West Babylon, N.Y. - The men's lacrosse coaches of the East Coast Conference have selected Mercy College as the favorite to win the league's championship in 2020. Mercy also swept the league's preseason awards for the second straight year with Tommy McPartland (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Jack Kipnes (Wantagh, N.Y.) selected as the ECC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
Following the most successful season in program history, the Mavericks received four of seven first-place votes and 46 points to top the poll. In 2019, Mercy claimed their first-ever ECC Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Championship. The Mavericks, who are also ranked No. 10 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), have four All-Conference honorees returning in Jack Gibbons, Dominic Scorcia, McPartland, and Kipnes.
McPartland, a three-time All-Conference honoree and former ECC Rookie of the Year, takes home the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honor. In 2019, he scored 31 goals and dished off 21 assists for a career-high 52 points, ranking in the top-10 in the ECC in all three categories. He placed fourth in the conference with seven man-up goals, as well.
Kipnes earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team in his rookie season. He was a key cog in a defense that allowed an ECC-low 7.50 goals-against average. While starting all 20 games, Kipnes scooped up 31 ground balls and ranked fourth in the ECC with 27 caused turnovers.
New York Tech finished as the runner-up in the poll with two first-place votes and 40 points. The Bears, long an ECC power, look to bounce back after only the sixth losing season in the program's 37-year history. Roberts Wesleyan, coming off their first-ever ECC Championship appearance, earned the final first-place vote to finish third with 30 points.
Molloy rounds out the expected ECC Championship participants after coming in just behind Roberts at No. 4 with 29 points. New conference associate member, Frostburg State, will begin their first season competing at the Division II level as the No. 5 team in the poll. The poll wraps up with St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 6 and District of Columbia at No. 7.
2020 ECC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. Mercy (4) | 46 | 18-2 (6-0 ECC) |
| 2. New York Tech (2) | 40 | 5-13 (3-3 ECC) |
| 3. Roberts Wesleyan (1) | 30 | 7-8 (3-3 ECC) |
| 4. Molloy | 29 | 7-8 (3-3 ECC) |
| 5. Frostburg State | 26 | 12-8 (n/a) ** |
| 6. St. Thomas Aquinas | 14 | 6-8 (1-5 ECC) |
| 7. Dist. Columbia | 11 | 4-9 (0-6 ECC) |
() - first place votes
** - Frostburg State's 2019 record was as a member of NCAA Division III
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Tommy McPartland, Sr., A, Mercy
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jack Kipnes, So., D, Mercy
