NEW YORK - Four-time regular season champion Denver was picked first in the BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse preseason poll a fifth time in 2018 as the unanimous favorite among the league’s head coaches. The Pioneers’ No. 1 pick was supported by the preseason selections of both Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Sophomore attackman Ethan Walker earned preseason nods as Offensive Player of the Year while senior faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste earned Defensive Player of the Year nods.
Villanova was selected second in the poll with 21 points and received the remaining first-place vote, while Providence, the 2017 BIG EAST tournament runner up was picked third with 16 points.