SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Bellarmine lacrosse team has been selected as the Southern Conference preseason favorite by the league’s seven coaches. The group also selected the 12-person preseason all-conference team for the league’s inaugural season of men’s lacrosse.
Bellarmine received four of the seven first-place votes and gained a total of 34 points to claim the top spot in the preseason voting. The Knights also placed three players on the preseason All-SoCon squad. Midfielder Austin Shanks, defender Colin Hart and longstick midfielder Bobby Schmidt each earned a spot on the inaugural preseason team.
High Point was selected second in the preseason poll, earning three first-place votes and a total of 30 points. The Panthers placed four players on the preseason All-SoCon team, most by any school. Attackers Dan Lomas and Matt Thistle joined goalkeeper Austin Geisler and faceoff specialist Jamie Piluso on the team.
Richmond, in its second season as a program, followed closely in third with one first-place vote and a total of 29 points. The Spiders won the Atlantic Sun Lacrosse Championship last season as the No. 4 seed. Three Spiders received preseason All-SoCon honors as attacker Mickey Hofmeister, midfielder Mitchell Goldberg and defender Brendan Hynes were each selected.
Jacksonville was selected fourth with 19 points, followed by 2014 A-Sun Regular Season Champion Mercer in fifth with 18 points. Furman, also in its second season as a program, was picked sixth with nine points and VMI came in seventh with eight points.
Mercer midfielder Tim Geran and VMI defender Tyler Prasnicki rounded out the preseason All-SoCon squad.
The season gets underway for High Point on February 1 with each of the other six SoCon schools beginning play on the weekend of February 7. The first ever SoCon lacrosse game will be played on March 7 when Richmond hosts in-state foe VMI.
The 2015 Southern Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship will be held on the campus of the regular season champion and will feature the top four finishers from the regular season. The two semifinal games will take place on April 30 with the championship game on May 2.
2015 Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Bellarmine (4) - 34 points
2. High Point (3) - 30 points
3. Richmond (1) - 29 points
4. Jacksonville - 19 points
5. Mercer - 18 points
6. Furman - 9 points
7. VMI - 8 points
2015 Men’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team
Attack
Dan Lomas, Jr., High Point
Mickey Hofmeister, Gr., Richmond
Matt Thistle, Jr., High Point
Midfield
Mitchell Goldberg, So., Richmond
Tim Geran, Sr., Mercer
Austin Shanks, So., Bellarmine
Defense
Brendan Hynes, So., Richmond
Tyler Prasnicki, Sr., VMI
Colin Hart, Sr., Bellarmine
Goalkeeper
Austin Geisler, Sr., High Point
Faceoff Specialist
Jamie Piluso, Jr., High Point
Longstick Midfielder
Bobby Schmidt, Sr., Bellarmine