Reigning Champs Lynchburg Top ODAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

FOREST, Va. --- The start of ODAC spring sports is on the horizon with the 2022 ODAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll kicking off this season's coverage. Reigning champion University of Lynchburg tops the annual chart with an even 100 points powered by 10 first place votes.

Washington and Lee University, runner-up to Lynchburg last year and winner of the 2019 title, sits in second position with 91 markers including the remaining first place nod. Hampden-Sydney College ranks third with 81 tallies, while Roanoke College slots fourth with 70 points. Randolph-Macon College and Bridgewater College are tight for fifth with the Yellow Jackets collecting 62 points to the Eagles' 59 markers.

In the following sections, we take a quick look back at last season and get a feel for what to expect for the upcoming men's lacrosse campaign.

2021 ODAC TOURNAMENT | BRACKET

• Lynchburg and Washington and Lee squared off for the ODAC title in a rematch of the 2019 championship
• The Hornets, seeded second in the tournament, earned a bye through the quarterfinals in the ODAC's seven-team format; they met Hampden-Sydney in the semifinals following the Tigers 14-5 victory over Randolph-Macon in the quarters; Lynchburg down H-SC, 18-8, powered by a 10-4 first-half advantage; Trammel Robinson scored three of his game-high four goals in the opening 30 minutes
• Washington and Lee, seed #1 in the bracket, also benefitted from a bye to the semifinals; the Generals took on #5 Bridgewater, which went on the road to upset #4 Roanoke, 13-11, in the quarterfinals to reach the ODAC semifinals for the first time in program history; W&L did not great BC kindly as the Generals shutout the Eagles in the second half en route to an 11-3 win
• Lynchburg put its first down from the outset in the title game in Lexington; the Hornets owned a 5-1 lead after the first quarter and shutout Washington and Lee in the second period on the way to a 9-1 halftime lead; although W&L scored five times in the second half, Lynchburg did not let up with seven more tallies on the way the to posting a 16-6 victory
• The win marked the eighth overall league crown for Lynchburg men's lacrosse and the program's fourth since 2014; Roanoke is the all-time ODAC leader with 18 conference trophies

2021 NCAA DIVISION III TOURNAMENT

• Lynchburg was the lone school to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, which featured a reduced field size of 31 teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• The Hornets hosted a four-team pod in the first and second rounds as they opened up their Hill City campus to Pfeiffer University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Catholic University
• Lynchburg took down Pfeiffer, 26-11, in the first round, to setup a date with Stevens in round two, which defeated Catholic, 17-12, in their opening clash
• The Hornets found the going against the Ducks a little tougher to start, but a 7-1 second quarter propelled Lynchburg to a 14-8 win
• Lynchburg met Christopher Newport University in the quarterfinals in a pod at Salisbury University; Dylan Wolfe and Robinson scored the final two goals of regulation to force overtime, but CNU notched the with 2:48 left in the first extra frame to post a 12-11 win

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NATIONALLY ENTERING 2022

• USILA/Dynamic Men's Coaches Division III Preseason Poll: Lynchburg is the lone ODAC team rated inside the Top-20 by the USILA/Dynamic; the Hornets sit sixth with 262 points; Washington and Lee (45) and Hampden-Sydney (22) are both receiving votes towards the survey; reigning national champion RIT holds the top spot with 389 points, just one tally over 2021 runner-up Salisbury
• USILA/Dynamic Preseason All-Americans: a trio of Hornets find themselves among the three teams announcing the USILA/Dynamic Preseason Division III All-Americans; goalkeeper Patrick Moore tops the ODAC's contingent on the second team, while attackman Kyle Lewis and midfielder Brett Rogers appear on the third team
• Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Preseason Top-20: Lynchburg is again the only ODAC team amongst the nation's top-20 in the poll released by Nike/USA Lacrosse; the Hornets are fifth in this listing with Washington and Lee receiving votes (vote totals were not published); RIT and Salisbury again top the chart, but the Sea Gulls lead this group with the Tigers second
• USA Lacrosse Magazine Division III Men's Preseason All-Americans: just two ODAC players were announced as USA Lacrosse Magazine preseason All-Americans, both from Lynchburg; attackman Kyle Lewis earned first team distinction, while long-stick midfielder Chris Darminio was tabbed to the third team

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
The athletes listed below represent the top-three returning statistical leaders for each category from the 2021 spring season.
Save Pct./GAA Minimums | 33% of team goalkeeper minutes played

• Points | 82 - Kyle Lewis (LYN); 63 - Brett Rogers (LYN); 59 - Ryan Kenney (LYN)
• Goals | 48 - Ryan Kenney (LYN); 30 - Brett Rogers (LYN); 29 - Kyle Lewis (LYN; 29 - Jack Smith (RMC)
• Assists | 53 - Kyle Lewis (LYN); 33 - Brett Rogers (LYN); 25 - Luke Kamerman (RC)
• Face-Offs Won | 154-of-256 - Austin Gambino (RC); 101-of-182 - Jax Atkins (GC); 96-of-168 - Will Bou (W&L)
• Ground Balls | 76 - Patrick Moore (LYN); 70 - Will Perry (HSC); 69 - Chris Darminio (LYN)
• Caused Turnovers | 34 - Chris Darminio (LYN); 24 - Nick Morgan (HSC); 18 - Michael Horgan (W&L)
• GK Minutes Played | 1048:55 - Patrick Moore (LYN); 849:58 - Patrick Martinek (FC); 630:53 - Will Perry (HSC)
• GK Saves | 231 - Patrick Martinek (FC); 164 - Patrick Moore (LYN); 125 - Robbie Noyes (BC)
• Save Pct. | .554 - Patrick Moore (LYN); .548 - Robbie Noyes (BC); .548 - Mark Isabelle (SU)
• Goals Against Avg. | 7.55 - Patrick Moore (LYN); 9.70 - Will Perry (HSC); 10.22 - Robbie Noyes (BC)

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2021 ALL-ODAC MEN'S LACROSSE AWARDS
The 2022 season features 26-of-49 All-ODAC honorees from the 2021 spring campaign, but only five of the 16 stars from the All-ODAC First Team return to league rosters. Hampden-Sydney and Lynchburg each feature a conference-best six All-ODAC returners.

   ATTACKMEN

• Chris Baker (SU) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Luke Kammerman (RC) -- All-ODAC Second Team, ODAC Co-Rookie of the Year
• Ryan Kenney (LYN) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Kyle Lewis (LYN) -- All-ODAC First Team
• Jack Smith (RMC) -- All-ODAC Third Team, ODAC Co-Rookie of the Year
• Taylor Witherell (W&L) -- All-ODAC Second Team

   MIDFIELDERS

• Luca Docking (RC) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Sean Duffy (HSC) -- All-ODAC First Team
• George Gilbert (RC) -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Henry Holliday (W&L) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Riley Mitchell (LYN) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Brett Rogers (LYN) -- All-ODAC First Team
• Brandon Smith (RMC) -- All-ODAC Second Team

   DEFENSEMEN

• Henry Hitt (HSC) -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Michael Horgan (W&L) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Harris Hubbard (W&L) -- All-ODAC First Team
• Nick Morgan (HSC) -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Grayson Rech (BC) -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Scott Ruelle (RMC) -- All-ODAC Third Team

   SPECIALISTS

• Grayson Ackaway (HSC) -- All-ODAC Second Team at long-stick midfielder
• Teddy Bentley (W&L) -- All-ODAC Second Team at short-stick specialist
• Chris Darminio (LYN) -- All-ODAC First Team at long-stick midfielder
• John Dias (RC) -- All-ODAC Third Team at long-stick midfielder

   GOALKEEPERS

• Patrick Moore (LYN) -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Will Perry (HSC) -- All-ODAC Third Team

ODAC HEAD COACHES
Some of the best coaches in the business lead ODAC teams in all sports. Below we take a look at the career records and tenures for the league's men's lacrosse coaches entering the 2022 campaign.

• Mic Grant (BC) -- Overall: 101-95 (.515) in 13 years | at BC: 60-71 (.458) in 9 years
• Michael Baghetta (FC) -- Overall: 14-42 (.250) in 4 years | at FC: 14-42 (.250) in 4 years
• Mark Frey (GC) -- Overall: 57-78 (.422) in 8 years | First season at Guilford
• Jason Rostan (HSC) -- Overall: 58-22 (.725) in 5 years | at HSC: 58-22 (.725) in 5 years
  • 1x ODAC COY (2017)
• Steve Koudelka (LYN) -- Overall: 307-133 (.698) in 25 years | at LYN: 307-133 (.698) in 25 years
  • 6x ODAC COY (2003, 05, 11-12, 18, 21)
• Andy Sinclair (RAND) -- Overall: 38-113 (.252) in 10 years | at RAND: 38-113 (.252) in 10 years
• J.B. Sheridan (RMC) -- Overall: 90-87 (.508) in 11 years | at RMC: 90-87 (.508) in 11 years
• Bill Pilat (RC) -- Overall: 362-160 (.693) in 33 years | at RC: 362-160 (.693) in 33 years
  • 11x ODAC COY (1990, 92-93, 96-97, 2005-07, 10, 13-14)
• Tim Marshall (SU) -- Overall: 51-80 (.389) in 9 years | at SU: 45-71 (.388) in 8 years
• J.P. Stewart (VWU) -- Overall: 134-144 (.482) in 19 years | at VWU: 134-144 (.482) in 19 years
• Gene McCabe (W&L) -- Overall: 228-105 (.685) in 20 years | at W&L: 174-87 (.667) in 15 years

THE SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT

• ODAC teams are slated to play a full 10-game league schedule; the maximum number of games a team can play overall is 18
• The first regular season games are set for the weekend of February 11-13
• Lynchburg and Ferrum meet for the first ODAC game of the year on February 12, while the bulk of league play begins in mid-March
• The 2022 ODAC Men's Lacrosse Tournament features seven teams and will be competed over four rounds
  • First Round: Sunday, May 1 at #6 Seed
  • Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 3 at #3-4 Seeds
  • Semifinals: Friday, May 6 at #1 Seed
  • Championship: Saturday, May 7 at #1 Seed
• The selections for the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament will be determined on Sunday, May 8.

Listed below is the 2022 ODAC Men's Lacrosse Coaches Poll. For more information on ODAC men's lacrosse, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2022 ODAC MEN'S LACROSSE COACHES POLL