AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference has issued the 2023 season preview consisting of the preseason All-Conference team and the coaches poll.

Lander and Montevallo tied for the top spot in the coaches poll, both finishing with 22 points. Alabama-Huntsville was third with 19 while Flagler, Young Harris and Shorter rounded out the voting.

Lander improved to 11-6 in 2022 after winning five games in 2021. The Bearcats finished second in the PBC standings with a 4-1 conference record and reached the semifinals of the PBC Tournament. Lander returns a very experienced team for 2023 with 20 seniors or graduate students on the roster and return their top 13 point producers and all four keepers from last season.

Montevallo won their second straight PBC Tournament title in 2022. The Falcons finished third in the PBC standings at 11-7 overall, 3-2 in league play but put together an incredible post-season run that featured wins over the #2 and #1 seeds. The 2023 Falcons return seven seniors and 14 juniors and return three of their top four scorers.

Coaches Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	Points
t1.	Lander (3)	22
t1.	Montevallo (3)	22
3.	Alabama-Huntsville	19
4.	Flagler	13
5.	Young Harris	9
6.	Shorter	5

 

Men's Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team

Hunter Coleman, Alabama-Huntsville

• A sophomore faceoff specialist from Woodstock, Ga.
• A 2022 PBC co-Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Conference selection
• Led the PBC and was ranked 13th in NCAA Division II with a .622 faceoff percentage
• Was ranked third in the PBC in ground balls per game and also scored five goals

Drew Flagg, Flagler

• A sophomore midfielder from Belleview, Fla.
• The 2022 PBC co-Freshman of the Year
• Led the team with 28 goals and was tied for the team lead with 38 points; ranked 10th in the PBC in goals per game and eighth in shots per game
• Had five hat tricks last season including a six-goal game against Young Harris, tied for the fourth-most in a single game in the PBC

Connor Frederick, Montevallo

• A senior midfielder from Queenstown, Md.
• A first-team All-Conference selection in the midfield
• Had 22 goals and 12 assists in 17 games last year and was fourth on the team with 34 points
• Put up at least one point all but two of UM's games last year; had seven multi-goal games with a season-high four against Lander

Scott Friant, Montevallo

• A senior attacker from Johns Creek, Ga.
• The 2022 PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player
• Scored 29 goals with 28 assists last season, ranked third on the team with 57 points, seventh in the PBC in goals per game and fifth in points per game
• Scored four goals in the PBC tournament semifinal win over Lander, one of his three four-goal games on the season

Luke Hennebaul, Montevallo

• A junior defender from Braselton, Ga.
• A first-team All-Conference selection on defense
• Ranked third in the PBC in caused turnovers per game with 1.44 and was fourth on the team with 35 ground balls
• Key part of a defense that was third in the PBC in fewest goals allowed and led the league in penalty-killing percentage

Trevayne Hunter, Montevallo

• A junior attacker from Aldergrove, British Columbia
• The PBC Player of the Week on Feb. 28, he led the PBC in assists with 30, setting a new conference single-season record and was ranked 26th in NCAA Division II in assists per game
• Ranked fifth in the PBC in goals per game and was second in the league with 4.00 points per game
• Was the only player in the PBC with two 10-point games in 2022, tied for most in the league; also had a six-assist game which was tied for the league lead

James Linn, Lander

• A senior defender from Clover, S.C.
• The 2022 PBC Defensive Player of the Year, he was also a first-team All-Conference selection and named USILA All-Region
• Led the team with 15 caused turnovers and had 25 ground balls
• Anchor on a defense that led the PBC in fewest goals allowed, scoring margin and ground balls

Adam Mather, Lander

• A senior attacker from Cincinnati, Ohio
• The 2022 PBC co-Player of the Year, he was also a USILA All-Region selection and first-team All-Conference selection
• Led the Peach Belt with 4.31 points per game (27th in NCAA DII); was second in the league in goals per game and third in assists per game
• Scored multiple goals in all but two Bearcat games last season with a season-high five goals twice

Reid Vender, Alabama-Huntsville

• A senior midfielder from Austin, Texas
• A first-team All-Conference selection in the midfield last year and named to the PBC All-Tournament team
• Scored 21 goals with 10 assists for 31 total points, fourth on the team
• Had five multi-goal games including two hat tricks

Carter Wilcox, Lander

• A sophomore attacker from Harrisburg, N.C.
• A 2022 PBC co-Freshman of the Year, he was also a first-team All-Conference selection and twice named the PBC Player of the Week
• Led the Peach Belt with 2.82 goals per game which was 25th in NCAA Division II; also ranked fourth in the PBC in points per game and ninth in ground balls per game
• Scored seven goals against Lander which is tied for the most in a single game in the PBC last season; had 13 multi-goal games on the season