PISCATAWAY, N.J. - A program record five student-athletes from Rutgers men's lacrosse were recognized as Scholar All-Americans by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA). Adam Charalambides, Mark Christiano, Max Edelmann, Garrett Michaeli and Kyle Pless were honored for their dedication and commitment both on the field and in the classroom.

Charalambides, a First Team All-Big Ten attackman and All-ECAC selection, led the team with 47 goals this season, which places him third all-time on Rutgers' single-season record list. In his first game action since 2016 following multiple injuries, he added 14 assists to lead the team with 61 points. The Georgetown, Ontario native scored 18 goals in the five Big Ten Conference games, pacing the league. A team captain, his 3.13 goals per game average is sixth best in the nation. He had 14 multi-goal games, including six times scoring at least four goals in a game. He has scored a goal in 23 consecutive games, the sixth longest streak in the country. Although he is athletically listed as a redshirt sophomore, Charalambides has earned his undergraduate degree and is enrolled in graduate school for Urban Planning and Policy Development.

Christiano excelled as the team's top short-stick defensive midfielder. The Cranford, N.J. native posted six goals and 12 assists for 18 career points, while collecting 43 ground balls and causing 10 turnovers in 56 career games. He also was selected for the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game. The product of Cranford High School earned his degree in finance with a GPA of 3.43.

Edelmann, a Third Team All-American, First Team All-Big Ten goalkeeper, the Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Year and All-ECAC, thrived as the starting goalkeeper this season as a redshirt senior. He averaged 14.69 saves per game, which led the nation following the regular season, while posting a 55.8% save percentage that led the conference and was 10^th nationally. The Middletown, Md. native recorded double-digit saves in every game, reaching at least 17 saves on six different occasions. A two-time Big Ten weekly award winner, he became the eighth player in Rutgers' program history to surpass 500 career saves. He also was selected to participate in the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game and added to the roster of the MLL's Chesapeake Bayhawks. The team captain majored in Labor Studies and Employment Relations and is working towards a postgraduate degree. He maintained an undergraduate GPA of 3.7 and holds a 4.0 GPA in graduate school. 

Michaeli played in 52 career games as a long-stick midfielder, compiling four goals, five assists, collecting 104 ground balls and causing 48 turnovers. The Draper, Utah native set career-highs this season with three assists, 20 caused turnovers and 48 ground balls and was third in the Big Ten with 1.33 caused turnovers per game. He was selected for the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game and will play in Major League Lacrosse this summer for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The product of Corner Canyon High School earned his degree in Economics. 

Pless was Rutgers' top defenseman this season and earned Honorable Mention All-America, Second Team All-Big Ten and All-ECAC honors. A four-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Pless was second in the Big Ten with 1.6 caused turnover per game. The Highlands Ranch, Colo. native set a career-best with 24 caused turnovers while collecting 34 ground balls. He scored his first career goal in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals. A team captain and Economics major, Pless was drafted by the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse and participated in the USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game.

With these selections, Rutgers now has 18 Scholar All-Americans in program history, including 14 recognized in the past five years. Last season, Christian Mazzone and Michael Rexrode earned the accolade. They joined Connor Murphy (2017), Scott Bieda and Zack Sikora (2016), Joe Nardella and Campbell Sode (2015), Will Mangan (2012), Brian Shemesh (2011), Jamie Lovejoy (2005) and Jeff Duca (2003).

The USILA Scholar All-America Program was established to recognize student-athletes from USILA member institutions who have distinguished themselves academically, athletically and as citizens of their communities. The USILA Selection Committee selects an overall team representing Division I, II and III.

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