GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College men's lacrosse team was picked to finish third in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC), according to the 2016 ORLC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was unveiled Thursday.
The Tomcats finished third in the poll with 61 points. Transylvania was picked as the favorite to win the conference title with 77 points and eight first-place votes. Saint Vincent finished second in the poll with 65 points and one first-place vote while Washington & Jefferson was predicted to finish fourth with 56 points.
Five Tomcats were named to the ORLC Players to Watch list, including attackers
Timothy O'Shea (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and
Edward Kargbo (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams), defenders
Murphy Wood (Austin, Texas/LC Anderson) and
Ian Bergbigler (Butler, Pa./Butler Area) and long-stick midfielder
Desmond Stuart (Roanoke, Va./Salem).
An All-ORLC First Team pick last season, O'Shea led the Tomcats with 38 goals, 19 assists and 57 points. O'Shea's 38 goals and 57 points ranked third in the conference last season. An All-ORLC Honorable Mention selection in 2015, Kargbo's 32 points and 17 assists were the second most on the team last season.
Wood was named the ORLC Rookie of the Year in 2015. He led the conference in caused turnovers (43) and finished ninth in the conference in ground balls (61). An All-ORLC First Team selection last year, Bergbigler finished second in the conference in caused turnovers (34) and fourth in ground balls (75). Stuart is a freshman long-stick midfielder out of Roanoke, Va.
Thiel went 10-5 overall last season and 4-2 in the ORLC. The Tomcats suffered a 12-8 loss to the Saint Vincent Bearcats in the semifinals of the ORLC Championship Tournament last year.
The Tomcats will open the 2016 season Saturday, Feb. 20 when they host the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders at the Rissell-Schreyer Dome. The game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
The 2016 ORLC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament will feature a four-team field, with the high seed hosting each tournament match. On Wednesday, May 4 the two conference semifinals will take place on the campus of the high seed. The tournament's title match will be played Saturday, May 7.
