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LANCASTER, PA - #25 nationally ranked Franklin & Marshall College is picked to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference according to the head men's lacrosse coaches in the Conference. F&M received 44 votes to finish four behind McDaniel College for third place and nine votes ahead of fifth place Dickinson College. The 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference South Region Champions, the Diplomats finished the year 9-7, 3-3 in Centennial Conference (CC) play. In the CC playoffs, F&M fell by a 7-6 final in the semifinals at then #1 nationally ranked and NCAA Championship runner-up Gettysburg College. Overall, F&M's season record marked the program's second winning season since a 9-4 finish in 1996, a year in which the Diplomats placed ninth in the final national poll. The 2001 Diplomats also finished 9-7, 3-3 in Conference play. In the ECAC South Region title game, Franklin & Marshall routed the University of Scranton 18-3 as the Diplomats advanced to the post-season for the second time since a 15-9 loss in the 1995 NCAA Quarterfinals. In addition, it marked the second time in the 45-year history of the sport at Franklin & Marshall College, that the men's lacrosse program earned a bid to the ECAC playoffs and the first post-season championship since claiming the Middle Atlantic Conference title in 1990. This year, Franklin and Marshall will look to co-captains Jon Singer (Sr., Reisterstown, MD/Boy's Latin) and Chad Tyler (Sr., Newtonville, NY/Western Reserve) to lead the team back to the Centennial Conference Championship and the NCAA playoffs. A 2001 Honorable Mention and 2002 Second Team All-Centennial Conference selection, 2002 marked the second year Singer led the Diplomats in goals scored as he recorded 27 as a sophomore and 24 last year. In addition, he chipped in 10 assists for 34 points to raise his career numbers to 66-25-91, 34 goals short of surpassing Paul Friedman '75 (99) for eighth in goals scored in F&M program history. Overall, five time defending CC Champion Gettysburg College enters the 2003 season as the preseason number one. The Bullets received six out of a possible nine first-place votes (teams not permitted to vote for themselves) for 62 points in the annual preseason poll of coaches. The Bullets closed out the 2002 season at 17-2 overall and 6-0 in the Conference. GC lost a hard-fought 14-9 decision to two-time defending champion Middlebury in the finals of the NCAA Tournament last year. Goalkeeper Tim McGinnis, the 2002 Division III Goalie of the Year and Centennial Conference Player of the Year, will lead the Bullets in 2003, following a 2002 season in which he led the Conference with a 6.34 goals-against average and made 231 stops for a 67.2 save percentage. Washington College is the number two pick with three first-place votes and 59 points. The Shoremen will look for a third straight trip to the CC finals in 2003 with the help of returning first-team All-Conference selections midfielder Stephen Berger and defensive midfielder Jeremy Shannon. WC earned a spot in the NCAA tournament last season and was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by Washington & Lee University. Washington finished 2002 with an overall record of 13-4 and 4-2 in conference action. McDaniel, formerly Western Maryland College, is third with 48 points, while fifth place went to Dickinson, who totaled 35 points. Swarthmore College (29), Haverford College (21), Muhlenberg College (18), and Ursinus College (8) round out the poll. Centennial Conference action for the 2003 season kicks off on Tuesday, March 4, with Franklin & Marshall traveling to face Ursinus College for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The game will be held at Swarthmore College due to snow on Ursinus' fields. Centennial Conference
Preseason Men's Lacrosse Poll
1. Gettysburg (6) 62
2. Washington (3) 59
3. McDaniel* 48
4. Franklin & Marshall 44
5. Dickinson 35
6. Swarthmore 29
7. Haverford 21
8. Muhlenberg 18
9. Ursinus 8 Head coaches polled, *Formerly Western Maryland RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
First Team
A-Joe Ellis, Sr, McDaniel *#
M-Stephen Berger, Jr, Washington %#
DM-Jeremy Shannon, Sr, Washington ^
D-Josh Hanlon, Jr, McDaniel
D-Matt McMillen, Sr, Gettysburg +&
GK-Tim McGinnis, Sr, Gettysburg *@ Second Team
A-Jake Van Nostrand, Jr, Gettysburg #
M-Jon Singer, Sr, Franklin & Marshall %
DM-Greg Elko, Sr, McDaniel
D-Creg Fleetwood, Sr, Washington ^
D-Matt Krug, Jr, Washington ^
GK-Mike Sartorius, So, Franklin & Marshall Honorable Mention
A-Eric Kuehn, Sr, Washington%
M-Bas Solleveld, Jr, Franklin & Marshall + First-team All-Centennial in 2000 and 2001
* First-team All-Centennial in 2001
% Honorable Mention All-Centennial in 2001
# Second Team STX/USILA All-American
^ Honorable Mention STX/USILA All-American
& Third Team STX/USILA All-American
@ First Team STX/USILA All-American
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