- Ryan Stines and Nikko Diponio, former Utah lacrosse players, debuted in PLL openers.
- Stines scored a goal and assist in Utah Archers' 9-5 loss to Redwoods.
- Diponio excelled with New York Atlas in a 16-12 win over Carolina Chaos.
HERRIMAN — Ryan Stines' professional lacrosse debut was hardly the stuff of legends, but it was the moment of a lifetime.
The former University of Utah standout had a goal and an assist in the Utah Archers' 9-5 loss to the California Redwoods in front of a near-sellout crowd Friday evening at Zions Bank Stadium.
Mac O'Keefe also had a goal and an assist scored for the Archers, who were playing without starting goalie Brett Dobson due to the Georgia Swarm's NLL playoff game.
Michael Boehm had three goals and two assists for the Redwoods (1-0), who jumped out to a 5-1 lead en route to a 7-3 halftime advantage in the opening game of the Premier Lacrosse League's eighth season.
Fellow Utah alum Nikko Diponio also made his professional debut as the New York Atlas held off the Carolina Chaos, 16-12 in the nightcap.
The two-time ASUN defensive player of the year and USA Lacrosse All-America honorable mention totaled two nine balls on nine touches in the win, which saw the Atlas score seven goals in the second quarter to jump out to a 9-4 halftime lead before Chaos tied the game at 9-all before New York held on.
"Nikko did an unbelievable job," Atlas general manager Tyler Low said of the rookie. "I've definitely got to to shoutout Utah lacrosse, too, and the guys that came out; they brought the juice. I think Nikko responded well. He's first and foremost a great kid and a great guy in the locker room, and I think that showed in terms of how he competed on the field tonight while we used him in a few ways."
Stines was more than a fell-good story when the Archers selected him in the second round of the Premier Lacrosse League's annual draft last month. The prolific goal scorer and setup man also fit in well with a locker room that Bates, who is also the team's offensive coordinator, has carefully constructed to focus as much on culture as talent — though there's plenty of that, too.
Different Utah team, same Ryan Stines! @UtahLacrosse
— Utah Archers (@PLLArchers) May 9, 2026
He has his first as an Archer 😌 pic.twitter.com/fBxMwZyIPX
"From minute one, our guys embraced who he is; that's kind of what our organization does," Bates said. "What we've seen in a couple of days here is that he's an awesome young man. He's going to fit in great; he's always got a smile on his face. He's mature. He's committed to this thing.
"But then you see him on the field, and there it is ... That fact that he's homegrown here in Utah is awesome. We didn't think about it when we drafted him, but the more you think about it, having him as part of this organization and from an apartment 10 minutes away from here lets our fans see him as a Utah guy and embrace that. They should, because it's a great story."
Stines' debut in Utah was five years in the making, though his lacrosse career goes back much further. The native of Cary, North Carolina, joined the Utes in 2022 and after redshirting his initial campaign, the 5-foot-11 attackman couldn't stop scoring.
He debuted with 38 goals and 11 assists in 17 games, all starts, as a redshirt freshman in 2023, and won ASUN Player of the Year and USA Lacrosse All-America honorable mention honors a year later when he totaled 48 goals with 19 assists, 17 ground-ball pickups and four caused turnovers a year later.
By his junior season, Stines broke the program record in single-season assists with 40, and added ASUN Player of the Year honors while earning a spot on the Tewaaraton Award watch list with 63 points (23 goals, 40 assists) in 2025.
"Coming in under coach (Andrew) McMinn and the rest of our staff, they all just set a pretty high standard for us and expected us to live up to it on a daily basis," he said. "I think that's what molded me during my formative college years.
"It's a credit to them, and also my teammates," Stines added. "We had a great group of guys out here, playing western lacrosse and trying to make a name for ourselves. I'm certainly excited to keep doing that with a western team with the Archers."
In April, the Archers made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 PLL draft, selecting the ASUN standout whose value to the state's third-year professional lacrosse franchise exists as much in culture as goal-scoring ability.
The moment was exciting for Stines, not only to be picked but because he got to share the moment with his Utah teammates by a franchise they all knew well. He said "a bunch" of his teammates from Utah drove over to Herriman for his debut, and his dad made the trip to Salt Lake City as well.
"I've been to each of the games out here since I've been out here for school, and got to play on that same field (at Zion's Bank Stadium) for a neutral-site game in college," he said. "I loved the atmosphere, and certainly love Utah as a whole. To represent it is just another plus on top, for sure."
