Courtesy of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Natalie West
Director of Conference Communications
Mount Ida College will be tagged as the pre-season favorite in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Lacrosse inaugural season according to the pre-season coaches' poll. The Mustangs earned 47 of a possible 49 points, making Mount Ida the near unanimous favorite to capture their first GNAC title.
Lasell College was picked to finish second, just ahead of third place Norwich University and fourth place St. Joseph's Maine. Rounding out the pre-season poll are Becker College, picked to finish fifth, and Emerson College, selected to finished sixth, while Daniel Webster College and Rivier College were selected to finish seventh and eighth respectively.
1. Mount Ida (47)
2. Lasell (43)
3. Norwich (36)
4. St. Joseph's ME (30)
5. Becker (28)
6. Emerson (15)
7. Daniel Webster (14)
8. Rivier (11)
#1 Mount Ida College
In 2010 the Mustangs finished 2nd place in the North Atlantic Conference with a 12-7 overall record, going 9-0 in NAC regular season play. The Mustangs return most of their 2010 squad with Head Coach Andrew Fink at the helm, who will lead the team for his 9th consecutive season.
Mount Ida will be led by senior captains Derek Broughton, Dan Harrington, and junior Sean Maher. Also returning for the Mustangs are senior attacker Matthew Savage, junior goalie Jimmy McAllister, and junior defender Carl Grimo who all earned NAC All-Conference honors last season. Savage led the team in 2010 with 44 goals and 9 assists, while McAllister had a record of 7-7 in goal and a save percentage of .632. The Mustangs look to continue their winning record this season with several key players returning and the additional of 8 newcomers.
#2 Lasell College
Last season, Lasell finished the season with a 5-11 record overall and 3-4 in the Pilgrim League under Head Coach Tim Dunton. This year, the Lasers will be led by veteran midfielder Chris Bulkley and senior goalkeeper Eric Walsh. Bulkey earned Pilgrim League First team All-Conference honors last season after scoring 11 goals and adding 23 assists while finishing the season ranked 75th amongst all NCAA DIII men's lacrosse players for assists per game (1.44). With 15 starts under his belt from 2010, Walsh will return to the Lasers' net this season. Walsh averaged over 7.5 saves per game last season, making 113 total stops between the pipes. Also receiving all-conference accolades is returning sophomore Matthew Keiler who will anchor the Lasers' defense.
#3 Norwich University
Norwich ended the 2010 season with an overall record of 8-8 and 1-6 in the Pilgrim League conference led by Head Coach Neal Anderson. Although the Cadets lost a few players to graduation, they will be returning leading scorer sophomore, Joe Galante, who topped off last year with 30 goals and 18 assists. The Cadets are led by a senior class of attacker Tyler Nicoll, defender Jason Moore, attacker Tyler Woods, and midfielder Patrick Sikora. Norwich looks to be a top competitor in the inaugural season of the GNAC Men's Lacrosse program after having victories over GNAC competitors Daniel Webster and Becker last season.
#4 St. Joseph's College of Maine
The Monks finished the 2010 campaign with a record of 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the North Atlantic Conference under Head Coach Mike Edgar, who is entering his fourth season at the helm. Seniors Ross Hardaway and Eliot LaMarre and juniors Paul Dolewa and Jonathan Horgan will lead the Monks as the captains for the 2011 season. St. Joe's will return 19 players from their 2010 roster including sophomore Spencer Hunt, who earned NAC Co-Rookie of the Year as the Monks leading scorer with 42 goals and 34 assists for a total of 76 points on the season. Also returning for the Monks are sophomore Albert Comins and sophomore Christopher Driscoll, both of whom earned NAC 2nd team All-Conference honors.
#5 Becker College
The Hawks enter the 2011 season, coming off of a 7-8 overall record under Head Coach Shawn Degnan. Although losing their top two scorers to graduation, the Hawks will look to the leadership of senior captains John Malcolm and John Bourque. Bourque finished last season as the third leading scorer with 24 goals and 13 assists. Also returning for the Hawks are key sophomores Jeff Peterson, who tallied 27 goals and 11 assists last season and Joe Ignangi who finished with 18 goals and 14 assists.
#6 Emerson College
Emerson will look to be a top contender in the 2011 season under new Head Coach Nathaniel Mayo. The Lions had an overall record of 3-7 in 2010, but are returning their top two scorers, sophomore midfielder Zoe Fisk and junior attacker Dan Gold. Emerson looks to have a good season with senior Braden Campbell anchoring the defense as goalkeeper.
#7 Daniel Webster
The Eagles are coming off their best season yet under Head Coach Kyle Devitt with a 7-4 record overall. Daniel Webster will be led by junior captain midfielder Antonio Polson and their top four scorers, Alex McKenzie, Shane Devaney, Justin Chiulli, and Mike Jordan. By losing only two players to graduation, the Eagles look to be a strong team with several experienced players returning for the 2011 season.
#8 Rivier
Rivier will be entering only their second year as a varsity program. Despite going 0-10 in 2010, the Raiders gained valuable experience in their inaugural season and will look to a large freshman class consisting of nine newcomers all playing midfield.