Haverford is the preseason favorite to win the 2017 Centennial championship in a poll of Conference coaches.
The defending champion Fords edged Franklin & Marshall for the top spot, garnering six first-place ballots and 78 points to the Diplomats' two and 73. Picked to finish 3rd, Johns Hopkins received two first-place votes and 67 points. Gettysburg and Dickinson picked up 55 and 50 points, respectively, to round-out the top five in the preseason poll.
1- Haverford 78 points (6 first-place votes)
2- Franklin & Marshall 73 (2)
3- Johns Hopkins 67 (2)
4- Gettysburg 55
5- Dickinson 50
6- Swarthmore 37
7- Washington College 33
8- Muhlenberg 31
9- Ursinus 16
10- McDaniel 10
Returning All-Conference Players
First Team
F-Ugo Okolie, Franklin & Marshall, Jr, Lagos, Nigeria / Mercersburg Academy (Pa.)
F-Jason Tonelli, Franklin & Marshall, Sr, Freehold, N.J. / Colts Neck
M-Dorian Wirz, Haverford, Sr, New York, N.Y. / Bard HS Early College
M-Matt Edmonds, Dickinson, Sr, Lexington, Mass. / Lexington
B-Ezekiel Omosanya, Gettysburg, Soph, Lagos, Nigeria / Northfield Mount Hermon School (Mass.)
B-Wyatt Fabian, Franklin & Marshall, Sr, Sinking Spring, Pa. / Hill School
Second Team
F-Nick Jannelli*, Haverford, Soph, Springfield, Pa. / Springfield
F-Ben Field, Haverford, Sr, Portland, Ore. / Riverdale
M-Drew Collins, Johns Hopkins, Sr, Franklin, Tenn. / Franklin
M-Russell Nicholson, Haverford, Sr, Titusville, N.J. / Hopewell Valley
B-Michael Holowesko, Washington College, Sr, Nassau, Bahamas / Asheville School (N.C.)
B-Mike Swiercz, Johns Hopkins, Sr, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. / Collegiate
GK-Josh Samuels, Washington College, Jr, Allentown, N.J. / Allentown
Honorable Mention
F-Patrick Santini, Gettysburg, Sr, Cos Cob, Conn. / Greenwich
M-Alex Bilodeau, Franklin & Marshall, Jr, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarsh
M-Jimmy Evangelos, Gettysburg, Soph, New Providence, N.J. / New Providence
M-Anthony Carracino, Muhlenberg, Sr, Livingston, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep
M-Chris Pollock, Dickinson, Sr, Salem, Va. / North Cross
B-Macsen Pritchard, Dickinson, Sr, Tampa, Fla. / Tampa Prep
GK-Thomas Keane, Gettysburg, Soph, Potomac, Md. / Gonzaga College HS
*2016 Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year
F&M's Okolie has a torn ACL so that is a big loss for them. Despite that, I still expect F&M to win the Centennial this year
Quote from: paclassic89 on August 24, 2017, 12:20:09 PM
F&M's Okolie has a torn ACL so that is a big loss for them. Despite that, I still expect F&M to win the Centennial this year
Massive loss for F&M.
Injuries are bound to occur, but with all the effort and passion these guys put out there, it is so unfortunate to see any of these student athletes go down with season ending injuries...I hope he recovers well.
Tough loss for F&M , indeed.
Quote from: paclassic89 on August 24, 2017, 12:20:09 PM
F&M's Okolie has a torn ACL so that is a big loss for them. Despite that, I still expect F&M to win the Centennial this year
He is arguably the best player in the region so this is a very tough loss for F&M. With that being said they have many talented players and should be able to handle this blow.
Dickinson, Gettysburg, and the Muhles all off to hot starts while F&M, Swat, and Wash Coll. all struggle out of the gate.