ROCK HILL, S.C. - The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) has released their men's lacrosse preseason rankings, as voted on by the conference coaches. Head coach Greg Paradine and the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears have been picked to finish third in the SAC this year. 

Donovan Powell, Morgan Madish, Matthew Mancini, Jarrett Huff, Zack Salo, and Parks Painter were named Lenoir-Rhyne's Players to Watch. The Bears are set up for success this season as they return five of their top six point scorers from last season, as well as Painter and Deacon Medwick to hold down the back line. Mancini is back for his final season as a Bear and ranks second all-time in program history for both ground balls (354) and faceoffs won (569). 

Last season Lenoir-Rhyne finished with a record of 14-4 (8-2 SAC) and advanced to their seventh NCAA Tournament in program history. Since 2021 the Bears have advanced to all five NCAA Tournaments, winning the national championship in 2023 and finishing as national runner-ups in 2021 and 2024. 

Due to this weekend's cancellation the Bears will now open their season at home next week Saturday against preseason No. 2 Tampa. This will be followed by games at Rollins and vs. Lees-McRae before back-to-back national champions Adelphi come to town on Saturday, February 28. Conference play opens up on Saturday, March 7, vs. Newberry. On Saturday, March 14, Lenoir-Rhyne will travel to Charlotte to face off against Wingate in the Crown Classic. The Bears close out the regular season on Tuesday, April 21, against Coker.

The South Atlantic Conference Tournament quarterfinals and semi-finals will take place on Sunday, April 26, and Wednesday, April 29, at the site of the higher seed. The SAC Championship will be on Saturday, May 2, at the Matthews Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina.

2026 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE MEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Wingate - 104 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Anderson - 97 points (2 first-place votes)
3. Lenoir-Rhyne - 96 points (1 first-place vote)
4. Newberry - 87 points
5. Catawba - 76 points
6. Coker - 65 points
7. Mars Hill - 59 points
8. Lincoln Memorial - 56 points
9. Tusculum - 44 points
10. Emory & Henry - 36 points

Players to Watch
Anderson: Radyn Badraun, Ryan Bitterman, Brayden Bushnoe, Aiden Dixon, Garrett Krsul, Adin Laughlin
Catawba: Owen Conway, Steven Hernandez, Kier McKnight, Tanner Stout, Garrett Simi, Peyton Turner
Coker: Lennon Connolly, Michael Jensen, Brandon Calidonio, Ryan Forehand, Kaleb Hiltz, Elijah Utz
Emory & Henry: David Mewes, Jackson Jones, Gavin Starling, Brayden Hall, Jacob Mills, Noah Parrish
Lenoir-Rhyne: Donovan Powell, Morgan Madish, Matthew Mancini, Jarrett Huff, Zack Salo, Parks Painter
Lincoln Memorial: Jenson Jones, Koen Burdette, Beckett O'Shea, Dominico Moscato, Connor Blondin, Lucas Weaver
Mars Hill: Sam Arendt, Jake Lynch, AJ Howland, Lukas Kight
Newberry: Brian Lake, Liam Vollans, Jaiden Terry, Ryan Morrison, Gage Vigar, Scott Williams
Tusculum: Luke Bowen, Tysen Fontenla, Aiden Lyman, Aiden Paczek, Jayden Rios, Ben Royer
Wingate: Kyle Spence, Joey Moran, Jaxon Grant, Graham Tillett, Quad Williams, Sam Goss