Most Assists in a Lacrosse Game: NCAA and NLL Records
NCAA record books list a single-game assist high of 16 for men and women. See the holders, division records and separate NLL box lacrosse marks.
The NCAA record books list 16 assists as the single-game high in both men’s and women’s lacrosse. In men’s Division III, Zach Nestor and Chris Lazazzaro share that mark; in women’s Division III, Nora Posival holds it. Those are college field lacrosse records—not a universal record covering every league and lacrosse code. (NCAA men’s DIII records, NCAA women’s DIII records)
For NCAA Division I men, the listed record is 12, shared by Tony Asterino, Darren Lowe and Steve Marohl. For the NLL, the league’s 2025–26 record book lists Mark Steenhuis with 13, with playoff games recorded separately. (NCAA men’s DI records, NLL record book, pp. 221–222)
Single-game assist records by competition
These are individual totals, not team assists. The table reports entries in the cited record books, checked October 10, 2026—not a combined worldwide leaderboard. The NCAA Division III books include 2026 performances. The NLL entries come from the 2025–26 edition, whose historical statistics cover results through the 2025 season; they are not presented as an update through the completed 2026 season.
| Competition | Assists | Player, team and game | Official record source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA men’s Division I — field | 12 | Tony Asterino, Siena vs. Clarkson, April 30, 1981; Darren Lowe, Brown vs. Boston College, March 12, 1991; Steve Marohl, UMBC vs. Penn, March 18, 1992 | NCAA DI men |
| NCAA men’s Division II — field | 12 | Kevin Barletta, Bryant vs. American International, April 3, 2001 | NCAA DII men |
| NCAA men’s Division III — field | 16 | Zach Nestor, SUNY Morrisville vs. Thomas (Maine), April 21, 2024; Chris Lazazzaro, SUNY Delhi vs. Anna Maria, April 23, 2026 | NCAA DIII men |
| NCAA women’s Division I — field | 11 | Claire Petersen, Stony Brook vs. Longwood, March 9, 2013; Kayla Reilly, Campbell vs. Radford, April 28, 2018; Casey Harkins, American vs. Presbyterian, March 10, 2020 | NCAA DI women |
| NCAA women’s Division II — field | 13 | Alexandria Quast, Tiffin vs. Walsh, April 5, 2013 | NCAA DII women |
| NCAA women’s Division III — field | 16 | Nora Posival, Saint Vincent vs. Franciscan, April 11, 2013 | NCAA DIII women |
| NLL regular season — box | 13 | Mark Steenhuis, Buffalo vs. Toronto, February 14, 2009 | NLL record book and league history |
| NLL playoffs — box | 10 | John Tavares, Buffalo vs. New York Titans, May 10, 2008 | NLL record book |
The games behind the 16-assist mark
Nestor recorded one goal and 16 assists in Morrisville’s 22–3 win over Thomas. His final assist came with 40 seconds remaining. That means he assisted 16 of his team’s 22 goals—72.7%—and finished with 17 individual points. (Morrisville game recap)
Lazazzaro matched the assist record in Delhi’s 31–5 win over Anna Maria in 2026. He also scored five goals, producing 21 points and tying the Division III single-game points record. Equal assist totals, therefore, did not mean equal point totals. (Delhi game recap, NCAA DIII records)
Posival’s women’s record came in Saint Vincent’s 24–4 win over Franciscan in 2013. She accumulated 12 assists in the first half and four more after halftime, adding two goals for 18 points. (Saint Vincent game recap)
An older answer naming Thomas Tillett’s 15 assists needs a date qualifier: his April 12, 2022 performance set the NCAA men’s record at the time, but the cited Division III ledger places Nestor and Lazazzaro above him. (Benedictine recap, NCAA DIII records)
Why the NLL number stays separate
NCAA men’s statistical rules allow no more than one assist per goal, credited to the player who possessed the ball immediately before the scorer. A pass must contribute directly to the goal to qualify. NLL Rule 21.4 allows up to two assists per goal. An NLL assist total can consequently include both first and second assists, so the two competitions’ assist totals are not directly interchangeable. (NCAA statisticians’ manual, Section 3, NLL rules, Rule 21.4)
Steenhuis added four goals to his 13 assists for 17 points in Buffalo’s 25–10 win over Toronto. The NLL record book’s single-game row labels the opponent Boston, but the league’s historical account and contemporaneous Canadian Press coverage identify Toronto. The assist total and date agree across the league records. (NLL history, Canadian Press report, NLL record book)
For comparisons beyond these competitions, retain the league, division, field-or-box format and regular-season-or-playoff label. Our guide to how lacrosse scoring stats are counted explains why assists and points need that context.