ORLC releases Preseason Coaches Poll

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

GREENWOOD, Ind. (Feb. 9) - The Bethany College men's lacrosse team was picked to finish ninth by the coaches of the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) in its annual preseason poll.

Defending league-champion Transylvania was tabbed as the preseason-favorite, while Saint Vincent and W&J rounded out the top-three in the poll. This season marks the final year of the ORLC, as the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) will sponsor men's lacrosse starting in 2019. 

The Bison and third-year Head Coach Ryan Hilyer will return a trio of all-conference selections from last season, including second-team All-ORLC midfielder Shaka Conteh (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams). Conteh ranked second on the squad with 16 caused turnovers and fourth with 49 groundballs in 2017. He tallied three goals and added five assists to total eight points, while starting 14 games and appearing in all 15 for the Bison.

Bethany will also welcome back honorable mention honorees in junior Caleb Staudenbaur (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and junior Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern). Staudenbaur was a mainstay on the Bison defense, while Gatling was the team's faceoff specialist and tied for second on the team with 20 goals scored.

The Bison will also feature a familar face in net, with senior Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) between the pipes. Rhodes recorded 226 saves and finished last season with all three of the team's wins.

Bethany will open the 2018 campaign on Saturday, February 24 when they travel to Tiffin, Ohio to take on Heidelberg in a non-conference match. The Bison opened 2017 with a 10-9 double-overtime win over Heidelberg.

ORLC PRESEASON COACHES POLL (First-Place Votes)

1.       Transylvania (9)

2.       Saint Vincent (1)

3.       W&J

4.       Thiel

5.       Hanover

6.       Grove City (1)

7.       Westminster

8.       Chatham

9.       Bethany

10.   Mount St. Joseph

11.   Earlham