Ithaca Picked to Defend Title in E8 Preseason Poll

Ithaca Picked to Defend Title in E8 Preseason Poll

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ROCHESTER, NY -- Reigning conference champion Ithaca College collected eight first place votes on the way to 64 total poll points to headline the 2015 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. Ithaca is followed by Nazareth College, which secured 53 tallies and Stevens Institute of Technology rounds out the top three with 50 points in the annual coach's survey. St. John Fisher College earned the No. 4 spot in the coaches’ poll after advancing to the conference tournament championship game in 2014.

Ithaca secured the 2014 Empire 8 championship last Spring after defeating visiting St. John Fisher, 10-6, at Higgins Stadium. It was Ithaca's third Empire 8 championship in program history and first since 2008. Ithaca earned the conference’s automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament and advanced as far as the second round until falling to top-ranked and eventual semifinalist RIT. 

Ithaca, Nazareth and Stevens were all represented in the national preseason poll from the USILA, with the Bombers being ranked No. 14, while Stevens and Nazareth were both slotted in the receiving vote’s category.  Ithaca (No. 18) and Nazareth (No. 19) were both recognized in the Face-Off Yearbook National Preseason Poll, while the Bombers were also ranked No. 13 in the Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Top 20.
 
2015 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll

School    Total Points
1. Ithaca College (8 First Place Votes) 64
2. Nazareth College (1) 53
3. Stevens Institute of Technology 50
4. St. John Fisher College    46
5. Utica College 37
6. Alfred University 28
7. Hartwick College 22
8. Elmira College 16   
9. Houghton College 8

Who's Back?

Entering the 2015 campaign, 16 all-conference selections return to fields across the Empire 8. Six Empire 8 men's lacrosse student athletes have been named as D-III preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse.
 
#1 Ithaca College (15-5 overall, 6-1 in E8 play in 2014)
Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American’s Eli Gobrecht and Scott Sidnam return to pace the Ithaca defensive unit which ranked second in the conference with an 8.04 goals against average last season. As a sophomore Gobrecht led Ithaca with 35 caused turnovers in 20 starts and he was an honorable mention All-American selection by the USILA. Sidnam, the MVP of last year’s E8 championship game, was an honorable mention preseason All-American pick after he made 185 saves in his 20 starts. 2014 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year John Januszkiewicz returns at attack after a successful freshman campaign where he also earned all-conference second team accolades. Januszkiewicz started all 18 games for the Bombers, ranking third on the team with 53 points (38 goals, 15 assists). Senior long-stick midfielder Jimmy Ryan also returns to the lineup after earning second team all-conference status last Spring.

#2 Nazareth College (8-10 overall, 5-2 in E8 play in 2014)
Nazareth earned the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament last season and returns four Empire 8 All-Conference selections to the field this Spring, including two-time Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year Drew Simoneau. Simoneau, a 2014 third-team All-American, was masterful for the Golden Flyers as a face-off specialist in 2014 as he led all of Division III with 12.78 ground balls per game. He also ranked among the national leaders in face-off percentage, winning 277 of 408 draws (67.9%). Preseason All-American honorable mention Troy Haefele also returns for his junior season after he finished second on the team in scoring with 57 points on 38 goals and 19 assists last year. Classmate Luke Wooters, also a preseason All-American honorable mention, led the Golden Flyers in scoring for the second year in a row despite missing five games with an ankle injury last year. He had 58 points on 27 goals and 31 assists and now has 91 career goals after just two seasons. Senior defender Jerry Chasteen, an all-conference second team pick in 2014, will anchor the Golden Flyer defense as Nazareth searches to add to it’s conference-best eight Empire 8 championships.

#3 Stevens Institute of Technology (8-8 overall, 5-2 in E8 play in 2014)
The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s lacrosse team earned the No. 3 spot in the preseason coaches’ poll after advancing to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament for the fourth straight season last Spring.  The Ducks return four all-conference selections to their lineup in 2015 and they will be guided by preseason All-American honorable mention Tim Fair and senior midfielder Michael Maroon, who were both first-team all-conference picks a year ago. Fair is a two-time all-conference performer after pacing the Stevens defense the last two years which included a trip to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Maroon will be back in the midfield for his senior season this Spring after leading the team with 59 points on 28 goals and 31 assists. Junior Matt Ferentini also returns to the midfield after earning all-conference second team status last year. Classmate Andrew Scrutchfield was an honorable mention on the all-conference team last season after posting 45 points (28 goals, 17 assists) to go along with 37 ground balls. 

#4 St. John Fisher College (12-5 overall, 6-1 in E8 play in 2014)
The Cardinals earned the No. 4 slot in the preseason coaches’ poll after advancing to the conference tournament championship game for the second time in program-history last season. Fisher graduated eight all-conference selections from last year’s squad and the Cardinals will look to seniors Nick Rossi, Pat Russell and Paul Cefalu in order to return to the E8 tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years. Rossi was an all-conference honorable mention last season after finishing the year ranked third on the team with 26 points (21 goals, five assists). Russell totaled 24 ground balls and seven caused turnovers last season, while Cefalu, a face-off specialist, won 139 of 261 draws (.533) and finished eighth in the league with an average of 4.73 ground balls per game.  Michael Russell will also return to the midfield as a captain and he has eight goals and two assists over the course of the last three seasons.

#5 Utica College (8-8 overall, 3-4 in E8 play in 2014)
The Utica College men’s lacrosse team earned the fifth seed in the preseason coaches’ poll and hopes to advance to the conference tournament for the second time in the last three years.  The Pioneers will be led on the defensive end by seniors Sean Flanagan and Tom Byrne, who were selected as all-conference honorable mentions last Spring.  Byrne made his second straight appearance on an all-conference team last year after he finished second on the team with a career-high 82 ground balls and he also caused a career-high 37 turnovers.  Flanagan is also a two-time all-conference selection after he picked up 32 ground balls and caused 22 turnovers in 2014. Senior Zack Stevenson returns for his final season after posting 89 ground balls and 14 points, while winning 144 of 269 face-offs one season ago. 

#6 Alfred University (5-8 overall, 2-5 in E8 play in 2014)
The Alfred University men's lacrosse team was picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll and will return a host of letter winners, including seven of 10 starters from last season. Among the key returnees are senior attack Nicolas Wood, sophomore midfielder Derek Bishopp and sophomore midfielder Jimmy Pratti. Wood scored 17 goals, third most on the team, to go with seven assists last season. Bishopp, had a solid first collegiate season at AU in 2014, netting 19 points on 14 goals and five assists to go along with scooping 21 groundballs. Pratti stepped in as the Saxons' top face-off specialist and won nearly 50 percent of his draws (139 of 281) while picking up a team-high 67 groundballs.

#7 Hartwick College (3-10 overall, 0-7 in E8 play in 2014)
Hartwick College earned the No. 7 spot in the preseason coaches’ poll and looks to return to the conference tournament for the first time since 2005.  The Hawks head into the Spring under the direction of first-year Head Coach Don LaSala, who most recently served as the head coach at Adrian College where he led the Bulldogs to three straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. Senior Roy Simmons is the top returning scorer for the Hawks after posting 17 goals and 14 assists last Spring.  Goalie Michael Rourke returns in the crease after starting all 14 games last season and defender Kevin Rourke also returns after posting a team-high 14 caused turnovers while adding 26 ground balls in 2014.

#8 Elmira College (3-11, 1-6 in E8 play in 2014)
The Elmira College men’s lacrosse team earned the No. 8 slot in the preseason coaches’ poll. Junior long-stick midfielder John Bigelow returns to the field this Spring after totaling 45 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers last season. Bigelow will work alongside classmate AJ Bourdon who totaled 37 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers in 2014. Wyatt Katsos played in 10 games between the pipes last season for the Soaring Eagles and posted 76 saves.


#9 Houghton College (0-15 overall in 2014)
Houghton College enters the 2015 season eligible to participate in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament for the first time since joining the conference.  They will be led on the offensive end by seniors Sean Daigler and Joshua Bailey.  Daigler tied for the team lead last Spring with 30 points (20 goals, 10 assists) and he also scooped up 83 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers. Bailey added 10 points (nine goals, one assist), while sophomore Paul Chapman posted a team-best 24 goals. The Highlanders were honored this offseason with the 2014 James "Ace" Adams Sportsmanship Award, as selected by the US Lacrosse Men's Collegiate Officials Committee, in recognition of the coaches, players, and fans exhibiting the best sportsmanship throughout the season.

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A Closer Look
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