By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa University freshman attacker Ari Villano and Westminster University senior goalkeeper Christian Jones claimed the latest Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Athletes of the Week awards, presented Monday.
Offensive
Ari Villano, Colorado Mesa (Freshman, Attacker, Bend, Oregon)
Villano posted back-to-back hat tricks in RMAC play and scored eight goals in three matches as Colorado Mesa secured a 22-6 win against Dominican and a 19-8 victory against Concordia University Irvine during the week. He had three goals, including the game-winner, and an assist against Dominican, and added a groundball. Villano then saw all three of his shots on goal find the back of the net against Concordia, with another two groundballs to his credit. The Mavericks opened the week by closing their Florida road trip with a 10-9 loss at Flagler on Monday, with Villano providing two goals and two groundballs.
Also Nominated: Jacob Parsons, Adams State; Luke Stillstrop, Westminster.
Defensive
Christian Jones, Westminster (Senior, Goalkeeper, South Jordan, Utah)
Jones made 17 saves on 25 shots on goal, helping Westminster power to a 24-8 RMAC road win against Northwest Nazarene last week. His 17 saves in the 60-minute outing are tied for the second most in the RMAC this season and it was his third outing with 15-plus saves in 2026.
Also Nominated: Ryan Berger, Adams State; Boaz Brown, Colorado Mesa.
Previous Weekly Award Winners
| Week |
Offensive |
Defensive |
| Week 1: Feb. 9 |
Luke Sillstrop, Westminster |
Ben Weber, Westminster |
| Week 2: Feb. 16 |
Aidan Brock, Colorado Mesa |
Jake Cloutier, Concordia University Irvine |
| Week 3: Feb. 23 |
Luke Sillstrop, Westminster |
Christian Jones, Westminster |
| Weeks 4-5: March 9 |
Will Elfline, Dominican |
Manny Flores, Colorado Mesa |
| Week 6: March 16 |
Connor Jensen, Colorado Mesa |
Shaden Shields, Colorado Mesa |
| Week 7: March 23 |
Ari Villano, Colorado Mesa |
Christian Jones, Westminster |
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
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