ATHLETIC HONORS & AWARDS
- Honorable Mention USILA All-American (2023)
- First Team All-Big Ten (2023)
ACADEMIC HONORS & AWARDS
- Academic All-Big Ten (2024, 2025) |
Career Summary
- Transferred to Johns Hopkins in 2023 after spending two seasons at Marquette
- Played in 40 games with 39 starts and totaled 70 goals and 33 assists for 103 points in his JHU career.
- Including 12 goals and nine assists at Marquette, had 82 goals and 42 assists for 124 points in college career.
Of Note
- Ranked as the #69Â freshman in the nation byÂ
Inside Lacrosse in 2021.
 2025
- Played in and started seven games before missing the final seven games with an injury.
- Despite missing seven full games and almost all of another (Virginia), finished fourth on the team in goals (14) and points (23) and tied for third in assists (9).
- Sparked 13-10 season-opening win at Denver with four goals and two assists. Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Pioneers.
- Scored once and added two assists in an 11-6 win over 10th-ranked Georgetown. All three points came during a 7-1 run that gave JHU an 8-3 lead that was never threatened.
- Powered JHU to a 9-8 win at Loyola with four goals and one assist. Scored the game-winning goal with 41 seconds remaining in regulation (EMO).
- Rang up five goals and added two assists for seven points in a 13-12 loss to ninth-ranked North Carolina. Had a hand in each of JHU’s final five goals with three goals and two assists over the final 26 minutes.
2024
- Started all 16 games (15 on attack and one at midfield) and ha 19 goals and eight assists for 27 points on the year.
- Finished fourth on the team in goals, assists and points.
- Counted one goal and one assist to his credit in 13-12 season-opening loss to Denver.
- Sparked 13-5 win over Towson with two goals and two assists.
- Added two assists in an 11-9 win at Georgetown and one goal in a 13-7 win over #17 Loyola.
- Helped spark 13-9 win at 15th-ranked North Carolina with two goals and one assist and added one goal in a 16-14 win at second-ranked Virginia.
- Sparked 13-8 win at #17 Rutgers with two goals. Two tallies were the first two in a 5-1 game-ending run that turned an 8-7 lead early in the fourth quarter into the 13-8 win.
- Fueled 15-11 win over #15 Michigan with three goals and two assists. Had a hand in five straight goals during a 7-2 run that turned a 4-1 deficit into an 8-6 lead that JHU never relinquished.
- Scored JHU’s first goal in a 9-8 overtime win against seventh-ranked Penn State. Goal was the 50th of his Hopkins career.
- Scored twice in a 10-7 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Semifinals.
- Capped season with a four-goal outburst in an 11-10 double-overtime loss to Virginia in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
2023
- Ranked second on the team in goals (37), assists (16) and points (53) and led the team in shooting percentage (.398) among players who took 15 or more shots.
- Ended season with a 12-game goal-scoring streak.
- Picked up an assist in his Hopkins debut, a 12-7 win at #17 Jacksonville.
- Scored four goals to fuel a 13-12 win over third-ranked Georgetown.
- Added one goal in an 11-7 loss to 19th-ranked North Carolina before missing game at 12th-ranked Loyola.
- Returned to lineup and had two assists in a 12-8 win over Utah.
- Rang up one goal and two assists in a loss to #1 Virginia and sparked 11-9 win at Syracuse with a three-goal performance.
- Scored two goals and added one assist in a 12-9 win at Navy. Assisted on the game-opening goal and scored the final goal in the victory.
- Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after a four-goal, three-assist effort in a 15-11 win at Michigan. Seven points were a then career high and four goals matched then career best.
- Rang up career-high six goals in a 12-11 double overtime loss at #8 Penn State. Scored four of his six in the first quarter.
- Posted fifth hat trick of the season with three goals in a 17-8 Homecoming win over #17 Ohio State.
- Made immediate mark in first career Hopkins-Maryland game with two goals and three assists in a 12-11 win over the #4 Terps. Scored game-winning goal on amazing individual effort from behind the goal.
- Scored twice in the Big Ten Semifinals against #7 Maryland.
- Posted JHU NCAA Tournament record with nine points (5g, 4a) in 22-8 win over Bryant in first round of the NCAA Tournament. All nine points came in a 15-0 Johns Hopkins run that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 17-3 lead.
- Scored twice in a 12-9 loss to eventual national champion Notre Dame in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
At Marquette (2021 & 2022)
- Played in 10 games with seven starts in two seasons.
- Totaled 12 goals and nine assists in his two seasons.
- Played in seven games with four starts as a freshman in 2021 and rang up seven goals and four assists.
- Started first three games of the 2022 season before missing the remainder of the season with an injury.
- Posted five goals and five assists in first three games of the '22 season.
- Had one goal and a Marquette record-tying five assists against Bellarmine in 2022 season opener.
At Archbishop Spalding
- Member of lacrosse, soccer and volleyball teams.
- Four-year member and two-time captain of varsity lacrosse team.
- First team All-MIAA, All-Anne Arundel County and All-Metro selection in lacrosse.
- Led team in goals and assists as a junior and senior.
- Earned two varsity letters in soccer and volleyball.
Personal
- Russell Melendez.
- Son of Christine and Israel Melendez.
- Youngest of four children with older siblings, Lexie, Tommy, and Emily.
- Mother, Christine, played lacrosse and field hockey at Loyola.
- Graduated with a degree in political science with a minor in business.
