Click Here For PDF Release
Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference men’s lacrosse coaches have picked Bryant to win its fifth consecutive NEC title in 2016 as revealed in the annual preseason coaches’ poll released Tuesday. The four-time defending NEC Tournament champion Bulldogs were picked first in five of the seven polls.
Saint Joseph’s recieved two first place votes and was tabbed to finish second. Hobart and Mount St. Mary’s were voted third and fourth, respectively. Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner rounded out the seven team poll.
Bryant won its fourth consecutive NEC Tournament title last spring with a 10-6 victory over regular season champion Saint Joseph’s. The Bulldogs went on to face No. 20 Marist in the NCAA First Four, dropping a 10-6 decision.
For the Bulldogs, goalkeeper Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, MD/Saint Paul’s School) returns as a fifth-year senior. Waldt, a 2015 USILA All-American and the two-time reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year, ranked fifth in the nation in save percentage (.578), ninth in goals against average (8.24) and 17th in saves per game (11.11) in 2015 while anchoring a defense that ranked 10th overall. He enters his final season ranked second on the program’s career saves list (574) and tied for the program lead with 30 all-time wins.
Also returning for the Bulldogs are senior attacker Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, PA/Episcopal Academy) and junior attacker Tucker James (Essex Fells, NJ/Bergen Catholic). Morrell finished third in the league in goals (31) and points (51), and was named to the All-NEC Second team last season. James, the 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year and a first team NEC all-star in 2015, ranked second in the NEC in goals (34) and fourth in points (50).
Of Bryant’s eleven players named to all-conference teams, nine will be returning this season as the Bulldogs look to win their fifth consecutive NEC championship.
Fellow NEC power Saint Joseph’s was picked to finish second. In its second season in the conference, Saint Joseph’s won its second consecutive NEC regular season title, posting back-to-back perfect 6-0 campaigns. The Hawks reached their first NEC title game where they dropped a 10-6 decision to Bryant.
Michael Rastivo (South Setauket, NY/Choate Rosemary), the 2015 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, returns for the Hawks after amassing 43 goals and 62 points last season. Saint Joseph’s also brings back six of the nine players who were tabbed All-NEC honorees last year, including senior attacker Pat Swanick (Haverford, PA/St. Joseph’s Prep), senior midfielder Kevin Forster (Jenkintown, PA/La Salle College HS (University of Maryland)) and senior defender John Winchell (Glen Ridge, NJ/Glen Ridge). Swanick scooped up 26 ground balls and finished the season ranked fifth on the team in points (22). Forster finished the year third on the team in goals (18) and points (35). Winchell anchored a defense that led the NEC in goals against average (7.50). Sophomore attacker Chris Blewitt (Lincoln Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic), the 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year, ranked fourth on the team in goals (18) and points (30).
Hobart made its second consecutive NEC Tournament appearance last spring and was picked to finish third in the poll. The Statesmen return junior goalkeeper Jackson Brown (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon St. Jude) and senior midfielder Cooper Stefaniak (Lancaster, NY/St. Francis). A second team All-NEC pick, Brown ranked tenth in the nation last season in saves per game (11.86) and third in the league in save percentage (.556). Stefaniak finished fifth on the Statesmen last season in goals (11) and points (14).
Mount St. Mary’s returns an NEC All-Rookie honoree in sophomore goalkeeper Matt Vierheller (Forest Hill, MD/Georgetown Prep) as well as senior midfielder Justin Gosnell (Aberdeen, MD/Havre de Grace). Vierheller ranked second in the NEC in save percentage (.569) and third in goals against average (8.36). Gosnell led the Mountaineers in goals (21) and points (27).
The 2015 season commenced on Saturday, February 6 and conference action begins on Tuesday, March 15. The 2016 Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be held on May 5 & 7, hosted by the top seed.
Points of #NECPride
Former Robert Morris players Luc Magnan, Michael Seidel and Jacob Ruest were selected in the 2015 National Lacrosse League Draft.
Saint Joseph head coach Taylor Wray led the Canadian U-19 team to a 14-13 OT win over team USA.
Bryant’s Kevin Massa capped off his career earning his third straight USILA All-America honor after winning his third consecutive NEC Player of the Year honor. A seven-time NCAA record holder, he owns four NCAA career marks for faceoffs won (1,117), faceoffs taken (1,638), ground balls (753) and ground balls per game (9.92).
Wagner men’s lacrosse was named as a recipient of the James “Ace” Adams Sportsmanship Award for the 2015 lacrosse season as the representatives of District 3.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 35th 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.