Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/24/19
From Press Release
Five-time regular-season champion Denver was picked first in the 2019 BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse preseason poll a sixth time as the unanimous favorite among the league’s head coaches. The Pioneers’ No. 1 pick was supported by the preseason selections of both Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
Marquette was selected second in the poll with 18 points, while Georgetown, the 2018 BIG EAST tournament champion was picked third with 17 points and earned the remaining first-place vote. Rounding out the league’s preseason standings were Villanova (15 points), Providence (10 points) and St. John’s (five points).
Denver has been undefeated in conference play for the past five years with a 26-0 BIG EAST slate. The Pioneers were also selected No. 7 in the Inside Lacrosse Faceoff Yearbook Preseason Top-25, which was released Dec. 5. Georgetown and Villanova were also picked in the poll at 21st and 22nd, respectively.
Along with the preseason coaches’ poll and awards, the BIG EAST also released the coaches’ picks for the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Of the 14 players, seven were unanimous in a positional roster that included three attackmen, three midfielders, four defenders, a goalie, a long-stick midfielder, a short-stick midfielder and a face-off specialist. Nine of the 14 preseason honorees return to the field from the 2018 All-BIG EAST First Team.
Marquette, picked second by the league coaches, had three players named to the preseason all-conference team with senior attackman John Wagner, junior defender Nick Grill and senior long-stick midfielder Noah Richard (Henderson). Richard was a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team last season and tied for second in the league in ground balls (48). He also caused 11 turnovers on the season, while adding a goal and a pair of assists. Marquette finished 6-8 last season, 3-2 in league play.
Villanova, also a 2018 NCAA Tournament team, had a pair of players on the preseason all-conference team with junior midfielder Connor Kirst and senior short-stick defensive midfielder T.J. Comizio. Kirst was a first team honoree from 2018. He netted 25 goals and dished out nine assists for 34 points with 32 ground balls and five caused turnovers. He also took some draws, going 10-for-45 from the X. Comizio earned All-BIG EAST Second Team accolades as he collected 51 ground balls and caused 18 turnovers as a junior last year. Comizio also dished out 16 assists. The Wildcats hosted last year’s BIG EAST tournament and finished the year ranked No. 17 with a 10-6 record, 3-2 in league play. Villanova lost 17-11 to Duke in the NCAA First Round.
BIG EAST men’s lacrosse action officially starts Feb. 2 when Villanova travels to Penn State. The first big Saturday of will be Feb. 9 when all five of the six teams are in action. League play gets underway March 30. The 2019 BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep will be hosted by Denver, May 2 and 4.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Ethan Walker, Denver, Jr., A ^
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Dylan Gaines, Denver, Sr., D ^
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Tate Boyce, Providence, Sr., G ^
Ethan Walker, Denver, Jr., A ^
Daniel Bucaro, Georgetown, Sr., A ^
John Wagner, Marquette, Sr., A ^
Colton Jackson, Denver, Sr., M ^
Lucas Wittenberg, Georgetown, Sr., M
Connor Kirst, Villanova, Jr., M
Dylan Gaines, Denver, Sr., D ^
Dylan Johnson, Denver, Sr., D
Gibson Smith, Georgetown, So., D
Nick Grill, Marquette, Jr., D
Noah Richard (Henderson), Marquette, Sr., LSM ^
T.J. Comizio, Villanova, Sr., SSDM
Alex George, Providence, Sr. FOS
^ – denotes unanimous selection
% – due to a tie in voting, there are four defenders on the preseason all-conference team
2019 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
First place votes in ( ) Pts.
- Denver (5) 25
- Marquette 18
- Georgetown (1) 17
- Villanova 15
- Providence 10
- St. John’s 5
