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Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference men’s lacrosse coaches have unanimously picked Bryant to win its fourth consecutive NEC title in 2015 as revealed in the annual preseason coaches’ poll released Tuesday. The three-time defending NEC Tournament champion Bulldogs were picked first in six of the seven polls, making them a unanimous selection as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. 

Saint Joseph’s was tabbed to finish second. Hobart and Sacred Heart were voted third and fourth, respectively. Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner rounded out the seven team poll.

Bryant won its third consecutive NEC Tournament title last spring with a 10-4 victory over Hobart. The Bulldogs defeated Siena in the first round of the NCAA tournament and shocked 2nd-ranked Syracuse to advance to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals before falling to 7th-ranked Maryland, 16-8.

For the Bulldogs, face-off specialist Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y./Elwood John Glenn) returns for his senior season. Massa, the two-time reigning NEC Player of the Year,  led both the conference and nation with a .705 winning percentage at the faceoff X, winning 237 of his 336-faceoff attempts. The Huntington, NY native was also named to the USILA All-America First Team, making it the first-ever First Team All-America honor in school history.

Also returning for the Bulldogs are sophomore attacker Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J./Bergen Catholic), junior goalkeeper Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md./Saint Paul’s School) and junior attacker Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa./Episcopal Academy). James, the 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, finished third on the team in goals (31) and points (51), and was named to the All-NEC Second team last season. Morrell led the Bulldogs in goals (44) and points (61), and has earned a spot on the All-NEC First Team each of the last two years. Waldt was a big part of the Bulldogs’ success last season, posting a 7.92 goals against average and a .593 save percentage. The 2014 NEC Defensive Player of the Year also won 75 percent of his games last year, posting a 15-5 record and was also named to the USILA All-America Third Team. Of Bryant’s seven players named to all-conference teams, four will be returning this season as the Bulldogs look to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive NEC championship.

Associate member Saint Joseph’s was picked to finish second.  In its first season in the conference, Saint Joseph’s won the NEC regular season title, posting a conference record of 6-0, but fell 10-9 in double overtime to fellow associate member Hobart in the semifinals of the 2014 NEC Tournament. Reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year, Ryan McGee (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) returns for the Hawks after finishing the 2014 season with 53 points and 33 goals. Saint Joseph’s returns nine of 11 players that were tabbed as All-NEC honorees last year including sophomore attacker Michael Rastivo (South Setauket, N.Y./Choate Rosemary), sophomore midfielder Anthony Joaquim (Guelph, Ontario, The Hill Academy) and sophomore attacker Ray Vandergrift (Jenkintown, Pa./William Penn Charter). Rastivo ranked second on the team in goals last season with 22 while fellow attacker Vandergrift led the NEC with four game-winning goals and tallied 15 total points during the regular season. Joaquim helped the Hawks out defensively by causing 13 turnovers and grabbing 35 ground balls.

2014 NEC Tournament finalist Hobart was picked to finish third in the poll. The Statesmen return sophomore midfielder Jake Shapiro (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Radnor) and senior attacker Zach Reed (Bath, N.Y./Bath-Haverling). Shapiro led the Statesmen with 64 groundballs last season and ranked third in the conference with 4.57 groundballs per contest. Reed finished the season ranked third on the team in goals (17) and finished with a total of 53 points.

Sacred Heart wrapped the 2014 regular season with a 4-2 record in league play and returns two All-NEC honorees, junior midfielder Alex Dodge (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and sophomore midfielder Brian Masi (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West). Dodge ranked fourth on the team in goals (19) and tallied 29 total points for the Pioneers in 2014. Masi was right behind Dodge, finishing the season with 18 goals and 26 points.

The 2015 season got underway on Saturday, February 7 and conference action begins on Saturday, March 21. The 2015 Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be held on April 30 & May 2, hosted by the top seed.

Points of #NECPride

 

Former Robert Morris star Tyler Digby was recognized in the Inside Lacrosse Indoor Top 50.

Bryant earned the NEC’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 9-8 win over Siena. The Bulldogs went on to upset #2 Syracuse 10-9 in a rematch of a game played in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Saint Joseph’s attackman Ryan McGee (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) was selected to the USILA 2014 Scholar All-America Team, becoming just the second Hawk in SJU men’s lacrosse program history to receive Scholar All-American Status. McGee was also named as the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s lacrosse in 2014.

Bryant’s Kevin Massa led the nation last year with a faceoff winning percentage of .705.

About The Northeast Conference

Now in its 34th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.