HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – In a preseason poll of the seven Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) coaches, the Trine University men's lacrosse team has been selected to finish fourth during the upcoming 2023 season.
The Thunder finished with 21 points to earn their spot. The point totals are determined by votes cast by the association's coaches, who cannot vote for their own team, with highest point total receiving the top spot.
Albion took the top spot in the poll with four of the first-place votes. Last season the Britons finished second in the regular season before winning the MIAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament to earn the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. Last year's regular season champions from Hope were selected second in the poll with the other three first place votes. Adrian rounded out the top three, finishing just ahead of Trine with 25 points
Head coach Ryan Kuhn returns to lead the team for his second season at the helm. Last season the Thunder finished with a 9-5 overall record while finishing the MIAA season 3-3, fourth in the conference standings. They started the season on a three-game winning streak ultimately improving to 8-1 before they ran into the top of the MIAA. The Thunder's season ended with a tight loss to Hope in the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament.
Five of the team's top six scorers from last season return for this year's campaign, including seniors Andrew Douglas and Noah Markus. Douglas finished last season with the leading point-tally for the team recording 48 points including a team high 27 assists and 21 goals. Markus finished third with 32 points but tied for most goals with 22 during the year.
The team's top faceoff man from 2022 also returns for his senior season. Jack Konicek finished last year going 139-271 on faceoffs he also finished second on the team with 58 groundballs.
In goal junior Nick DiPaolo returns having taken over as the team's top keeper during the season. He led the Thunder in all major goalkeeper stats including goals-against average (7.83), saves (136), save percentage (.624) and wins (7). He also finished fourth on the team with 31 ground balls.
The team will need to fill the shoes of three strong defenders who all graduated after the past season, including All-MIAA selection Dave Keptner who turned in one of the best seasons by a defender in program history. Senior Eli Pfotenhauer will look to lead the group on defense as the top returner. He finished last season fourth in caused turnovers (10) and sixth in groundballs (21).
The Thunder are set to open the season by hosting Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday, February 22 at 6 p.m.