INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference is home to three of Division II’s best men’s programs with Seton Hill, Mercyhurst and Lake Erie, all in the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) rankings.
Seton Hill and Mercyhurst have hovered in the top 10 from the preseason rankings to present while Lake Erie has surged from the unrated ranks knocking on the door of the top 10.
SHU is No. 4 for the second straight week, Mercyhurst is tied for 10th and LEC moved up from 17th to a current spot at No. 12.
The Griffins (7-1, 1-0 G-MAC) were the favorite in the Great Midwest Preseason Coaches Poll as the defending conference tournament champions. Senior attack Jack Moran is carving out a resume arguably for a run at conference player of the year honors.
Moran has earned Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Week honors twice already and took over for the all-time career lead in points. This is the second year of existence for the sport of men’s lacrosse.
SHU is also poised to be representing the Great Midwest in the national tournament if the Griffins can keep up their current momentum. The conference is now part of the North Region for NCAA Championship alignment.
Among the marquee wins for Seton Hill were No. 15 UIndy and a No. 10-ranked NYIT program. The Griffins beat Wheeling Jesuit in conference play and the only blemish on the schedule is a double-overtime setback at No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne.
Mercyhurst (5-2, 1-1 G-MAC) has continued to show resilence in defensive struggles, winning three contests over nationally-ranked opponents by one goal, including Wingate, Mount Olive and defending national champion Limestone.
The Lakers were last year’s Great Midwest Championship runner-up to Seton Hill.
Lake Erie is red hot at 5-1, coming off a win against previously ranked UIndy last night, 13-4. The Storm also toppled Mercyhurst in what observers would call an upset to firmly plant themselves in the playoff picture as a viable candidate to host the Great Midwest Championship.
The Storm lead the Great Midwest standings at 3-0.
Edmond Renaud has been an offensive force to reckon with while setting Great Midwest single-game records for both goals and points against Alderson Broaddus.