Lax_rusterucci: Luke Rusterucci ’25 was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-American by U.S.A. Lacrosse, making him the third Keydet in VMI’s 43-year program history to be named an All-American.—Photo courtesy Keith Lucas, Sideline Sports.
Finishing his career as one of the best to ever don a VMI lacrosse jersey, Luke Rusterucci ’25, attackman, added the title of All-American to his resume when he was named an Honorable Mention All-American by U.S.A. Lacrosse May 8, 2025.
He is just the third Keydet in VMI’s 43-year program history to be named an All-American, and he joins Stephen Robarge ’12 (Third Team, 2012) and Tim Moran ’10 (Honorable Mention, 2010) as the only Keydets to earn the rank.
The senior from Peachtree City, Georgia, scored 42 goals on the season—a career high—which marks the fifth-highest single-season total in VMI program history. He tallied 32 assists on the year—the second highest in program history for a single season—to combine for 74 points, which breaks the single-season points record of 72 held by David Hope ’88 from the 1988 season.
Rusterucci is the only Keydet in program history to reach the century mark in both career goals (125) and assists (109). He finished third in the NCAA this season in points per game at 5.29 and led VMI to the No. 2-ranked scoring offense in the nation at 14.64 goals per game, a new school single-season record.
“Luke Rusterucci’s recognition as a U.S.A. Lacrosse All-American is a tremendous honor and a testament to his work ethic, leadership, and commitment to excellence on and off the field,” said James Purpura, VMI lacrosse head coach. “I’m incredibly proud of his accomplishment—he’s been rightfully noticed by the national lacrosse community. Being just the third player in VMI history to receive this honor, and the first since 2012, Luke has etched his name into our program’s legacy and set a new standard for what it means to be a Keydet.”
He finished his VMI tenure with 125 career goals—the second highest in program history—to go with 109 career assists, which is the highest career assists total by a large margin, with the second-highest total being 85 by Rob Worrell ’97 from 1994–97. His 234 combined career points rank second all-time in VMI history, only behind Hope’s mark of 239 career points from 1986–89.
Forty-three schools are represented on this year’s U.S.A. Lacrosse listing, led by No.1 Cornell with nine, followed by Duke and Notre Dame with eight apiece. U.S.A. Lacrosse All-Americans are selected by staff and contributors.
Rusterucci is one of only four members of the Northeast Conference, which included David Burr and Bo Columbus of Robert Morris University and Lucas Winger, goalie, of Le Moyne.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.
