Trojans Have Four Collect First-Team All-WHAC Honors
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor men's lacrosse team made more history recently, with four student-athletes being named as First-Team All-WHAC standouts among five total All-WHAC honors for the program.
Jackson Dale, Henry Cooper, Grant Elzinga and Lucas Pacer were all voted to the All-WHAC First-Team, as Taylor claimed four-of-13 spots on the list, trailing only the six honors garnered by No. 1 Madonna.
Ben Harrell also earned All-WHAC recognition on the Second-Team, with Xander Bateman being named to the WHAC Champions of Character Team and the group of Dale, Jude Wood, Jack Kaiser, Harrell, Julian Spallinger, Cooper, Kaden Mast, Elzinga and Landin Greene earning Academic All-WHAC accolades.
Dale earned his second-straight All-WHAC honor after posting one of the finest seasons in program history for the Purple and Gray. The junior tied Will Saxby with 45 goals scored for the second-best single-season total in TU history, while his 66 assists also ranked second and his 111 points set a new program-best. Dale finished his season ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in assists and No. 2 in points, while ranking No. 18 in goals scored.
Cooper followed his WHAC Newcomer-of-the-Year nod in 2025 with an event better campaign as a sophomore, outpacing Dale and Saxby with 61 goals for the new program record and tallying 76 points for the third-best mark in program history. Cooper closed the season ranked No. 5 in the NAIA in goals and No. 13 in points, while ranking top-six in the WHAC in each.
Elzinga had a breakout campaign during his junior year and earned his first All-WHAC nod after piling up 65 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers to fuel the Trojans on the defensive end of the field. Elzinga posted the fifth-best single-season total in TU history for ground balls and the fourth-best mark for caused turnovers, while ranking No. 14 in the NAIA in that stat.
Pacer joined Dale and Cooper in earning a second-straight All-WHAC recognition, after posting the finest defensive season in Taylor's program history. The senior set school records with 131 ground balls and doubled the previous record for caused turnovers with 58. Pacer ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in that stat and No. 3 in ground balls, while leading the WHAC in each.
Harrell earned his first postseason award with the Second-Team All-WHAC honor. The junior goalie set program records with 234 saves and 10 wins for the Trojans, and ranked No. 3 in the NAIA and WHAC in saves.
RV Taylor (10-9) won the most games in program history during its historic 2026 campaign, reached its highest national ranking (No. 8) ever, hosted a postseason game for the first time and advanced to the WHAC Tournament Semifinals for the first time. The five All-WHAC honors are also a program best, with the nine Academic All-WHAC awards tying a program record.
The Trojans graduate Pacer and Bateman from the squad but are set to return 30-of-32 athletes, led by returning All-WHAC standouts Dale, Cooper, Elzinga and Harrell.