Diplomats Remain #22 in March 7 LaxPower.com Division III Men's Lacrosse Poll

by Sports Information
3/9/05

LANCASTER, PA - Franklin & Marshall College is ranked 22nd in the March 7 LaxPower.com Division III men's lacrosse poll.

Ranked 22rd in the preseason poll, the Diplomats have opened the season 2-0 with wins at Elizabethtown (11-7 W) and Widener (9-8 W OT) behind the play of attackman Steve Welsh (Sr., Lewes, DE/Cape Henelopen) who was named the March 7 Centennial Conference Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week.

Last week, Welsh recorded four goals and five assists as he had two goals and two assists at Elizabethtown and two goals and three assists, including a feed to Colin Hanley (Sr., Davidsonville, MD/DeMatha) for the game-winning goal, against Widener.

For his career, he now has 68 goals and 72 assists for 140 points as he surpassed Jon Bloom ’96 (71) for ninth in career assists at the College.

In the latest Centennial Conference statistics, he ranks 10th in goals (2.00 gpg), third in assists (2.50 apg) and seventh in points (4.50 ppg) per game.

Further, he leads a Diplomats' team which ranks first in face-of percentage (.775), second in ground balls (49.50 gbg), saves per game (15.00 spg) and save percentage (.667), third in shots on goal (23.50 spg), man-up goals (2.0 pg), fourth in shot percentage (.299) and man-up scoring percentage (.273), fifth in goals (10.0 gpg), assists (4.50 apg) and points (14.50 ppg), sixth in shots (33.50 spg) and goals against average (7.02 gpg), eighth in penalties (6.00 pg), ninth in penalty minutes (6.25 pg).

Franklin & Marshall (2-0, 0-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on March 12 at #5 Washington & Lee University as the Diplomats will look to become the first Centennial Conference school to knock off the Generals this year as #6 Gettysburg (9-8 L) and #7 Washington (7-6 L) have fallen at W&L. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.

March 7 LaxPower.com Division III Men's Lacrosse Poll (Points)
1. Salisbury (340)
2. Nazareth (316)
3. Middlebury (297)
4. Cortland (286)
5. Washington & Lee (270)
6. Gettysburg (211)
7. Washington (210)
7. Tufts (210)
9. Roanoke (175)
10. Hampden-Sydney (161)
11. Ithaca (156)
12. Springfield (149)
13. Wesleyan (132)
14. Lynchburg (118)
15. Amherst (114)
16. Stevens (108)
17. St. Lawrence (95)
18. Whittier (54)
19. Geneseo (46)
20. Messiah (41)
21. Rensselaer (38)
22. Franklin & Marshall (14)
23. RIT (13)
24. Bowdoin (5)
25. Denison (4)
26. Eastern Connecticut (4)
27. Hartwick (2)
28. Greensboro (1)