The Hope College men’s lacrosse team is aiming to repeat as MIAA regular-season champion this spring.
Led by head coach Michael Schanhals, the Flying Dutchmen are picked to be in the thick of the league title chase again after placing runner-up in the 2023 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 33 points.
Hope claimed three of seven possible first-place votes. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.
The Flying Dutchmen finished one point behind preseason favorite Albion College, which collected four first-place votes.
Adrian College rounded out the top three with 25 points, followed by Trine University in fourth place with 21 points. Calvin University landed in fifth place after earning 16 points. Kalamazoo College (11) and Alma College (7) are predicted to finish in sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Flying Dutchmen return 26 letterwinners on their roster of 45. Junior attacker and two-time, All-MIAA selection Michael Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / University of Detroit Jesuit) is Hope’s top returning scorer, totaling 90 points on a career-best 50 goals and 40 assists last season. Mann’s 40 assists were the second-most in team history.
Hope posted a 15-3 record last season, including a 6-0 mark in MIAA play. The Flying Dutchmen finished runner-up in the MIAA Tournament to Albion.
The first game for Hope is Saturday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. Central at Elmhurst University (Ill.), near Chicago.
The Flying Dutchmen’s first MIAA game is Tuesday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at Albion.
The 2023 MIAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will begin with the semifinals on Wednesday, May 3, followed by the championship contest on Saturday, May 6. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship which will begin May 10.
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