GRANVILLE, Ohio (February 7, 2023) – The North Coast Athletic Conference has just released its 2023 men's lacrosse preseason poll, and the three-time defending NCAC champion Denison University men's lacrosse team was selected as the unanimous favorite after gathering all nine first-place votes and totaling 81 points. Rounding out the top four-teams in the poll was Kenyon College (68 points) in second, Ohio Wesleyan University (65 points) in third and Oberlin College (51 points) in fourth.
The Big Red, who have won six-consecutive and seven out of the nine overall NCAC tournament titles, finished last season with a perfect 9-0 mark in conference play and a 16-5 overall record after making their 26th appearance in the NCAA tournament. The team returns 2021 NCAC Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year and two-time all-conference selection,
Luke Fisher. Denison will also see four 2022 first-team honorees return, including senior attackman
Ethan Tyack, junior midfielder
Nate Kay, junior defender
Brooks Crowley and junior long-stick midfielder
Owen O'Neill. The Big Red will be led by second-year head coach
Eric Koch, who also returns three seniors that made the All-NCAC second team a season ago, midfielder
Will Kenney, defender
Grant Maynard and goalkeeper
Archer Darrach. This season, the Big Red are ranked No. 16 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III preseason poll while Crowley and Darrach were both recognized as Honorable Mention Preseason All-Americans.
In 37 competitive seasons, Denison and Ohio Wesleyan lead all NCAC teams with 20 championships apiece. Wittenberg has two crowns, while Kenyon and Wooster each boast one. The NCAC has had tri-champions on three separate occasions, first in 2000 when the Big Red, Battling Bishops and Lords shared the title, then in 2004, when Denison, OWU and Wooster each had a piece of the crown, only to have it happen again in 2011 with Denison, Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan sharing the top spot. The conference also saw Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg share the conference crown in 2010.
The new 2023 season for Denison will begin on the road at Baldwin Wallace University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 18.
2023 Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
