a cornerstone in Army's nation-leading defense, helping Army hold opponents to a combined 72 goals this season with a 6.55 goals-allowed average as a team. The Black Knights hold their opponents to an average of 32.4 total shots per game and to a combined .829 clear percentage rate. Pilate himself has tallied a tied for team-third 36 ground balls and a team-second 17 caused turnovers this season, adding a goal to his stat line at Lehigh.
Evan Plunkett | Senior | Midfield | Roswell, Ga.
Evan Plunkett, an initial selection to the 2025 Tewaaraton Award Watch List in February, has been a key piece of Army's dominance in the neutral zone this season while also positioning himself as an offensive threat to opposing teams. Plunkett currently stands fourth on the team in goals with 14 and fourth in total points with 24. A pillar of strength in the midfield, Plunkett has helped Army generate a .877 clear percentage with 250 completed clears this season. With 117 caused turnovers as a team, Army stands seventh in the nation with 10.64 caused turnovers per game.
Sean Byrne | Junior | Goalkeeper | Acworth, Ga.
Sean Byrne, the stalwart anchor to a dominant Army defense this season, was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List in the first round of additions in early March. Byrne has continually led the nation in save percentage (6.41) and goals-against average (6.49) and helped guided the Black Knights to lead the nation in goals against (72), scoring defense (6.55), and scoring margin (6.91), as well as to standing tied for second overall in win percentage with a .909 win percentage for the season. Byrne has helped the Black Knights hold opponents to ten goals or less in nine of their 11 games this season with six of those wins seeing opponents score five goals or less. As Army's primary goalkeeper, Byrne has tallied 118 saves against 316 total shots faced this season, pushing him up to 204 career saves.
Jackson Eicher | Senior | Attack | Warrenton, Va.
Jackson Eicher has been a looming presence in Army's offensive lineup all season for the Black Knights, haunting opposing teams' doorsteps and racking up a whopping 38 goals this season to earn his place among the Top-25 Finalists for the 2025 Tewaaraton Award. With Eicher's second in the nation 3.45 goals per game average leading the way, Army has out-scored its opponents 148-72 with a nation-leading 6.91 scoring margin. The senior attackman has tallied 38 goals and 25 assists this season for a total of 63 points, good for the third highest points-per-game (5.73) tally in the nation. Eicher has been an elite scorer in Army's offense, logging seven hat tricks with three performances this season featuring at least five goals.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights will return home to Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. to take on the Bucknell Bison on Saturday, April 19th at 12:00p.m. ET for Senior Day. Fans can catch the action on ESPN+ or follow along with the live stats here.
The Tewaaraton Award is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female college lacrosse players in the United States and is considered the sport's premier individual honor. The Black Knights lead the charge with four athletes on the top-25 list and stands as the only men's program to place a representative on the list from every position.
AJ Pilate | Senior | Defense | Massapequa, N.Y.
AJ Pilate was listed to the initial 2025 Tewaaraton Award Watch List along with Evan Plunkett and Will Coletti in February. Pilate has been a cornerstone in Army's nation-leading defense, helping Army hold opponents to a combined 72 goals this season with a 6.55 goals-allowed average as a team. The Black Knights hold their opponents to an average of 32.4 total shots per game and to a combined .829 clear percentage rate. Pilate himself has tallied a tied for team-third 36 ground balls and a team-second 17 caused turnovers this season, adding a goal to his stat line at Lehigh.
Evan Plunkett | Senior | Midfield | Roswell, Ga.
Evan Plunkett, an initial selection to the 2025 Tewaaraton Award Watch List in February, has been a key piece of Army's dominance in the neutral zone this season while also positioning himself as an offensive threat to opposing teams. Plunkett currently stands fourth on the team in goals with 14 and fourth in total points with 24. A pillar of strength in the midfield, Plunkett has helped Army generate a .877 clear percentage with 250 completed clears this season. With 117 caused turnovers as a team, Army stands seventh in the nation with 10.64 caused turnovers per game.
Sean Byrne | Junior | Goalkeeper | Acworth, Ga.
Sean Byrne, the stalwart anchor to a dominant Army defense this season, was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List in the first round of additions in early March. Byrne has continually led the nation in save percentage (6.41) and goals-against average (6.49) and helped guided the Black Knights to lead the nation in goals against (72), scoring defense (6.55), and scoring margin (6.91), as well as to standing tied for second overall in win percentage with a .909 win percentage for the season. Byrne has helped the Black Knights hold opponents to ten goals or less in nine of their 11 games this season with six of those wins seeing opponents score five goals or less. As Army's primary goalkeeper, Byrne has tallied 118 saves against 316 total shots faced this season, pushing him up to 204 career saves.
Jackson Eicher | Senior | Attack | Warrenton, Va.
Jackson Eicher has been a looming presence in Army's offensive lineup all season for the Black Knights, haunting opposing teams' doorsteps and racking up a whopping 38 goals this season to earn his place among the Top-25 Finalists for the 2025 Tewaaraton Award. With Eicher's second in the nation 3.45 goals per game average leading the way, Army has out-scored its opponents 148-72 with a nation-leading 6.91 scoring margin. The senior attackman has tallied 38 goals and 25 assists this season for a total of 63 points, good for the third highest points-per-game (5.73) tally in the nation. Eicher has been an elite scorer in Army's offense, logging seven hat tricks with three performances this season featuring at least five goals.
UP NEXT
The Black Knights will return home to Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. to take on the Bucknell Bison on Saturday, April 19th at 12:00p.m. ET for Senior Day. Fans can catch the action on ESPN+ or follow along with the live stats here.
Players Mentioned
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