John DeFazio in Rarified Air at Salisbury

At a program with a history of success like Salisbury, standing out in the record book can be hard to do.

The Sea Gulls have amassed 13 NCAA championships from 41 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and 28 final fours. In program history, they have nearly 300 All Americans, and 11 different players have been named the USILA National Player of the Year.

Only one of those won the award twice: Jason Coffman. This spring, Coffman could get some company. John DeFazio has a chance to be the second player ever at Salisbury to be named Player of the Year twice.

“Well, when you look at him coming back, what he did last year, he’d have to be at the top of the list, right?” Jim Berkman said with a laugh. “But it’s really a tremendous honor for him. There’s not too many guys that have been a two-time Player of the Year; that would be pretty special. That along with bringing another championship would have him considered among the best who have ever played here.”

Coffman’s accomplishments, and maybe soon DeFazio’s, are impressive considering names like Eric Martin, Chase Caruso, Sam Bradman and recently Cross Ferrera are just a small sample of the other winners to take home the award a single time. DeFazio won an NCAA title with Salisbury in 2023 and was on the losing side of one his freshman year in 2021.

Salisbury has the weapons and depth to once again challenge for the title in 2025. The Sea Gulls are 15-0 with two regular-season games remaining. DeFazio has 83 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers with four goals and seven assists.

“He’s a difference maker, just like the rest of them,” Berkman said.

On the field, DeFazio’s versatility is what sets him apart. On a given day, he might cover any number of the opposing team’s players, depending on what will most disrupt their offense. He’ll also take faceoff wings and can push the ball in transition as a threat on offense.

“He’s a multi-dimensional player,” Berkman said. “He can do a lot from the defensive end that not many people can do. He’s on the wing on a faceoff; he’s second to none in ground ball play. I don’t remember a kid being that good with a pole getting the ball out of crowds. Sometimes he’s up top, sometimes down low, depending on the matchup. He can do whatever needs to be done to negate the other team’s strength.”

DeFazio has had three seasons at Salisbury with over 90 ground balls, eclipsing 100 ground balls in 2023. He has had the most ground balls on the team among non-faceoff specialists in each of the last three years and the second most on the team as a freshman in 2021.

DeFazio is nearing the end of his fifth year at Salisbury. He’s been a captain before, and he’s now also serving as a steward of the culture, setting examples every day.

“He knows how the system works here,” Berkman said. “He knows the importance of accountability and doing the extra stuff that’s characteristic of our culture. He’s done a great job of keeping that alive.”

For DeFazio, the competitive nature doesn’t care what time of year it is. He’s giving maximum effort all the time.

“He loves to play every day,” Berkman said. “He’s in his fifth year, it’s a fall practice, he’s taking off on a ground ball and sprinting in like he’s running for a championship goal. He plays with that kind of passion and love any coach would appreciate.”

In that time, DeFazio has become not just a leader, but another coach on the field. He spends time coaching at the youth level in his hometown of Mountain Lakes, N.J.

“He’s like a coach on the field, and he wants to be a coach,” Berkman said. “He’s done a lot with Mountain Lakes and their youth programs. People really respect the knowledge that he has. I give John a lot of credit for what he does. I respect his opinions. If he has something to say, he feels like he can say it to me or one of the other coaches.”

That study and that competitiveness have molded DeFazio into a versatile player who takes on the very best players in Division III every game. It’s hard to find a singular moment that’s emblematic of what DeFazio brings to the field, because it changes so often.

“You can’t say one specific moment,” Berkman said. “But things that come to mind are saying, John, you got the next wing. John, you got their best middie. You’ve got their best attackman when their best middie is not in the game. You ask him to do so many things, and he does it all.”

DeFazio’s ability off the ground is special, and his versatility in coverage is also a strong attribute when it comes to evaluating his prospects at the pro level. Could the Premier Lacrosse League be in DeFazio’s future?

“He definitely has some unique ability,” Berkman said. “I would say he definitely should be in the conversation to be at a training camp at a minimum. As far as skill with the stick, as a pole, I don’t know that there’s anyone better.”

For now, the goal is to get back to Memorial Day weekend. DeFazio has won just about every individual honor available to him in his career. The only honors left to stack up are championships.