Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/5/13
From Releases
The Chestnut Hill College men’s lacrosse team earned its second recognition of the preseason as it was ranked No. 10 in Lacrosse Magazine’s 2013 NCAA Division II Preseason Rankings.
The Griffins already earned a #8 ranking in InsideLacrosse.com’s 2013 Face-Off Yearbook DII Top 10 after finishing the 2012 season on May 5, with a 9-6 defeat of C.W. Post University, an 8-6 overall record, and a 5-5 East Coast Conference (ECC) standing.
In 2012, Chestnut Hill College was led by junior attack Michael Melnychenko (St. Catharines, Ontario), senior midfielder Michael Duddy (Toms River, N.J.), who garnered All-ECC honors, and senior defenseman Thomas Carfagna (Parkland, Laurys Station, Pa.), who recently joined Melnychenko as a 2013 Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-American.
Melnychenko returned to the All-ECC roster as a Second Team honoree in his sophomore season after finishing the season as the ECC’s third leading scorer with a team-high 36 goals and he added 12 assists to rank fourth in the league for points with 48. Duddy received an Honorable Mention in his first season with the Griffins, finishing the year as the Griffins third leading scorer with 21 points on 18 goals and three assists.
Carfagna served as the Griffins premier defender throughout the season, consistently marking the opponents’ top offensive threats. He recorded six points (two goals and four assists) while leading the team in ground balls (56), and caused turnovers (27). After making their first appearance on February 27, 2012, the Griffins were ranked as high as #8 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Coaches’ Poll during a two-week period (3/19 & 3/27).
Lacrosse Magazine’s NCAA Division II men’s preseason rankings as follows:
NCAA Division II Men
1. Dowling
2. Mercyhurst
3. Le Moyne
4. Limestone
5. Merrimack
6. NYIT
7. Seton Hill
8. Adelphi
9. St. Michael’s
10. Chestnut Hill
Preseason Player of the Year: Corey Lunney, Merrimack, Sr. M
