Central Islip, N.Y. – The men's lacrosse coaches of the East Coast Conference have voted the LIU Post Pioneers as the favorites to win the league championship in 2016. LIU Post senior attacker, Matty Beccaris (North Babylon, N.Y.), and NYIT senior defender, Jon Lynott (Massapequa, N.Y.), have been named the Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
LIU Post, who won their second straight ECC Championships in 2015, received six of nine first place votes to top the preseason ranking with 78 points. The Pioneers also begin the season ranked No. 3 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division II poll after posting a 14-3 record last year.
NYIT, ECC runner-up in 2015, came in second in the poll with 73 points after receiving two first place votes. Mercy, fresh off their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship, rounds out the top three with 58 points. The final first place vote went to Chestnut Hill, who came in fifth in the poll.
Beccaris begins his final season at LIU Post with a selection as the conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The three-time All-Conference selection posted another outstanding season a year ago. In 17 games, he tallied 44 goals and 20 assists for 64 points. His goal total was good for second in the conference and his point total ranked sixth in the ECC. His standout campaign earned him a spot on the USILA All-America Second Team, the third All-America selection of his career.
Lynott has earned the coaches' pick as the conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. In 2015, he helped anchor a defense that ranked in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense and led Division II in man-down defense. In 16 games, all starts, Lynott caused a conference-leading 30 turnovers and also scooped up 44 ground balls, which helped to land him a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
2016 ECC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. LIU Post (6) | 78 | 14-3 (8-0 ECC) |
| 2. NYIT (2) | 73 | 12-4 (7-1 ECC) |
| 3. Mercy | 58 | 10-7 (5-3 ECC) |
| 4. Dowling | 50 | 5-8 (4-4 ECC) |
| 5. Chestnut Hill (1) | 48 | 6-7 (4-4 ECC) |
| 6. Molloy | 43 | 11-4 (5-3 ECC) |
| 7. Roberts Wesleyan | 27 | 4-11 (2-6 ECC) |
| 8. District of Columbia | 17 | 2-9 (1-7 ECC) |
| 9. Dominican | 11 | 1-12 (0-8 ECC) |
( ) - first place votes
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Matty Beccaris, Sr., A., LIU Post
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jon Lynott, Sr., D, NYIT
