Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/15/15
From Press Release
Notre Dame has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2016 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll. The announcement comes in conjunction with Inside Lacrosse’s release of its annual Face-Off Yearbook.
Head coach Kevin Corrigan’s Fighting Irish received 25 points in balloting among the ACC’s five head coaches. Duke followed with 15 points and was selected second. Syracuse (13) and Virginia (13) tied for third, and North Carolina (9) was selected fifth.
The Preseason All-ACC Team features 13 student-athletes representing all five ACC schools, with three selections each from North Carolina, Notre Dame and Syracuse, and two each from Duke and Virginia. Included on the Preseason All-ACC Team are 11 returning United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-Americans.
Twelve of the 13 student-athletes on the Preseason All-ACC Team were also named to Inside Lacrosse’s Face-Off Yearbook Division I All-America Team. The First Team included Duke senior midfielders Deemer Class and Myles Jones, North Carolina junior short-stick defensive midfielder Tate Jozokos and junior defenseman Austin Pifani, Notre Dame senior attackman Matt Kavanagh, junior midfielder Sergio Perkovic and senior defenseman Matt Landis.
Syracuse red-shirt senior attackman Dylan Donahue, red-shirt senior defenseman Brandon Mullins and junior face-off specialist Ben Williams, and Virginia long-stick midfielder Michael Howard and junior goalkeeper Matt Barrett were named to the second team.
All five ACC teams are ranked in the top eight in Inside Lacrosse’s Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 poll. Notre Dame led the way at No. 1 followed by Duke (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 5), Virginia (No. 7) and Syracuse (No. 8).
The 2016 men’s lacrosse season gets underway in early February. The ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be played April 29 – May 1 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. The semifinals are set for Friday, April 29, and the championship for Sunday, May 1. The fifth-place ACC team that does not qualify for the championship will play Brown at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Saturday, April 30.
ACC Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Notre Dame – 25 points
2. Duke – 15
T3. Syracuse – 13
T3. Virginia – 13
5. North Carolina – 9
Preseason All-ACC Team
A – Luke Goldstock, Jr., North Carolina
A – Matt Kavanagh, Sr., Notre Dame
A – Dylan Donahue, R-Sr., Syracuse
M – Deemer Class, Sr., Duke
M – Myles Jones, Sr., Duke
M – Sergio Perkovic, Jr., Notre Dame
D – Austin Pifani (Abington), Jr., North Carolina
D – Matt Landis, Sr., Notre Dame
D – Brandon Mullins, R-Sr., Syracuse
Goalkeeper – Matt Barrett (Malvern Prep), Jr., Virginia
Face-off – Ben Williams, Jr., Syracuse
Long-stick Midfielder – Michael Howard, Jr., Virginia
Short-Stick Midfielder – Tate Jozokos, Jr., North Carolina