Athletics
Host of Keydets Earn NEC Weekly Honors
VMI lacrosse cadet-athletes were recognized for their accomplishments by the Northeast Conference Feb. 10, 2025.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
After a strong effort in a close loss to High Point University over the weekend, several VMI lacrosse cadet-athletes were recognized for their accomplishments during the game by the Northeast Conference Feb. 10, 2025.
Luke Rusterucci ’25 was named the NEC Player of the Week, Damian Levin ’25 was named the Defensive Player of the Week, Joseph Weinburgh ’28 was recognized as the Rookie of the Week, and Levin, Rusterucci, and Dayton Bagwell ’27 were listed as Prime Performers.
NEC Press Release
Rusterucci earned three goals on the day, including one in the opening period during VMI’s 7-0 run and two in the third period to extend his scoring streak to 35 games. He also registered one assist and eight shot attempts, five of which required a save from the High Point keeper. In addition, he logged five groundballs and caused one turnover during the contest.
Levin, goalie, put 62 minutes in the cage in a game that went into overtime. He tallied 20 saves throughout the game, the most for a single game since the 2017 season.
Weinburgh, faceoff specialist, won three faceoffs during the game and picked up two groundballs to earn Freshman of the Week honors.
Bagwell achieved two goals against the Panthers on four shot attempts. His first came as VMI’s seventh goal in the first quarter before adding another 8 seconds before halftime to give VMI an 8-4 advantage going into the break. Last week, he scored a career-high seven goals against St. Bonaventure in VMI’s 18-7 road victory to open the season.
NEC Player of the Week
Luke Rusterucci ’25, Sr., A, VMI
NEC Defensive Player of the Week
Damian Levin ’25, Sr., GK, VMI
NEC Rookie of the Week
Joseph Weinburgh ’28, Fr., FOS, VMI
NEC Prime Performers
Drew Graves, Jr., D, CSU
Kyle Grant, Jr., D, UDM
Ben Schuster, So., M, LIU
Ryan Fountain, So., D, LIU
Mark Regan, R-Sr., M, LIU
Ethan Landymore, Gr., A, MU
Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre, Sr., M, MU
Damian Levin ’25, Sr., GK, VMI
Dayton Bagwell ’27, So., A/M, VMI
Luke Rusterucci, Sr., A, VMI
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.
