Jan. 21, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Villanova senior Brian Karalunas (Dewitt, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) and junior Kevin Cunningham (Garden City, N.Y./Kellenberg) have been named to the Men's Lacrosse All-BIG EAST Preseason team, as announced by the conference office today. As a team, Villanova was picked to finished fourth in the seven-team league.
Karalunas was also named a Second Team Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse earlier this month, while Cunningham looks to follow up a stellar sophomore campaign where he earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2010.
Syracuse University has been unanimously selected as the 2011 preseason favorite of the BIG EAST men's lacrosse league. The league's seven head coaches were polled and were not permitted to vote for their own programs. Notre Dame's Zach Brenneman was named the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Syracuse's John Galloway and Joel White were named Preseason Co-Defensive Players of the Year.
Villanova was picked to finish fourth, garnering 22 points. The Wildcats went 10-5 last season, including a 4-2 mark in BIG EAST play. The 2010 season included several highlights for Villanova as the team earned its highest ranking in program history after being ranked No. 9 nationally by both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse. Additionally, 2010 marked only the third time in program history that Villanova won at least 10 regular-season games since the program became a varsity sport in 1981.
Men's lacrosse is the 24th sport sponsored by the BIG EAST and is the 11th men's sport. The seven conference schools participating are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, Syracuse and Villanova. The teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular-season schedule in the conference's second season.
2011 BIG EAST Preseason Awards & Poll
BIG EAST Preseason Attack Player of the YearZach Brenneman, Notre Dame, Sr., M
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Players of the YearJohn Galloway, Syracuse, Sr., GJoel White, Syracuse, Sr., LSM
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team^Travis Comeau, Georgetown, So., ABarney Ehrmann, Georgetown, Sr., DSam Barnes, Notre Dame, Sr., DZach Brenneman, Notre Dame, Sr., M*David Earl, Notre Dame, Sr., MKevin Ridgway, Notre Dame, Sr., D*John Galloway, Syracuse, Sr., GStephen Keough, Syracuse, Sr., A*John Lade, Syracuse, Sr., DJovan Miller, Syracuse, Sr., MJeremy Thompson, Syracuse, Sr., M/FOJoel White, Syracuse, Sr., LSMKevin Cunningham, Villanova, Jr., ABrian Karalunas, Villanova, Sr., LSM
BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll
2010
Points Overall Record
Syracuse (6) 36 13-2
Notre Dame (1) 31 10-7
Georgetown 25 9-5
Villanova 22 10-5
St. John's 14 5-9
Rutgers 13 6-8
Providence 6 0-14
(-) - First-place votes
^ - players added to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team due to a tie in voting*- unanimous selection
