Vinny Butrico is a lacrosse player whose move from Marist to Wingate changed his college career. After earning early recognition at the Division I level, the left-handed attackman became one of Division II’s leading scorers and produced a record-setting senior season.
His 2026 campaign brought conference, regional, and national honors before New York Atlas signed him as an undrafted rookie. He then scored in his Premier Lacrosse League debut, completing a rapid transition from college standout to professional player.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | Attack |
| Hometown | Levittown, New York |
| High school | General Douglas MacArthur High School |
| College teams | Marist and Wingate |
| Professional team | New York Atlas |
| Dominant hand | Left |
| Major college honors | SAC Offensive Player of the Year and USILA South Region Offensive Player of the Year |
| Academic field | Finance |
MacArthur Established His Two-Sport Foundation
Butrico attended Island Trees before transferring to General Douglas MacArthur High School. According to Marist’s official record, he played four varsity lacrosse seasons at MacArthur and completed his high school career with 106 points.
His final season was interrupted by an unspecified injury. It restricted him to five games, but he still recorded 23 goals and two assists during that shortened campaign.
Lacrosse was only part of his athletic background. He also wrestled, earning three All-County selections and placing sixth nationally as a high-school freshman. Marist additionally reported that he graduated on the High Honor Roll.
Marist Gave Him an Immediate Division I Role
Marist announced Butrico as part of its incoming class in July 2022. He entered the program as an attackman and appeared in 14 games during his freshman season.
His 2023 production included 10 goals and two assists. All 10 goals came in man-up situations, which Marist reported as the second-highest total nationally that season. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference subsequently selected him for its All-Rookie Team.
His role changed during his sophomore campaign, but he continued to contribute in important moments. Butrico played 12 games in 2024, finishing with seven goals and three assists. His goals against Hofstra on 24 February and LIU on 13 April were recorded as game-winners.
His academic performance also secured him recognition on the MAAC All-Academic Team. After two seasons at Marist, his college record stood at 17 goals and five assists across 26 appearances.
His Transfer to Wingate Transformed His Production
Butrico transferred to Wingate before the 2025 season. The move took him from Division I Marist to a Division II attack that also included established players such as Kyle Spence and Sean Clark.
His scoring increased substantially in his first season with the Bulldogs. Wingate credits him with 50 goals and 11 assists in 2025. One official season outlook described those figures as 64 points, although the listed goals and assists mathematically produce 61, so the component totals provide the clearer record.
His 50-goal campaign placed him among Wingate’s main scoring options. The Bulldogs won 15 games, captured the SAC tournament championship and reached the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in six seasons.
The move did more than add appearances. It gave Butrico a prominent role in a high-scoring attack and laid the foundation for an even bigger senior season.
A Late NCAA Winner Strengthened His First Wingate Season
One of his most important 2025 contributions came in the NCAA tournament against Lenoir-Rhyne. Wingate entered the opening-round contest as the sixth-ranked team and faced an opponent ranked eighth.
Butrico scored four times in the 17–16 victory. After Lenoir-Rhyne erased a four-goal deficit and tied the game with less than two minutes remaining, he scored the deciding goal with approximately one minute left.
Wingate secured the following faceoff and ran out the remaining time. The result advanced the Bulldogs to the national quarterfinals, where their season ended against top-ranked Tampa.
Butrico later identified the SAC championship victory over Anderson as his most memorable sporting experience in Wingate’s player questionnaire. Together, the conference title and NCAA win gave his first Bulldogs season real postseason weight.
An 11-Goal Performance Defined His Senior Breakout
Butrico’s largest individual performance arrived against second-ranked Anderson on 18 March 2026. Wingate fell six goals behind but recovered to win 19–18, with its senior attackman scoring 11 goals and adding one assist.
The 11 goals established a Wingate single-game record, exceeding the previous mark by two. His 12 points also tied the program’s single-game record.
That performance formed part of sustained production rather than an isolated scoring burst. He registered multiple goals in 15 of his 17 appearances and scored at least five goals seven times during the season.
Butrico finished 2026 with 68 goals, 17 assists and 85 points, along with 34 ground balls. Wingate led the SAC in goals and ranked second nationally in total goals and goals per game, averaging 4.00.
His scoring helped the Bulldogs win the SAC regular-season championship. Wingate returned to the NCAA tournament, giving him national postseason appearances in both of his seasons with the program.
Conference and National Honors Followed His Scoring Rise
The South Atlantic Conference named Butrico its 2026 Offensive Player of the Year and selected him for the All-SAC first team. He followed that recognition with the USILA Division II South Region Offensive Player of the Year award.
National selectors also included him on their All-America teams, although they placed him at different levels. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association named him a first-team Division II All-American, while USA Lacrosse selected him for its third team.
Those distinctions represent separate selection processes rather than competing accounts of a single award. Describing both honors preserves the difference between the two national lists.
Butrico later said he also participated in a Division I/II senior all-star game and won MVP. That detail comes from his own post-college reflection rather than a separately available organizer’s record.
New York Atlas Offered His First Professional Opportunity
New York Atlas signed Butrico on 22 July 2026 after releasing veteran attackman Matt Rambo. The PLL described the new arrival as an undrafted rookie and gave him a contract covering the remainder of the 2026 season.
He entered an Atlas attack dealing with changes on its left side. His opportunity to play arrived quickly when Connor Shellenberger became unavailable shortly before the team’s game against the California Redwoods.
Butrico made his professional debut on 2 August. New York lost the game, but he scored his first professional goal during the appearance. ESPN also recorded the goal in its report on the contest.
The achievement gave him an immediate professional milestone just weeks after his college career ended. The PLL continued to list him as an Atlas attackman under contract through the end of the 2026 season, but no longer-term agreement was established.
College Lacrosse Shaped His Professional Mindset
After completing his college career, Butrico published a reflection on what he had learned from the experience. He wrote that lacrosse had taught him to contribute to something larger than himself while continuing to pursue personal development.
He also associated responsibility with respect, patience, and consistent effort. Rather than treating hard work as a completed task, he described it as a way to earn opportunities for further meaningful contributions.
His remarks extended beyond playing goals. Butrico said he wanted to carry that approach into a competitive working environment. Wingate’s roster lists finance as his academic field, though his reflection did not identify a specific employer or post-college business position.
Wingate Became the Turning Point in Butrico’s Career
Butrico arrived at Wingate after two useful but comparatively modest seasons with Marist. In his first year with the Bulldogs, he scored 50 goals, contributed to a conference tournament championship, and delivered a late NCAA tournament winner.
His senior season raised that production to 68 goals and brought program-record, conference, and regional player-of-the-year awards, plus recognition from two national All-America selectors. Those accomplishments created the record behind his professional opportunity.
New York Atlas signed him as an undrafted rookie, and he scored during his PLL debut. His progression from Marist contributor to Division II’s leading scorer best shows how his Wingate breakthrough opened a route to professional lacrosse.