Virginia attackman Connor Shellenberger and defenseman Cole Kastner were selected in the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft on Tuesday night.

Shellenberger was drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Atlas, while Kastner — a native of Palo Alto, California — was selected eighth in the fourth round by the California Redwoods.

Shellenberger, a Charlottesville native, became Virginia’s all-time assists and points leader earlier this season. He is a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist (2022-23) and led the nation in assists in 2023.

He guided the Hoos to the national championship in 2021 and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after recording a school record 24 points in the tournament. Shellenberger is one of just two Cavaliers in program history to be named a three-time USILA first team All-American.

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Shellenberger joins former Virginia teammate Xander Dickson, who is currently a member of the Atlas’ roster.

Virginia's Connor Shellenberger dodges past Michigan's Jack Whitney during a game at Klöckner Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.

With his selection, Kastner became the first UVa close defenseman to be chosen in a PLL Draft. He started in all four NCAA Tournament games during the Cavaliers’ 2021 national championship run and is a three-time All-ACC selection. In 2022 was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Kastner also was named a second team USILA All-American in 2022 after finishing the season with 31 caused turnovers. This season, he currently leads the ACC in caused turnovers (1.87/gm) and ranks 13th nationally.

Earlier this year, Kastner announced his plans to play basketball at Stanford for the upcoming 2024-25 season. He is expected to compete for the Redwoods in the summer of 2025. Kastner joins former teammates Jared Conners and Charlie Bertrand, both of whom were also members of the 2021 UVa national championship team.

Since the Premier Lacrosse League’s inception in 2019, Virginia is the only school to have seven players drafted in the first round, having at least one in each year.

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