Moon Township, Pa. – RMU men's lacrosse graduates Jimmy Perkins and Shaun Vines were honored for their work in the classroom by being named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-Americans, as announced by the organization Thursday afternoon.
To be considered for USILA Scholar All-America plaudits, a student-athlete must have senior or graduate student academic standing, a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, and be nominated by his head coach. Perkins and Vines' recognition mark the third consecutive season that RMU has placed two players on the USILA Scholar All-America team.
RELEASE: 2021 USILA Academic Awards Announced
One of two seventh-year student-athletes in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse this past season, Perkins earned a Master of Business Administration degree in May, posting a 3.61 cumulative GPA. He finished his career ranking third all-time at RMU in assists per game (1.21), and sixth in total assists (57) and points per game (2.62). In 2018, Perkins recorded 30 assists and 61 points while leading the Colonials to their first NCAA Tournament – numbers that rank second and sixth, respectively, in program single-season annals.
Returning to Moon Township after a two-year trek at the University of Utah, Perkins had a stellar final season, finishing second on the team in goals (28), assists (16), and points (44), while ranking third in groundballs (35). He registered four hat tricks, 10 multi-goal efforts, and four outings of multiple assists. The Pittsburgh product tallied a season-high seven points (3g, 4a) and recorded his 100th point at RMU on March 20 against eventual national champion No. 9 Virginia. Two weeks later, he scored the game-winning goal and 100th of his career in the Crown Lacrosse Classic against Jacksonville, ending the afternoon with six points (3g, 3a).
Vines earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from RMU in May, posting a 3.98 cumulative GPA. He was a NJCAA All-America selection at Harford (Md.) Community College before arriving in Moon Township ahead of the 2020 season, and played in 18 total contests over the last two years, starting 14 of them. Vines netted 31 groundballs, 19 caused turnovers, and a goal over his two-year stint as a Colonial.
This past season, Vines finished fourth on the team in caused turnovers (11) and added 16 groundballs defensively. He established a RMU-high four groundballs at High Point on Feb. 13, collecting a pair of caused turnovers as well. The Conowingo, Md. product forced multiple turnovers and scooped up two or more groundballs on four occasions each, and caused at least one turnover in six of his last seven games.
As a program, RMU was bestowed with the USILA Team Academic Award. The Colonials were one of 33 Division I schools to receive the honor.
RMU has had seven USILA Scholar All-Americans in its history, as Perkins and Vines join Will Ewing (2019), Tyson Gibson (2019), Sean Meagher (2014), Austin Popovich (2020), and Ryan Smith (2020).
The Colonials finished the 2021 season at 7-6, their fifth consecutive winning record despite playing an independent schedule that featured 11 games away from Moon Township and 10 true road matches. RMU will begin its 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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