Mendyke and Stephanos Named to the USILA North/South All-Star Game
May 21 | Men's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The USILA unveiled the roster for the annual North versus South All-Star Game. A pair of RU senior defensemen, Tommy Mendyke and Ben Stephanos, were named to the roster. The game will be held this Friday, at 6:30 pm on the campus on Roger Williams University. The duo will compete for the North squad.
Mendyke concluded the 2025 season as a team captain for RU. The native of Eden Prairie, Minn. played in 46 games as a Scarlet Knight, starting 30 of them. In that time, he had 56 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers, with season-highs of 34 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers this past season, seventh in the Big Ten in caused turnovers per game. He also added a goal and two assists. The President of Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Mendyke was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, the 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner, and a 2025 Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch.
Stephanos transferred to Rutgers from UMBC ahead of the 2025 season and was an immediate steadying presence alongside Mendyke on RU's back line. The native of Ellicott City, Md. started all 16 games and had 28 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, with five games of multiple caused turnovers. For his collegiate career, he totaled 86 ground balls and 44 caused turnovers across 47 collegiate games.
With the selections, RU continues a proud tradition of representation at the annual North-South Game, which dates back to 1940. Rutgers will count 138 players all-time participating in the all-star event. RU has 24 representatives in the game over the past eight years (six eligible games), dating back to game MVP Scott Bieda in 2016. Rutgers did not have any players in the 2022 All-Star Game as the team was participating in the Final Four that weekend.
Mendyke concluded the 2025 season as a team captain for RU. The native of Eden Prairie, Minn. played in 46 games as a Scarlet Knight, starting 30 of them. In that time, he had 56 ground balls and 34 caused turnovers, with season-highs of 34 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers this past season, seventh in the Big Ten in caused turnovers per game. He also added a goal and two assists. The President of Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Mendyke was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, the 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner, and a 2025 Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch.
Stephanos transferred to Rutgers from UMBC ahead of the 2025 season and was an immediate steadying presence alongside Mendyke on RU's back line. The native of Ellicott City, Md. started all 16 games and had 28 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, with five games of multiple caused turnovers. For his collegiate career, he totaled 86 ground balls and 44 caused turnovers across 47 collegiate games.
With the selections, RU continues a proud tradition of representation at the annual North-South Game, which dates back to 1940. Rutgers will count 138 players all-time participating in the all-star event. RU has 24 representatives in the game over the past eight years (six eligible games), dating back to game MVP Scott Bieda in 2016. Rutgers did not have any players in the 2022 All-Star Game as the team was participating in the Final Four that weekend.
Players Mentioned
Defense
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Defense
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