IRVINE, Calif. - For the first time in program history, Concordia University Irvine men's lacrosse has a CSC Academic All-America selection.

Jake Cloutier is now the answer to that trivia question as the highly decorated Golden Eagle was named a Third Team Academic All-American on Wednesday in the At-Large category. He becomes just the third CUI athlete to be voted to that esteemed honor since 2018, joining current baseball player Wyatt Madison - who was named earlier this summer - and former standout softball outfielder Kayla Rodgers (2025).

Cloutier has excelled for years in the classroom and on the field. He earned a 3.89 GPA as a graduate student while working on his Master's in Sports Business. 

Defense is sometimes a hard role to quantify with statistics in sports like lacrosse and soccer, but Cloutier had a knack for making an impact on the game every time he put on the CUI jersey.  He routinely has been one of the leaders on the squad with caused turnovers and ground balls, while accepting the challenge of guarding the opposition's best offensive players.  He was a big reason why CUI held other teams to single digits on the scoreboard nine times this past season. 

In addition to serving a vital role in the heart of Concordia's defense, the Simi Valley, Calif. native was one of 13 Golden Eagles to be named to the RMAC All-Academic Team and one of three to be on the First Team All-Academic squad.  He repeated as RMAC Defender of the Year in 2026 and helped Concordia claim its first RMAC Conference Championship with back-to-back overtime victories over Colorado Mesa and Westminster in the tournament.

CLICK HERE for the full list of 2026 CSC Academic All-America selections

Cloutier and the Golden Eagles then hosted their first-ever NCAA DII Tournament game and battled Flagler in another overtime thriller.

CLICK HERE for a look back at the full CUI men's lacrosse schedule