PROVIDENCE, R.I. – University of Denver sophomore goalie and 2025 U-20 World Lacrosse Championship MOP
Grayson Manning was named the 2026 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, the conference office announced in a vote of the league's head coaches on Wednesday.
Joining Manning on the BIG EAST First Team was redshirt junior close defenseman
Russell Overly. Redshirt junior
Cody Malawsky, sophomore
Gordon Reynolds and junior
Marek Tzagournis were all named to the BIG EAST Second Team.
Manning earned his sixth BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week award this season on Monday after making 15 saves against just nine goals against Marquette on Friday to punch the Pioneers ticket into the BIG EAST Tournament. In his sophomore campaign, Manning has finished 60% or better in eight of 13 games this season, and leads the country in save percentage at 61.6%. Manning also ranks eighth in the country in goals against average and fifth in saves per game. The Canadian international is just 12 saves away from tying Denver's single-season record.
Overly has helped lead the defense that has played in-front of Manning, and that currently ranks in the top-five nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 8.54 goals per game. The redshirt junior has more than double the ground balls this year than the next closest field player on Denver's roster. Overly's career-high 45 ground balls in the opening 13 games of the season is tied for 10
th in program history in single-season ground balls by a pole.
Malawsky reached the century mark in career points on Friday, scoring five times to lead the Pioneers offense. The Denver attackman got to the milestone in 42 career games, making him the 12
th fastest Pioneer to 100 career points and the 25
th DU student-athlete in the DI era overall. This season, Malawsky has a career-high 29 goals to go with eight assists for a career-best 37 points.
Reynolds has played and started all 13 games at close defense for the Pioneers, picking up 14 ground balls and forcing 10 turnovers. The Denver sophomore has five caused turnovers and five grounders in his last four BIG EAST contests. Reynolds has scored twice in 2026, breaking the 10-man with goals against Cleveland State and at Villanova.
Tzagournis leads the Pioneers with 38 points in 2026, scoring 19 goals and adding 19 assists. The Denver junior has three game-winning goals and five man-up strikes this season. Tzagournis is shooting 55.9% to lead the team. In BIG EAST play, Tzagournis led the Pioneers with 16 points on seven goals and nine helpers.
UP NEXT: Denver will head to Providence for the 2026 BIG EAST Men's Lacrosse Championship this weekend. The Pioneers will take on Georgetown in the first semifinal on Thursday with the opening faceoff set for 2:30 p.m. MT.
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