2025 Northeast Conference Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll          1. Robert Morris (3)          2. Cleveland St. (2)          3. LIU (2)          4. VMI (1)          5. Le Moyne          6. Detroit Mercy          7. Mercyhurst          8. Wagner          First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ — With its long-awaited return just days away, Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s lacrosse is gearing up for an exciting new chapter.
 
As the league welcomes a host of fresh faces alongside four full-time members, the stage is set to crown the league’s first men’s lax champion since 2022.
 
But first, the focus must shift to selecting the preseason favorite.
 
Robert Morris came out on top in a poll of the conference’s head coaches, but with a razor thin margin over a series of contenders vying to capture their first NEC championship trophy.
 
The Colonials received three first place votes, one more than Cleveland State and LIU, who finished second and third, respectively, in the projections. VMI was tabbed fourth and received a lone first place nod. Le Moyne finished fifth, with Detroit Mercy, Mercyhurst and Wagner rounding out the eight-team field in that order.
 
A founding member of the NEC in 1981, Robert Morris returns to the NEC men’s lacrosse circuit, joined by a trio of new associate members: Cleveland State, VMI, and Detroit Mercy.

RMU won the NEC regular season championship in 2012 and placed in the top-three of the conference standings seven times throughout its 10-season run before departing to compete in the Atlantic Sun in 2021. The Colonials won back-to-back NEC titles in 2018 and 2019, and advanced in the 2018 NCAA Tournament with a 12-6 opening round win over Canisius.
 
Most recently, RMU won the ASUN title in 2022. Last season, the Colonials fell in the ASUN first round.
 
Under fourth-year head coach Craig McDonald, the Colonials return senior attack David Burr (Glassboro, NJ/St. Augustine), who paced the Colonials with 34 goals and ranked second on the squad with 46 points in 2024. Sophomore goaltender Nate Fechter (Dresher, PA/Upper Dublin) started 15 games between the pipes last season and was named to the ASUN All-Freshman team.
 
Cleveland State joins the NEC after spending the last three years as an ASUN lax member. Last spring, Cleveland State advanced to the ASUN semis after compiling a 5-4 regular season league mark. Andy German was named ASUN Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to their first-ever postseason appearance and a program-record eight wins. Sophomore defender Griffin Valli (Buffalo, MN/Buffalo) was awarded second team All-ASUN accolades and a spot on the All-Freshman team after pacing the squad with 42 ground balls.
 
A longtime D2 power, LIU competed in the NEC in 2021 and 2022 before a two-year stint in the MAAC. The 2024 season was a historical one for head coach Jordan Levine and the Sharks, winning a DI record 10 games and finishing second in the MAAC with a 7-2 conference mark before falling in the tournament semifinals. LSM Nick Kasica (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) returns for his senior season after collecting All-MAAC second team plaudits last spring.
 
Head coach James Purpura enters his fifth season at the helm of VMI. With a seven-win season in 2024 - the program’s highest win total in 19 years - the Keydets have now increased their victory total four straight years. Competing the last two years in the MAAC, VMI fell just short of qualifying for a playoff spot last spring. VMI welcomes back a pair of All-MAAC honorees in senior attack Luke Rusterucci (Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill) and senior LSM Alex Baber (Richmond, VA/Holderness). Rusterucci was named to the first team after racking up 38 goals and 30 assists. He finished among the top-25 in the in both points and assists per game. Baber scooped up 37 ground balls to rank third on the Keydets.
 
Le Moyne and NEC newcomer Mercyhurst both boast a rich legacy of success at the D2 level. The Dolphins captured six national titles before beginning their DI reclassification and competing as an independent in 2024. Mercyhurst made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances prior to its D1 elevation, including a run to the 2023 title game.
 
Le Moyne is eligible for the NEC Tournament, but is ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament until 2028. Mercyhurst, which will become eligible for the NEC postseason in 2027, can compete for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2029.
 
Detroit Mercy was an associate member of the ASUN the last three years and won the MAAC title back in 2013.
 
A charter NEC member, Wagner competed in the MAAC during the conference’s two-year lacrosse hiatus. First year head coach Will Fox takes over the reigns this season after serving as Sacred Heart’s Defensive Coordinator the last two years.
 
NEC men's lacrosse enjoyed a significant amount of national acclaim during its initial 11-year run, highlighted by four NCAA Tournament wins and nine USILA All-Americans. Bryant helped put NEC men's lax on the map with a landmark win in 2014, ousting No. 2 Syracuse from the NCAA Tournament with a 10-9 victory.
 
The four-team, single-elimination NEC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will take place on May 1 & 3 at the site of the highest seed.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, Saint Francis U, Stonehill 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.