Army West Point Men's Lacrosse senior midfielder Evan Plunkett was selected fourth overall in the first round of the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft on April 14 by the Denver Outlaws.
Plunkett has been a mainstay in Army's lineup since his freshman season with the Black Knights. The midfielder leads all active Army players in points with 170 career points after Saturday's win over storied-rival Navy."I am happy for Evan to be selected in the PLL draft," said Jack Emmer Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Joe Alberici. "He has worked incredibly hard to be his very best and, in doing so, has helped to elevate our whole program. Throughout his career, he has been his best in our biggest moments. When the time comes, there is no doubt that he will do the same for the Denver Outlaws."Across his three seasons with the Black Knights, Plunkett has earned three Inside Lacrosse All-American recognitions, two USILA All-American recognitions, a USA Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention recognition, the 2024 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year title, the 2023, Patriot League Rookie of the Year title, and was a Top 25 finalist for the 2025 Tewaaraton Award.
As the highest scoring midfielder in program history, Plunkett helped guide Army to a 45-12 overall record, a share of three consecutive regular season champions titles, a 2023 Patriot League Championship win, and a 2023 NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance.Plunkett's presence in the midfield has helped the Black Knights outscore their opponents 764-517 including a 149-106 goal differential in the 2026 season for a Patriot League leading 3.58 scoring margin with a scoring defense mark of 8.83 to stand eighth in the nation as a team.
Plunkett is the fifth Black Knight ever to get the call during the PLL draft since its debut in 2019. His fourth overall pick ties for the highest draft selection in program history with John Glesener in the 2015 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft and Tom Rigney in the 2020 PLL Draft.Four Black Knights received the call in previous PLL Draft years – Johnny Surdick to the Carolina Chaos in 2019, Tom Rigney to the Chrome Lacrosse Club in 2020, Brendan Nichtern to the Chrome Lacrosse Club in 2022, and Christian Mazur to the Maryland Whipsnakes in 2025.
The PLL's 2026 schedule kicks off in May with the Archers Homecoming weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.