Fueled by six returning all-league honorees, the Hope College men’s lacrosse team tops the 2024 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Flying Dutchmen received all six possible first-place votes and recorded a first-place total of 36 points. Coaches could not vote for their team.
Hope finished five points ahead of second-place Albion College, which received one first-place vote. Adrian College took third with 26 points and was followed by Kalamazoo College (20), Calvin University (17), Trine University (11) and Alma College (6).
The Flying Dutchmen are coming off a 13-6 season during which they won the MIAA Tournament for the third time in program history by winning at top-seeded Albion by a 23-14 margin.
Hope received a first-round bye for the NCAA Division III Championships, then lost to fourth-ranked Christopher Newport University (Va.), 17-9, in the second round.
Six of the Flying Dutchmen’s eight All-MIAA selections from the 2023 season are on the roster.
Three returners were first-teamers: junior midfielder David Brace (Plymouth, Michigan / Plymouth HS), senior attacker Michael Mann (Plymouth, Michigan / Detroit Jesuit) and junior long-stick midfielder Luke Wierengo (Northville, Michigan / Northville).
Three of them were second-teamers: senior Marco Mularoni (Brighton, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central), junior midfielder Caden Brainard (Muskegon, Michigan / Reeths-Puffer) and sophomore defender John Foster (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Central).
Led by head coach Michael Schanhals, Hope opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. against visiting Illinois Wesleyan University at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. Schanhals is 112-52 in 12 seasons at his alma mater.
Comments