Official NEC Release

Somerset, NJ – The Northeast Conference (NEC) men's lacrosse coaches have chosen Saint Joseph's as the preseason favorite, followed by Hobart and Bryant as revealed in the 2017 coaches' poll that was released today by the league office.
 
Saint Joseph's received four first-place votes, Hobart received two while Bryant was picked first by one NEC coach. Robert Morris was picked fourth, Mount St. Mary's fifth, Sacred Heart was chosen sixth with Wagner rounding out the seven team poll.
 

Saint Joseph's won its third consecutive NEC regular season title last year after finishing with a 5-1 record in conference play. The Hawks advanced to their second straight NEC title game, dropping an 11-7 decision to Hobart.
 
Wagner, under head coach Matt Poskay who is entering his sixth season at the helm of the Seahawks, has been making steady progress under Poskay's leadership setting program records for wins in each of the past two seasons. The Green & White posted an overall record of 6-9 (1-5 in the NEC) in 2016, with those six wins marking a program record, surpassing the previous single-season record of four victories set in 2015.

Poskay welcomes back 25 letterwinners from last seasons' 6-9 squad, led by his four captains - graduate students William McMenamin (Longport, NJ / St. Augustine Prep), Paul DeVita (Westfield, NJ / Westfield), and Daniel Valencia (Gaithersburg, MD / Gaithersburg), along with junior Andrew Streilein (Mt. Laurel, NJ / Lenape).
 
The Seahawks open the 2017 campaign this Saturday, February 11, at Manhattan in a 1:00 p.m. faceoff with the Jaspers. Wagner's home opener at Hameline Field is set for Thursday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m.
 
The four-team 2017 NEC Men's Lacrosse Championship will be held on May 4 & 6, hosted by the top seed.

About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 36th 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.