SAINT LEO, Fla. – When he left Penn Yan, N.Y., did he know how his career would go at this small school in Florida? Most athletes enter college with goals, and for Dylan Yonts, goals were his goal.
The six-foot attackman will now exit Saint Leo with his name in the record books, accomplishing those goals.
Yonts wrapped up the regular season of his senior year leading the Sunshine State Conference in both total goals and goals per game average. He scored 48 goals, for an average of 3.69 per game. His 48 goals is a single season best for the attacker from Penn Yan, N.Y., it also happened to be a single season Saint Leo record, a record he held. In his junior season, he tied the previous record of 38 goals. He is also sitting at second in the nation for goals per game.
"This year has been unbelievable and a lot of that comes from the situations I am put in based on our offense," Yonts said of his on the field successes. "Coach [Nick] Cotter has done an awesome job with the X's and O's and it starts with everyone on the team. Whether that be the midfield dodging hard or the attack finding the open lanes. I have the easy job inside and am just lucky to be the beneficiary of having some great teammates around me.
Yonts also dished out a career-best 11 assists on the season, bringing his point total to 59, another Saint Leo single season record. He also added 16 ground balls and two caused turnovers.
However, his offensive prowess was noticed by SSC opponents, and they started keying in on him with their defense.
"As teams have tried to show different looks at us this year, we have just had to adapt and throw some wrinkles into the offense that will help other people get open looks. As you saw last game against Southern when Joe Donnian was able to step up and help us grind out that win. We have plenty of weapons that we can turn to. We also have some younger guys that have stepped up so if teams want to play me differently, then it will just be someone else who gets to find the back of the net."
Speaking of younger guys, freshman Justin Robinson scored eight of his nine goals this season against conference opponents. Then there's Jake Gilmour, a sophomore from Pickering, Ontario, who trails Yonts by just two points on the season.
"Knowing that some young guys have been stepping up this year really shows the direction that Saint Leo Lacrosse is going in. We had a great mix of older and younger guys this year and next year the Gilmour's and Robinson's of our team are going to be the veterans and will be asked to do a little more each year and that will bode well for the team moving forward."
On Friday afternoon, Yonts and the rest of the team head to Tampa for the Sunshine State Conference tournament.
Saint Leo will take on Rollins College in the semifinals at 4 p.m. When the Lions step on the field Friday afternoon, it will be the 2016 senior class's third post season appearance, despite missing the SSC tournament last season.
"To be back in the conference tournament is a great feeling after missing out last season," Yonts said. "There is a sense of urgency for the older guys because you never know when it could be you the last time you suit up with some of your best friends; so we are just enjoying the little bit of time we have left."
While having your name in a record book is exciting, there's one that's wanted more. The hunt for a title.
"We are looking to show those teams that we belong here and not only that, but that we belong at the top," Yonts said. "After a couple of close losses we are looking to rebound and rewrite the stories from those recent opponents. We have been against everything, from the best team in the country, to close wins and losses; there isn't anything that we haven't seen and that will help us keep our composure throughout the tournament."
For more information on the Saint Leo men's lacrosse program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
