FREELAND, Mich. – In a preseason poll of seven Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's lacrosse coaches, Hope was predicted to finish first overall as the Flying Dutchmen garnered all six possible first-place votes.

Hope, the 2019 MIAA regular season and tournament champions, received six points with those six first-place votes to finish in front of second-place Albion, who had 11 points and the remaining first-place vote. Alma ranked third with 16 points, while Calvin (21 points) edged Trine (25 points) for fourth place. Kalamazoo (32 points) and Adrian (34 points) rounded out the poll.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Hope (14-4, 6-0 MIAA in 2019) features three players that garnered First-Team All-MIAA laurels in 2019: Andrew Caris, Max Kuiper, and Cole Scheffler.

Albion (8-9, 5-1 MIAA) will lean on three returning First-Team All-MIAA selections in sophomore attacker Jace Conley, senior midfielder Jacob Swift, and sophomore defender Joey Tatar.

Alma (8-10, 4-2) will return senior midfielder Chase Hunyadi, who was a First-Team All-MIAA selection in 2019 and was the 2017 MIAA Rookie of the Year.

The 2020 men's lacrosse season begins Saturday, Feb. 8 when Alma and Albion will play non-conference contests. MIAA action begins Saturday, April 4 with three games.

The 2020 MIAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament will take place Wednesday, April 29 and Saturday, May 2. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship.

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