2022 Northeast Conference Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll          1. Bryant (5)          2. Saint Joseph’s (3)          3. Hobart          4. LIU          5. Merrimack          6. Mount St. Mary’s          7. Sacred Heart          8. Wagner          First place votes in parentheses

Somerset, NJ -- The NEC's all-time winningest men's lacrosse program is showing no signs of slowing down.

Looking to secure the program's second consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) men's lacrosse title and seventh overall, league coaches have named Bryant as the preseason favorite, with the Bulldogs receiving five first place votes. Defending NEC regular season champion Saint Joseph's was ranked second in the poll and collected three first place votes. LIU and Merrimack were picked fourth and fifth, respectively. Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and Wagner, rounded out the preseason poll in that order.
 
Entering his 16th season as the Bulldogs' head coach, Mike Pressler has led his team to six NEC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances - including three NCAA tournament wins - and guided the Black and Gold to a #14 national ranking for the 2021 season. Bryant brings back a numbder of key players from last year's championship team, including 2021 NEC Rookie of the Year Bennett Abladian (Londonderry, NH/Bishop Guertin). Abladian paced the Bulldogs with 29 goals and ranked secondw with 37 points on his way to becoming the fifth NEC Rookie of the Year in Bryant's DI program history. Also returning for the Bulldogs is junior attack Logan McGovern (Darien, CT/Darien). McGovern was a second team All-Conference honoree last season and ranked second among NEC leaders in points per game (4.18) and assists per game (2.36).
 
Saint Joseph's has won the NEC regular season crown five times since joining the conference in 2014 and boasts a stellar 37-7 record against NEC competition in its time as an associate member. Returning for the five-time NEC Coach of the Year Taylor Wray is the reigning NEC Player of the Year, senior face-off specialist Zach Cole (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape). Cole finished the season ranked fifth nationally in face-off winning percentage (.683) and second in ground balls per game (10.92). Cole, who set the SJU single-season record in ground balls (142) last season, was named a 2021 All-American by three different organizations and has also been tabbed a 2022 Preseason All-America third team honoree by USA Magazine.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.