Maryland Voted Unanimous Preseason Favorite in Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse
Rosemont, Ill. – Maryland was selected as the unanimous preseason favorite to claim the Big Ten Championship in men’s lacrosse in a poll conducted by the conference’s six head coaches. The coaches also selected three students from their own team as preseason honorees. The Terrapins were followed in the preseason poll by second-place Johns Hopkins, Penn State in third place, Ohio State and Rutgers in a fourth-place tie, and sixth-place Michigan.
Maryland made its 39th NCAA Tournament appearance last season after earning the No. 1 overall seed. The Terrapins fell short in the NCAA Championship game against North Carolina. Maryland, which has claimed at least a share of the last two Big Ten Championships, is ranked No. 2 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) preseason poll. Maryland’s preseason honorees are attacker Colin Heacock, goaltender Dan Morris and defender Tim Muller. Heacock and Muller were honorable mention All-Big Ten recipients last season.
Johns Hopkins made its record 44th NCAA Tournament appearance last season. The Blue Jays are ranked No. 8 in the USILA preseason ballot. Johns Hopkins’ preseason honorees include defender Nick Fields, attacker Shack Stanwick and midfielder Joel Tinney. Stanwick earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2016, while Fields was a second-team honoree.
Penn State completed the 2016 season with an 8-7 record, including a 2-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 15 in the USILA preseason ballot. Penn State’s preseason honorees feature attackers Grant Ament and Nick Aponte and defender Chris Sabia. Aponte was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last spring, while Ament claimed honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.
Ohio State finished last season with a 7-8 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in conference play. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 in the USILA preseason poll. Ohio State’s preseason honorees are attacker Eric Fannell and midfielders Johnny Pearson and Jake Withers.
Rutgers won 11 games in 2016, and advanced to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 16 in the USILA preseason poll. The Scarlet Knights’ preseason honorees include attacker Jules Heningburg, defender Michael Rexrode and midfielder Christian Trasolini.
Michigan was 3-10 in its fifth season as a varsity program in 2016, but lost three games by just one goal. The Wolverines’ preseason honorees feature long stick midfielder Nick DeCaprio, attacker Ian King and midfielder Mikie Schlosser. King broke Michigan’s single-season record with 17 assists in just nine games played last season.
The 2017 Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will be hosted by Ohio State from May 4-6. The tournament will feature a four-team field, with two semifinal matches on Thursday and the championship game played on Saturday.
The preseason poll and complete preseason honoree list can be found below.
2017 BIG TEN MEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
(1) MARYLAND
(2) Johns Hopkins
(3) Penn State
(T4) Ohio State
(T4) Rutgers
(6) Michigan
Unanimous preseason favorite listed in ALL CAPS
2017 BIG TEN MEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON HONOREES
JOHNS HOPKINS
Nick Fields, Sr., D
Shack Stanwick, Jr., A
Joel Tinney, Jr., M
MARYLAND
Colin Heacock, Sr., A
Dan Morris, Jr., G
Tim Muller, Sr., D
MICHIGAN
Nick DeCaprio, So., LSM
Ian King, Sr., A
Mikie Schlosser, Sr., M
OHIO STATE
Eric Fannell, Sr., A
Johnny Pearson, Sr., M
Jake Withers, Sr., M
PENN STATE
Grant Ament, So., A
Nick Aponte, Sr., A
Chris Sabia, So., D
RUTGERS
Jules Heningburg, Jr., A
Michael Rexrode, Jr., D
Christian Trasolini, Sr., M
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