The Hope College men’s lacrosse team is third in the 2015 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll.
Coach Michael Schanhals and the Flying Dutchmen totaled 18 points in the poll and trailed preseason favorite Albion and defending champion Adrian.
Preseason Poll Results (1st-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Albion (4) 8 points
2. Adrian (3) 9
3. Hope 18
4. Trine 20
5. Olivet 25
6. Alma 33
7. Calvin 34
Hope tied for third place last season in the MIAA regular-season standings, but lost a tiebreaker for a berth to the league tournament.
The Flying Dutchmen return 13 letterwinners as they look to improve on last season’s 6-7 overall record.
Hope will count on five seniors, including co-captains Matt Hemenway of Ionia, Michigan (Ionia HS), on defense and Nicklas Raycraft of Brighton, Michigan (Detroit Catholic Central HS), in the midfield.
Other co-captains are junior defender Taylor Dever of North Barrington, Illinois (Lake Zurich HS), and sophomore attacker Gunnar Elder of East Grand Rapids, Michigan (East Grand Rapids HS), who was second on the team last season with 36 goals and 50 points.
The Flying Dutchmen open the season on Saturday, February 21 at Wabash (Indiana) with a 1 p.m. non-league game.