FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – Norwich University, winners of two of the last four league titles over a five-year period, accounting for COVID, has earned 10 out of a possible 11 votes for first place for 119 points to lead the 2023 GNAC Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll , as chosen by the league’s head coaches.
Saint Joseph’s College, 5-13 overall with a 3-7 mark in last spring’s GNAC game, showed major flashes of potential a year ago when the Monks suffered setbacks in overtime at the hands of Rivier and Emmanuel and the eventual champions of 2022 brought to the abyss in a 14-12 loss in the opening round of the GNAC tournament.
The Monks are returning all six of their top scorers from a year ago, including junior Tim Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.), who led the team with 42 goals and 60 total points and earned Third Team All-GNAC honors in his first full college Season. Senior LSM Eli Arsenault (Saco, Maine) and 2022 First Team All-Conference Selection, the big returning corps after 72 ground balls and 21 turnovers caused last spring.
Led by seventh-year head coach Bill Cosentino, the Monks begin the 2023 season with an out-of-conference home game against the University of New England on Tuesday, February 21. The opening game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. im SJC Athletics Complex scheduled.
The Cadets led the rankings by 119 points as 13th-year head coach and three-time GNAC Coach of the Year Neal Anderson and his program kick off the 2023 season at home against Plymouth State on Wednesday, March 1.
NU captured the 2022 GNAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship with an 11-8 win over GNAC rivals Lasell University before hosting and defeating Maine Maritime 20-12 in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Rivier University, which fell to Lasell in last spring’s GNAC semifinals, finished second in the poll with a first place finish and 104 points overall, just ahead of the aforementioned Lasers, who took third place with 97 points.
Dean College (79 points) and Emmanuel College (70) completed the top 5. See full poll results below.
2023 GNAC MLAX Preseason Survey
1 Norwich (10) – 119
2. River (1) – 104
3. Lasell-97
4th Dean – 79
5. Emmanuel – 70
6. Saint Josephs Maine – 67
7. JWU – 61
8. USJ CT-56
9. Anna Maria – 37
10. Albertus Magnus – 19
11 Regis – 17
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III federation comprised of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes in the New England area. Established in 1995, GNAC sponsors and administers 22 championships annually while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement to enhance the experience between students and athletes.
– #TheGNAC –
THANKS IN LARGE TO THE GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
