UNC men’s lacrosse goalie Brian Balkam has been named Co-ACC Defender of the Week after his role in the Tar Heels’ 16-8 victory over Virginia.
Balkam made a career-high 14 saves and allowed just two goals in the first half as UNC jumped out to a 10-2 lead.
He shares the award with Notre Dame defensive midfielder John Sexton.
The Tar Heels are now 7-4 overall and 2-0 in the ACC.
They return to action Saturday when they take on Syracuse in New York.
Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Lacrosse Squeaks Past Jacksonville in Season Opener
Mason Szewczyk scored with 2:26 left to break a 10-10 tie at Dorrance Field and help UNC beat Jacksonville 11-10 in the 2026 season opener Saturday afternoon. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/52DJ3Zcj8d — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) February 7, 2026 Szewczyk’s goal, his second of the game, came after the Dolphins had scored four […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Ranked No. 5, Women Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll
The USA Lacrosse Preseason Polls have been released, and voters are high on the UNC men and women as the 2026 season approaches. The men’s team is ranked No. 5, while the women’s team is ranked No. 1 following its national championship 2025 season. The UNC men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025, breaking […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Announces 2026 Regular-Season Schedule
The UNC men’s lacrosse program announced its schedule for the 2026 regular season Friday morning. Ringing in the New Year with the 2026 schedule 😤 pic.twitter.com/aRqKZ8DSlP — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) January 2, 2026 UNC begins on the road with a visit to Towson on Sunday, Feb. 1 before returning to Chapel Hill for a […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to Richmond in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Richmond outscored UNC 11-5 in the second half of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Dorrance Field, leading the Spiders to a 13-10 upset win over the No. 8 overall seed Tar Heels. UNC’s season is over. Carolina led for the entire first half, jumping out to a 4-0 lead early in the second quarter […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
Duke Throttles UNC Men's Lacrosse in ACC Tournament Semifinals
UNC fell into a huge hole early against No. 3 seed Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday night and never recovered, falling to the Blue Devils 14-7 in Charlotte. Duke went ahead within the opening minute and increased that lead to 2-0 less than a minute after that, setting the stage for what would […]
3 UNC Men's Lacrosse Players Earn All-ACC Honors; Joe Breschi Named ACC Coach of the Year
UNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi was named the ACC Coach of the Year Tuesday afternoon, and three of his players earned All-ACC nods as well. All-ACC Honors 😤 pic.twitter.com/bmuz2Kl9GR — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 29, 2025 This is the fourth ACC Coach of the Year win for Breschi, who also took home […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Wins at No. 10 Syracuse, Clinches Share of ACC Regular-Season Title
UNC held off a furious rally from No. 10 Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon and beat the Orange 14-12 in the regular-season finale. Carolina’s win clinches a share of the ACC regular-season title, which is the program’s first since 2021 and 14th overall. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/FcCrtY2rqV — UNC Men's […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to No. 9 Notre Dame
No. 9 Notre Dame closed Saturday’s game against No. 5 UNC with seven unanswered goals, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 12-6 win for the Fighting Irish at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels started hot on the day, leading 4-0 after the first quarter and 4-1 at halftime. The Irish came on strong in the […]
6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees
Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side. 🗣️ Tewaaraton […]
›
