Moon Township, Pa. – Ryan Smith, a graduate attack on the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team, was bestowed with All-America honorable mention recognition from Inside Lacrosse, as announced by the publication Sunday evening.
Smith is the third student-athlete in program history to collect an All-American nod from Inside Lacrosse, joining Zach Bryant and Alex Heger from the 2018 season. Bryant garnered Third Team plaudits as a defender following RMU's run to its first NCAA Tournament, while Heger netted honorable mention designation at goalkeeper.
LINK: Inside Lacrosse 2021 Men's Division I Media All-Americans
The Burlington, Ontario attack took full advantage of his extra fifth season, ending 2021 with possession of numerous program records. Smith's campaign saw him establish new single-season standards in points (71), points per game (5.46), and goals per game (3.69), and he ended the weekend slotted second nationally in goals and fifth in points. Over the course of the year, Smith broke the career records in points (217), goals (142), and games played (69), and also topped or matched the single-game marks for points (11) and assists (6) – accomplishing both on March 2 against Bellarmine.
Smith recorded a hat trick in 11 of 13 contests, dished out multiple assists seven times, and contributed at least three points each game. He closed the season with a season-best seven goals against No. 9/10 Syracuse, and averaged 4.67 points per game against the Colonials' six NCAA Tournament foes. Smith's record-breaking 71-point season was compiled with 48 goals and 23 assists, numbers which rank fourth and seventh in single-season program annals. He also shared the team lead in caused turnovers with 14, causing multiple on five different occasions.
Smith previously appeared on Inside Lacrosse's Midseason All-America Team as an honorable mention selection, one of the many national honors he received over the course of the season. He serves as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and also appeared on the Tewaaraton Men's Watch List. Smith's aforementioned performance versus Bellarmine placed him on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Team of the Week. He was picked in the fourth round (30th overall) of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft by Chaos Lacrosse Club, making him the fourth different RMU player to be chosen in two different collegiate drafts.
RMU finished the 2021 season at 7-6, its fifth consecutive winning record despite playing an independent schedule that featured 11 games away from Moon Township and 10 true road matches. The Colonials will begin their inaugural season as a member of the ASUN Conference in 2022, joining Air Force, Bellarmine, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, and Utah in the newly-formed league.
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