NCAC 2024

[oldtimelax]

Oberlin also posts their 2024 schedule, which is a reprise of the '23 slate. No tough OOC teams, no real Spring Trip. Doesn't look like they are looking to raise their national profile.... https://goyeo.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule/2024

[D3LaxFan2]

Oberlin also posts their 2024 schedule, which is a reprise of the '23 slate. No tough OOC teams, no real Spring Trip. Doesn't look like they are looking to raise their national profile.... https://goyeo.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule/2024

Given their graduation losses, seems like a fairly appropriate schedule for a young team. Also, I would imagine that a Monday game in Tennessee indicates a spring trip? Unless It is typical for them to travel that far on a school day?

Any other NCAC schedules posted yet?

[oldtimelax]

NCAC Schedules so far....

Denison plays five Top 15 teams -- RIT, W&L, Gettysburg, Lynchburg and York
https://denisonbigred.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Wooster play Ithaca and Cabrini on Spring Trip
https://www.woosterathletics.com/sports ... 4/schedule

Wittenberg plays Emmanuel (MA) in Sparks, MD
https://www.wittenbergtigers.com/sports ... 4/schedule

Oberlin plays Sewanee, Hope, Albion, Elmhurst and St. Vincent
https://goyeo.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Wabash plays Husson (ME) and Virginia Wesleyan on Spring Trip
https://sports.wabash.edu/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Kenyon, OWU, DePauw, Hiram have not posted 2024 schedules.

[laxfan13]

Oberlin is playing 4 MIAA teams. That seems interesting.

[Mole]

Witt's schedule seems a little light. Curious to see if they add a couple more between and the start.

[oldtimelax]

NCAC Schedules so far....

Denison plays five Top 15 teams -- RIT, W&L, Gettysburg, Lynchburg and York
https://denisonbigred.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Wooster play Ithaca and Cabrini on Spring Trip
https://www.woosterathletics.com/sports ... 4/schedule

Wittenberg plays Emmanuel (MA) in Sparks, MD
https://www.wittenbergtigers.com/sports ... 4/schedule

Oberlin plays Sewanee, Hope, Albion, Elmhurst and St. Vincent
https://goyeo.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Wabash plays Husson (ME) and Virginia Wesleyan on Spring Trip
https://sports.wabash.edu/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule

Kenyon, OWU, DePauw, Hiram have not posted 2024 schedules.

Kenyon posts their schedule for 2024....tougher OOC schedule with Dickinson, F&M, Grove City, Baldwin-Wallace and Centre.

https://athletics.kenyon.edu/sports/men ... 0P0ih3F_34

[FannOLax]

While OWU's schedule is not yet posted, Christopher Newport U's is, and it shows OWU visiting CNU on Feb. 25. That alone means OWU's OOC slate will probably be better than last year's. OWU plays CNU on a Sunday, the day after the Pirates host Stevenson.
https://www.cnusports.com/sports/mens-l ... edule/2024

[Leonard Washington]

Anyone know what happened at Hiram and why the current AD is listed as the Head Coach?

[River Donkey]

Anyone know what happened at Hiram and why the current AD is listed as the Head Coach?

Wasn’t he the one who had instant violations the second he got the job with tweets??

[NeOhLaxFan]

Anyone know what happened at Hiram and why the current AD is listed as the Head Coach?

Resigned as he got out of coaching supposedly. So that must have been the NCAC coach leaving that was said earlier this fall from another poster

Hanover job is now open.

Rumblings of a job in the NCAC could be opening before the season starts

[Leonard Washington]

Resigned as he got out of coaching supposedly. So that must have been the NCAC coach leaving that was said earlier this fall from another poster

Wasn't able to connect the dots but definitely makes sense now. Thank you

[NeOhLaxFan]

Resigned as he got out of coaching supposedly. So that must have been the NCAC coach leaving that was said earlier this fall from another poster

Wasn't able to connect the dots but definitely makes sense now. Thank you

My pleasure Leonard

[D3LaxFan2]

Resigned as he got out of coaching supposedly. So that must have been the NCAC coach leaving that was said earlier this fall from another poster

Hearing murmurs that BJ Jenkins is coming back for another round.

[NeOhLaxFan]

Resigned as he got out of coaching supposedly. So that must have been the NCAC coach leaving that was said earlier this fall from another poster

Hearing murmurs that BJ Jenkins is coming back for another round.

I’m not sure that’s accurate as they fired him for his lack of recruiting numbers. Good guy that did as much as he could with the talent he had.

[oldtimelax]

Hiram is really bad in most sports and has been for quite awhile. Their football team is 1-9 and soccer is 4-13-1. The NCAC Conference has an All-Sports Trophy that cumulates how each men's and women's team finishes and Hiram has been in last place for at least the last decade by a wide margin. I don't think they have ever won a lacrosse game in conference since they started a team -- maybe they beat Wabash once. Maybe it's time to find a conference that is more in line with their ability to compete. They did have five wins last season -- Bethany, Mt. Saint Joseph, Medaille, LaRoche and Earlham. It truly is a waste of time and travel for any NCAC school to schedule this team.

[NeOhLaxFan]

Hiram is really bad in most sports and has been for quite awhile. Their football team is 1-9 and soccer is 4-13-1. The NCAC Conference has an All-Sports Trophy that cumulates how each men's and women's team finishes and have been in last place for at least the last decade by a wide margin. I don't think they have ever won a lacrosse game in conference since they started a team -- maybe they beat Wabash once. Maybe it's time to find a conference that is more in line with their ability to compete. They did have five wins last season -- Bethany, Mt. Saint Joseph, Medaille, LaRoche and Earlham. It truly is a waste of time and travel for any NCAC school to schedule this team.

Sounds like they’re a better fit for that PAC. Close travel and would be more competitive against the likes of Bethany, Franciscan, W&J, Thiel and Allegheny. Would get throttled by Grove City and St Vincent for sure.

[oldtimelax]

OWU's 2024 official schedule hasn't been posted, but a tentative schedule has been sent to parents and alumni that includes an early out-of-conference schedule of Grove City, Christopher Newport, Transylvania, St. Vincent, John Carroll and Hampden-Sydney. There's also a TBA for another game during their spring trip. Later in the season, they have also scheduled Albion during their NCAC games.

The Bishops are optimistic going into this season, as all of their top seven goal scorers return (92% of goals scored) along with their top goalies, FOGOs, and two of their three captains and nearly all of their close defense, LSM and d-middies. The team was very young last year, and many sophomores and freshmen got lots of playing time in their 12-5 campaign, that included a three-way tie with Denison and Kenyon for the regular season title. Word is that they also have another strong first-year group that looked good in fall practices and scrimmages.

[oldtimelax]

Another first for Denison Men's Lacrosse....first daughter-father coaching combination working with Coach Koch...

https://denisonbigred.com/news/2023/12/ ... staff.aspx

[Nosey Ned]

Well our favorite time of year is just a little over 6 weeks away! I'm very excited to see what the Denison Big Red put out on the field this Spring. This is Coach Koch's 3rd season in beautiful Granville and this recruiting class is all his and I have to say I am impressed by what I have seen so far. I'll be surprised if a few of these First Year's aren't playing significcant minutes and contributing almost immediately. Lots of big (6'1” 200lb) dual sport athletes from schools like The Hill Academy; The Hun school; IMG and Conastoga give me reason for hope.

Coach Koch has put together one of the toughest OOC schedules I can remember for the Big Red - if they go 3-2 or even 2-3 agianst the 5 "big boys" it will be a good start in my opinion. They will definitely be ready for NCAC play regardless of the record.

Looks like when the Big Red host national power RIT for thier season opener, it will be the inaugural game in their new lacrosse/socer stadium, Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium. The link below shows the progress (turf laid and stands built) and some nice renderings of the finished $5.5mio progect!

https://denison.edu/map/places/kienzle-hylbert-stadium

GO BIG RED

[berryjames]

Big time reader and infrequent poster but it’s that time of year again and I am going to take a stab at the NCAC predictions.

1. Denison- They lose some production with Tyack leaving, but the three best players on the roster are all returning, with Fisher, O’Neill, and Crowley. They also return the former freshman and specialist of the year in FOGO, Larson. These were 4/5 all Americans last year. Finally, they return all-conference players in Quinson, who was productive at the end of the season; Bresnahan, who was all-conference last year but was not the most productive but still put up a respectable point total for a midfielder; and Kay, who was a starting attackmen from last year. I imagine that Quinson will slot into the place that Tyack left. They also have a transfer from Bryant, who looks pretty good. The midfield will be an exciting story with new faces that need to step up. They graduated their top Dmid from last year, so they need a replacement there. The big question for the Big Red for me is in the goalie and the close defense. Darrach, the All-American last year in goal for them, graduated after excelling these past two seasons, and at close defense, they graduated both their other starting poles besides Crowley. I can see a world looking at the conference from top to bottom where Denison doesn't win it again, but it is unlikely. The Big Red’s out-of-conference schedule is a meat grinder, but if they get a couple of wins, I think it will set them up nicely for conference play. 
2. Kenyon- I don't think this will be the year the owls finally take the step and win the conference. They graduated a good portion of their roster and lost a couple of crucial freshmen to the transfer portal. Looking at what is coming back (based on grad year and other threads about transfers), they have all-American Heath coming back, which will be very important for the Owl's with 42 points as a midfielder. Nelson, arguably the best face-off guy in the country, and him versus Denisons Larson will be a great matchup over the next two years. Goalie Hall, who was second-team all-conference as a freshman last year. Chintala, who had some freshman of the year shouts last year before being placed in the all-conference third team, also having third team all-conference LSM Tempe. Looking at what is returning, you have to feel good as an Owl fan, but they lost the two best Dmids in the conference last year. The Owls also lose 2/3 starting close defense and offensive midfielders to graduation and transferring, so it does make me skeptical if they will be able to overcome the Big Red. Looking at their schedule, they also beefed up their OOC and will play both Dickinson and F&M, which are very good teams. If they win one of these, it may give them the confidence to go out and finally pass the hurdle and win the NCAC.

This is where it become tricky for me as I can see any of these teams being 3 4 and 5 in any order but this is my best guess as what is going to happen.

3. OWU- The bishops have graduated pretty much nothing this past year and return almost its entire starting offense and defense. They return first-team all-conference selection in Amacher, who is very impressive but had fewer points per game than all of the second-team attack men last year, as well as Smith and Silver, who were second-team selections last year. Silver, who has been all-conference two years in a row, as a sophomore last year for the bishops, is one of the best defenders in the conference and put up some unbelievable stats last season should be a player to watch for the bishops. Looking at the final returning all-conference selections for the bishops, their goalie George returns, which is always essential, as well as their freshman FOGO Citek, who is very good, and Hunt out of the midfield. One player who was not all-conference last year but was the newcomer of the year in 2022 is Wiseman, who is very good and will try to return to the all-conference team this year. OWU is a harder one for me to gauge looking into this season. I don't think they have the depth or top guys around the field to compete with Denison this season, but we will see. Looking at OWU’s Instagram, it seems like they have around 20 freshmen coming in; it will be interesting to see how many will impact players this year.
4. Wooster- The fighting Scotts also graduated very little, only losing a starting pole, an Lsm, and a Dmid, looking at the stats from last year. They return both of their all-conference selections from last year in Steffan and DiLeo. Stefan was the conference defensive player of the year last year and was the highlight in their 10-man ride system that they used very effectively all season. I believe he led the nation in caused turnovers in all divisions, which is very impressive. DiLeo is arguably more important to this team than Stefan is, though, and put up a lot of points while also being one of the best riding attack men in the conference. Looking at the Wooster roster, they also return a 65-point scorer in Kellogg. The production falls off a cliff after these two, though. While the 10-man ride system worked very well against their schedule last year, looking at their OOC opponents, it is much improved, and it may be tough to successfully 10-man some of the better teams they will play. Looking at their games against Denison and Kenyon last year, the ride was ineffective and a significant reason for losing. The fighting Scotts will be looking to get back into the NCAC playoff picture after missing out on it the past couple of years, and the most crucial game of their season is probably against Oberlin because the winner of this will most likely make the playoffs.
5. Oberlin- the yeomen graduated a lot of players last season, including both of their all-Americans. This will be a massive loss for the yeomen, but they return some of their all-conference selections. Freshman Starke was second in the conference in goals last year and was second-team all-conference. The third team selection in Blasberg returns, who was second on the team in points, and the third team selection, Taylor-Lillquist, also returns. I think the yeomen will run into similar problems that Kenyon has, where they will need to have a lot of new faces step up, and there is a big question mark of whether they will be able to beat out Wooster or OWU for those final two spots in the conference tournament. My guess is no because the team will be very young, but we will see what happens. This year, the Oberlin OOC schedule is also not very good, and getting some wins in these games will be crucial heading into conference play. Looking at inside lacrosse and the roster, Oberlin has 22 freshmen coming in this year, so they will need a significant freshman presence to be good this year.

This is the next tier of teams where I could see any of them switch with each other.

6. Wittenberg- they had an up-and-down season last year, but I don't see the Tigers making a push to the playoffs next year. Their freshman FOGO was their lone all-conference selection last year, and while returning him will be helpful, I don't see them making the jump to making the conference tournament next year. They only had one graduation last year, so another year of experience for the team will be beneficial. Still, they had too many bad losses to the teams above them last year to warrant a better standing in the conference. 
7. Wabash- this will finally be the year that the Little Giants get an NCAC win, besides Hiram. I like what Coach Burke is doing for this program, and I believe they will beat their instate rival in Depauw. The roster size has grown immensely these past couple of years, which is crucial for a program building itself up. They graduate their one all-conference selection from last year, who led the conference in goals, but they return almost the rest of the roster. They were very close against Wittenberg the previous year, and I would not be surprised if they were a little more competitive with the top half of the conference this season.
8. DePauw- I am low on DePauw, in general, this year. They have a pretty small roster and have yet to bring in a very big incoming freshman class, so I expect some struggles for the team overall. They return all-conference pole Garrigan from last year, but the team will not be very good overall. They did keep it petty close with Wooster and Wittenberg the previous year and beat Wabash by ten but got killed by Oberlin, Denison, and OWU. Picking them to lose to Wabash this year is my boldest take on this list.
Bottom tier
9. Hiram- They need a coach, and I don't see them coming even close to winning a conference game this year. Not much to say about the Terriers, but hopefully, they can win a couple of out-of-conference games this year. Also, I read some stuff on here about Hiram shutting down as a school. I guess we will see what happens with the terriers this year.