Feb. 10, 2010

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - UMass men's lacrosse begins the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the first New England poll of the 2010 season. The Minutemen head the group with Brown at No. 2 and Harvard at No. 3. UMass' three preseason All-CAA selections defenseman Diogo Godoi, midfielder Bobby Hayes and long-pole Casey Rahn have also been named to the All-New England Preseason Team.

Here is the release from the NEILA.

FAIRFIELD, CT (February 10, 2010) - The New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association announced its 2010 Preseason Coaches poll and Preseason All-New England Team Wednesday afternoon. Massachusetts will start the season as the top ranked team in New England ahead of number two Brown and number three Harvard.

Two Connecticut schools, Fairfield and Yale, round out the top five. The remainder of the poll is a three way tie for sixth between Dartmouth, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart.

Brown's Thomas Muldoon was elected as the Preseason Player of the Year. A senior from Oakton, VA, he was also selected to the Preseason All-New England Team as an attacker along with junior teammate Andrew Feinberg (Owing Mills, MD). The Bears are also represented by senior Reade Seligmann (Essex Falls, NJ) in the midfield and junior defenseman Peter Fallon (Baltimore, MD).

Two players, Bob Hayes and Diogo Godoi, will represent the top-ranked Minutemen on to the preseason team. Hayes, a senior from Rockville Centre, NY, plays in the midfield, while classmate Godoi, of Loudon, NH, plays defense. UMass junior Casey Rahn (Princeton, NJ) also made the team as a long stick midfielder along with Bryant junior Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY). Senior Andre Hennessey (Wading River, NY) also represents the Bulldogs as the team's faceoff specialist.

The remaining attack players are Dartmouth senior Ari Sussman (New Haven, CT) and Harvard junior Dean Gibbons (Garden City, NJ). In the midfield are, Harvard senior Jason Duboe (Long Grove, IL), Yale sophomore Greg Mahony (Mercer Island, WA), and Fairfield sophomore Brent Adams (Norwalk, CT).

Hartford sophomore Scott Bement (Canandaigua, NY) was selected as the top goalie for the preseason squad. Dartmouth senior Casey Hingten (Carlsbad, CA) and Harvard senior Billy Geist (Arnold, MD) fill the final defensive positions.

Marshall Johnson, of Fairfield, and Pete Schwartz, of Harvard, were voted the Preseason Co-Rookies of the Year. Johnson, a native of Canandaigua, NY, is a midfielder for the Stags, while Schwartz, from Jenkintonw, PA, will be an attackman for the Crimson.

The season gets underway with UMass visiting Sacred Heart on Friday February 12 at 3:00 pm. In the first weekend of action, Bryant travels to North Carolina. The remaining teams begin play starting on or after February 20.

2010 NEILA Preseason Poll

1. Massachusetts
2. Brown
3. Harvard
4. Fairfield
5. Yale
6. Dartmouth
Quinnipiac
Sacred Heart

2010 NEILA Preseason All--New England Team

Attack

Thomas Muldoon Brown Sr. Oakton, VA
Ari Sussman Dartmouth Sr. New Haven, CT
Dean Gibbons Harvard Jr. Garden City, NY
Andrew Feinberg Brown Jr. Owing Mills, MD

Midfield

Jason Duboe Harvard Sr. Long Grove, IL
Bobby Hayes UMass Sr. Rockville Centre, NY
Greg Mahony Yale So. Mercer Island, WA
Brent Adams Fairfield So. Norwalk, CT
Reade Seligmann Brown Sr. Essex Falls, NJ

Defense

Diodo Godoi UMass Sr. Loudon, NH
Peter Fallon Brown Jr. Baltimore, MD
Casey Hingten Dartmouth Sr. Carlsbad, CA
Billy Geist Harvard Sr. Arnold, MD

Long Stick

Anthony Iannello Bryant Jr. Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
Casey Rahn UMass Jr. Princeton, NJ

Specialist

Andrew Hennessey Bryant Sr. Wading River, NY

Goalie

Scott Bement Hartford So. Canandaigua, NY

Player of the Year

Thomas Muldoon Brown Sr. Oakton, VA

Co-Rookie of the Year

Marshall Johnson Fairfield Fr. Canandaigua, NY
Pete Schwartz Harvard Fr. Jenkintown, PA