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LANCASTER, PA - The Franklin & Marshall College men's lacrosse team jumped to #9 in the May 5 STX/USILA Division III Top 20 Poll. Ranked #25 in the 2003 preseason poll, #22 in the opening week poll, #14 on March 17, #10 the following two weeks, #9 on April 7, #8 on April 14 and 21 and #11 last week, the Diplomats fell by a 13-6 final at #4 nationally ranked and 2003 Centennial Conference Champion Washington College in the Conference playoffs on April 25. On Sunday, F&M (11-3) was selected to the 2003 NCAA Championship Tournament as the Diplomats will travel to Virginia to face off against sixth-ranked Lynchburg (12-4) in the second round of the 17-team 2003 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament on Sunday, May 11 at 1:00 p.m. The NCAA playoff berth marks the third in program history (1988, 1990, and 1995) as the Diplomats will look to improve on their best record in program history as the 1988 team went 13-3 and advanced to the "Final Four". Leading the way in the tournament for the Diplomats will be six All-Centennial Conference selections. First team selections, midfielder Bryan Nolan (Sr., Scottsdale, AZ/Western Reserve), attackman Jon Singer (Sr., Reisterstown, MD/Boys' Latin) and face-off specialist Matt Capone (So., Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale) should have a huge impact in the tournament. A NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and Verizon Academic All-America candidate, Singer leads the team in scoring with 23-27-50 as he ranks fifth in points (3.57 ppg), 15th in goals (1.64 gpg) and third in assists (1.93 apg) through games of April 27 to anchor an F&M offense which ranks second in scoring offense with 167 goals in 14 games (11.93 gpg). A 2001 Honorable Mention and 2002 Second Team All-CC recipient, Singer led the team in goals scored in 2002 (24) and 2001 (27). The team's leading scorer this year, last week Nolan scored five goals, including three in a 13-6 loss to Washington in the CC playoffs. Against Dickinson College in F&M's regular season finale, he scored twice as the Diplomats rolled to an 11-9 victory. On the season, he now has 32-10-42 and raised his career numbers to 82-38-120 as this year's All-CC honor marks the first time Nolan has been honored by the Conference coaches. Overall, he ranks seventh in points (3.00 ppg) and third in goals (2.29 gpg) in the latest Centennial Conference statistics. Overall, Capone has been among the nation's best on face-offs with a 71.7 winning percentage (210-of-293). Against Gettysburg, he won 26-of-31 face-offs and collected 18 ground balls as the Diplomats downed the defending national runner-ups, 15-12. Midfielder Bas Solleveld (Jr., Glenmoore, PA/Shipley School) and defenseman Dave Taler (Jr., Baltimore, MD/Gilman School) were honored on the second team, while goaltender Mike Sartorius (So., Summit, NJ/Summit) earned honorable mention honors. The anchor of the Diplomats' defense, Taler has been instrumental in Franklin & Marshall's ninth place national ranking in scoring defense (6.29 gpg) in the latest NCAA Division III men's lacrosse statistics. Solleveld has tallied 21-10-31 this year, including 15-6-21 in Conference play, to raise his career numbers to 47-22-69. Last year, he chipped in 22-5-27, including eight goals and four assists in Centennial Conference games, to earn All-CC Honorable Mention honors. In goal, Sartorius is second in the Centennial Conference in save percentage (61.9%) and goals against average (7.20 gaa) as he has recorded 143 saves and 88 goals allowed in 773 minutes of play. Named to the 2002 All-CC Team as a freshman, Sartorius recorded 208 saves last year, shattering the Conference record freshman goalie saves of 191 formerly held by Andrew Barter of Gettysburg from the 1997 season. However, he fell short of the school single season record of 225 set by Scott Cozzens '88 during the 1988 season. Further, Sartorius reset the Centennial Conference single game and tournament saves records by recording 22 in a 7-6 loss to #1 nationally ranked Gettysburg on April 26, 2002 in the opening round of the Centennial Conference playoffs. The total erased the previous single game playoff record of 15 set by All-American Dave Kahn '01, the goalie Sartorius replaced between the pipes, in a 9-7 loss to Gettysburg in the opening game of the 2001 Conference playoffs. Historically, he is 14th in the history of the Conference in career saves with 352, 28 short of surpassing Swarthmore College's Ben Henwood '97 (379) for 13th place. Other players to watch include Beau Smith (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Gilman), Colin Hanley (So., Davidsonville, MD/DeMatha) and Steve Welsh (So., Lewes, DE/Cape Henelopen). Smith is tied Hanley for 10th in points per game (40, 2.86 ppg) in the Conference. Individually, Smith ranks 20th in goals (20, 1.43 gpg) and eighth in assists (20, 1.43 apg), while Hanley is seventh in goals (28, 2.00 gpg). Further, Welsh is among the Conference leaders as he ranks sixth in points (42, 3.00 ppg) and assists (23, 1.64 apg). Overall, the Diplomats are one of four Centennial Conference teams ranked in the top 15 as Washington (#4), Gettysburg (#13) and McDaniel (#15) round out the Conference's representation. 2003 STX Men's Lacrosse Poll (May 5)
1. Salisbury 15-1
2. Whittier 12-0
3. Cortland 15-2
4. Washington 12-3
5. Middlebury 14-1
6. Lynchburg 12-4
7. Hampden-Sydney 11-2
8. Nazareth 11-3
9. Franklin & Marshall 11-3
10. Ithaca 11-3
11. Washington & Lee 9-5
12. Hamilton 14-2
13. Gettysburg 11-5
14. Ohio Wesleyan 10-2
15. McDaniel 10-3
16. St. Lawrence 11-3
17. Roanoke 11-5
18. Renssalaer 10-3
19. Geneseo 11-3
20. Tufts 12-5 Others receiving votes: Denison, Eastern Connecticut, Widener, Springfield, Amherst, Skidmore, Wesleyan, Utica
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