Moon Township, Pa. – Ryan Smith, a graduate attack on the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team, has garnered All-America honorable mention recognition from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), as announced by the organization Thursday afternoon.
Smith is the sixth student-athlete in program history to collect an All-American nod from USILA, joining Trevor Moore (2010, 2011), Kiel Matisz (2012), Zach Bryant (2018), Alex Heger (2018), and Tyson Gibson (2019). He also joins Bryant and Heger as the only Colonials to garner All-America recognition from both USILA and Inside Lacrosse, and Smith's latest plaudit makes four different publications or organizations who have bestowed All-America honors upon him, with College Crosse and U.S. Lacrosse Magazine previously giving the graduate attack honorable mention accolades.
RELEASE: USILA Announces 2021 Dynamic Division I All-Americans and Award Winners
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 enters this weekend slotted second nationally in goals and fourth 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 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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