UVA Lands No. 3 Ben Hristoforatos, The Wahoos’ 7th Five-Star 2028

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As crazy as it may sound, Virginia didn't necessarily need another Top 10 recruit to cement itself as the No. 1 class or a generational one. Before receiving a verbal commitment from Chaminade's Ben Hristoforatos this week, UVA's 2028 recruiting class already featured a whopping six five-stars, plus two more Top 30 recruits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, Hristoforatos' commitment may prove to be the most important of the bunch, given that he's the top-ranked midfielder in the class and fills a need.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Virginia has won national championships, its dominant downhill dodgers and highly athletic all-around midfielders — Dox Aitken and Ryan Conrad, to name a few — have been a major reason why. Although the 'Hoos haven't exactly been starving for Top 100 talent in recent recruiting cycles, the program has struggled to land a true difference-maker at offensive midfield outside of converted attackmen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hristoforatos could be exactly that, having established himself this summer as a true two-way midfielder known to make his presence felt in a variety of ways. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He's so skilled on top of being big and athletic, and is just constantly running by poles, which helps set him apart," a Division I assistant coach told Prep Lacrosse in August leading up to the Top 100 release. "He has a willingness to play every part of the game, and the argument could be made that he's the best O-mid and the best D-mid, so it's pretty incredible just how much he can impact all three phases of the game."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hailing from Port Washington (N.Y.), Hristoforatos was the lone sophomore on Chaminade's varsity roster and initially started as a defensive midfielder for the Flyers before exploding for five goals —&nbsp;including the game-winner — in an early-season overtime win at Florida powerhouse St. Andrew's. While his 12-goal, nine-assist stat line may seem modest, his impact was significant, and he parlayed that into a flat-out ridiculous summer that was <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/07/nlf-heat-check-how-did-some-of-the-top-2028s-fare-on-the-island/">capped off with a NLF title and Championship MVP honors</a>. <br><br>Hristoforatos joins a class that is about as well-rounded and complete as his own skill set. Quite frankly, every box has been checked less than three weeks into the recruiting window. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At attack, there's No. 4 junior Hunter Hanford (Brunswick, Conn.) as a fiery lefty dodger and shooter, No. 7 Wayte McKnight (Episcopal Dallas, Texas) as a dynamic quarterback type, and No. 11 Austin Tuttle (Brunswick, Conn.) as a lethal right-handed finisher. In addition, there's No. 43 recruit Vincent Ward, a box-bred righty playmaker from Hill Academy (Ont.) who is perhaps more likely to run out of the box depending on how things shake out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In between the lines and at midfield, Hristoforatos will team up with another ridiculously athletic, hard-nosed, and multi-faceted midfielder in Sawyer Bligh, Prep Lacrosse's No. 16 recruit and another 'Wick stalwart who came to the Bruins after growing up out West. A first cousin of Virginia two-way midfielder Hudson Hausmann, Bligh's offensive ability is so strong that he's an attackman on the club circuit, though he projects to play a role rather similar to Hausmann's. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, the Wahoos will have a pair of five-stars and one more Top 30 recruit to work with, a group headlined by No. 10 recruit and top-ranked longpole Max Melchionni (Delbarton, N.J.), a full-field presence as a playmaking LSM. No. 22 recruit Mason Kennedy, a 6-foot-6 beast of an athlete from Lassiter (Ga.), has shown well at both LSM and close defense but could shade towards the latter in Charlottesville, while No. 29 Walker Harvey (Berkshire, Mass.) is another LSM who could work in tandem with Melchionni for years to come once Robby Hopper moves on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In terms of specialists, No. 27 recruit Lucas Ward is a left-handed star in goal for Deerfield Academy (Mass.) and an Ontario native who can take over a game both in and out of the crease. Another Philly-tough weapon at the X for the 'Hoos, face-off specialist Paul Taroborelli (Salesianum, Del.) is ranked 36th among 2028s in the Mid-Atlantic. <br><br>That's all to say that it's a rather stacked class coming to Charlottesville in the fall of 2028. Although we're less than three weeks into the recruiting window and rankings are bound to change over time, there are plenty of reasons for optimism about the Kevin Cassese era of Virginia lacrosse, given just how well things have gone for his first full recruiting cycle at the helm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->