NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference released their preseason honors for men's lacrosse Thursday. Head coaches throughout the league submitted ballots containing votes for players and teams to complete the final list. Graduate attackman
Matt Licata and senior defenseman
Jack Shoemaker earned nominations to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Licata earned a unanimous selection to the team, garnering votes from all coaches in the conference. As a team, the Wildcats accumulated 16 points through the voting process, landing them third in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Villanova and Head Coach
Mike Corrado have yet to rank below the top four projected seeds in the preseason poll since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, as they would pick up their tenth straight winning season by going over .500 this upcoming year.
In the poll, two-time defending champions Georgetown received five first-place votes for the second year in a row, giving them 25 points, with Denver receiving the other first-place nomination to total 20 points. Following them are Villanova and Providence, who rank close together at 16 and 15 points, respectively. Marquette and St. John's round out the predictions, each earning seven points in the poll.
The Wildcats end their season at Georgetown on April 25, making a battle with the projected first place Hoyas a crucial matchup to determine seeding for the BIG EAST Championships.
Licata is coming off a season in 2024 where he received a litany of honors after leading or ranking near the top among the Wildcats in a plethora of statistics. He earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll five times, BIG EAST Player of the Week for March 18, BIG EAST All-Tournament Team, and All-BIG EAST First Team awards. The New Hampshire native finished third in the BIG EAST in goals per game and fourth in points per game. The offensive onslaught that Licata helps bring game in and game out is crucial to the third-place prediction for Villanova in 2025.
Shoemaker remained a vital presence as a sophomore on the Villanova defense in 2024 as he started in all 16 games, racking up 41 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. His help on the defensive end helped the Wildcats keep opponents at bay as they held opponents to the fifth lowest clear percentage in the country and advanced to the BIG EAST Championship Finals.
VU begins conference play in Denver, Colo., on March 29, taking on a team who they beat in the BIG EAST semifinal at Villanova Stadium in 2024. Finishing in the top four seeds will earn the Wildcats a trip back out to Denver for the BIG EAST Championship, which Villanova hasn't missed in program history.
BIG EAST Preseason Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll
First-place votes in ( )
1. Georgetown (5) 25 pts.
2. Denver (1) 20
3. Villanova 16
4. Providence 15
5. Marquette 7
5. St. John's 7
BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Ryan Bell, Providence, Sr., M
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jimmy Freehill, Denver, Sr., D ^
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team *
Jimmy Freehill, Denver, Sr., D ^
Mic Kelly, Denver, Sr., M
Malcolm Kleban, Denver, R-Sr., GK
Casey Wilson, Denver, Sr., SSDM ^
Aidan Carroll, Georgetown, Gr., A^
Ty Banks, Georgetown, So, D^
Anderson Moore, Georgetown, So., GK ^
James Ball, Georgetown, Gr., FOS
Patrick Crogan, Georgetown, Jr., M
Bobby O'Grady, Marquette, Sr., A
Ryan Bell, Providence, Sr., M ^
Richie Joseph, Providence, Jr., A ^
Brian Kelly, St. John's, Sr., A
Bobby Seel, St. John's, Sr., M
Matt Licata, Villanova, Gr., A ^
Jack Shoemaker, Villanova, Jr., D
^denotes unanimous selection
*due to a tie, 16 players on the All-BIG EAST Team
UP NEXT
Villanova Men's Lacrosse will return to action on February 10 when they host the Penn State Nittany Lions at Villanova Stadium. A promotional schedule will be announced later this month for home games.
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