LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Saint Joseph's junior face-off specialist Zach Cole has been named to the 2021 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American Third Team, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Cole's USILA honor marks the highest in program history as the Mount Laurel, N.J. native joins former SJU great Mike Rastivo (2016, Honorable Mention) as the only Hawks to earn USILA All-America status.

This marks the third All-American accolade for Cole this postseason, having also been tabbed a USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention on May 18 and an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American Third Team member on May 16.

In 13 games this season, Cole went 222-for-325 from the X, winning 68.3 percent of his opportunities to go with an SJU single-season, program-record 142 ground balls. Cole averaged 17 face-off wins and 11 ground balls per contest and scrapped for double-digit ground balls in nine of 13 games, recording a season-high 14 ground balls in five contests, and went over 70.0 percent from the X six times.

The junior standout won 13 or more of his face-off attempts in all 13 games this year, beginning with a non-conference showing of 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) with 11 ground balls at Towson, 22-for-32 (68.8 percent) with 14 ground balls at Delaware, and 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) with 10 ground balls at Army.

In conference play, Cole won at a clip of 71.7 percent (137-for-191) with 87 ground balls through eight games.

He went a combined 30-for-46 (65.2 percent) with 20 ground balls in NEC road wins over Wagner and Sacred Heart to kick off conference play and followed up with a near-perfect showing in SJU's home-opening win over Merrimack, going 18-for-19 (94.7 percent) with 14 ground balls; the first face-off of the game went out of bounds in favor of the Warriors, but Cole would go on to win the remaining 18 face-off opportunities.

Cole went 20-for-31 (64.5 percent) with 14 ground balls against Mount St. Mary's and 14-for-28 (50.0 percent) with six ground balls at Hobart, winning the overtime face-off possession in both games. He then exploded at Bryant, where he went 20-for-22 (90.9 percent), going 15-for-15 to open the game and 5-for-5 to close the game, with 13 ground balls. He then went 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) with eight ground balls vs. LIU before turning in a 13-for-16 showing (81.3 percent) with 12 ground balls in the regular-season finale vs. Wagner.

Freshly off being named the 2021 Northeast Conference Player of the Year, Cole dominated LIU with a 23-for-32 showing from the X, winning 71.9 percent of his opportunities with 14 ground balls to lead the Hawks to a win in the semifinals of the 2021 NEC Tournament.