NEW YORK – Six-time regular-season champion Denver was picked first in the 2021 BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Georgetown grad student Jake Carraway was named Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while senior teammate Gibson Smith was chosen as the Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.
Denver, the coaches’ unanimous preseason favorite, received five first-place votes and 25 points. With 21 points, Georgetown was selected second in the poll and received the remaining first-place vote. Denver was 4-2 in 2020 when the season was cut short, suffering losses to Duke and North Carolina.