Men's lacrosse slotted seventh in ORLC Preseason Poll
Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director
GREENWOOD, Ind. (Feb. 3) – The Bethany College men's lacrosse team was picked to finish seventh in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) Preseason Coaches' Poll released Friday afternoon.
Two-time defending league champion Transylvania was tabbed the preseason-favorite, garnering six of the eight first-place votes, with Washington & Jefferson slotting second with the two remaining first-place nods. Thiel and Hanover were picked third and fourth, while Saint Vincent, Westminster, Bethany and Mount Saint Joseph rounded out the poll.
Second-year Head Coach Ryan Hilyer and the Bison will return three of their five leading point scorers from a year ago, including senior Jake Holland (Canton, Ohio/Jackson). Holland, who finished 2016 with team-highs of 25 assists and 45 points, is the team's leading goal scorer returning to the team. He netted 20 goals and was tied for fourth on the squad with 49 groundballs.
Junior Bryan Uth (Hedgesville, W.Va./Hedgesville) and senior Tyler Peck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) also return for Bethany. Uth ranked fifth on the Bison with 15 points (11 goals, four assists) and was the top faceoff man for the team, finishing the season 181-for-319 (57 percent), while Peck ranked fourth in points with 19 (14 goals, five assists).
The Green & White will also have a familiar face on the backend, with senior goalkeeper Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) returning. Rhodes started 15 games last season for the Bison and played 957 of a possible 960 minutes in net.
Holland, Rhodes and Uth were each named to the ORLC "Players to Watch" for the upcoming season.
Bethany will open the 2017 season on Saturday, February 25 when it hosts Heidelberg at 1 p.m.
ORLC PRESEASON POLL (First-Place Votes)
- Transylvania (6)
- Washington & Jefferson (2)
- Thiel
- Hanover
- Saint Vincent
- Westminster
- Bethany
- Mount Saint Joseph