LET'S DANCE! Men's Lacrosse Set for NCAA Tourney Match-Up vs. Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE, Maine – Following their 16-8 win over the University of Saint Joseph in Saturday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game, the Emmanuel College Men's Lacrosse team is set to open the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse tournament tomorrow, Wednesday, May 10 vs. Maine Maritime Academy in Opening Round action at Richie Field on the MMA campus.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints closed the regular-season ranked first in the GNAC with a 6.01 goals against average in conference play.
• Emmanuel ranks first in the conference and second in the nation in caused turnovers with 279 on the year, only behind Lake Forest who has 286.
• Offensively, the Saints have scored 237 goals to rank second in the GNAC.
• EC only netted 17 man-up goals this year during regular-season action; ranking seventh of 11 teams in the league but scored eight man-up goals during the GNAC tournament, converting at over 57% en route to the Championship.

MMA:

• Maine Maritime led the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in goals (335), ranking third among NCAA Division III programs in goals per game at 19.71.
• With their high-powered offense, the Mariners averaged a whopping 55.94 shots per game this season on 951 total attempts, the eighth highest total in the country.
• MMA scored 42 man-up goals on the year, the third most among D-III programs this season.
• While their offense is their calling card, the Mariners defense held opponents to an average of 9.47 goals per game, ranking second overall in the NAC only behind SUNY Poly's 8.02 GAA mark.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Senior attack Ryan Castle (Boxford, Mass.) tops the EC offense with a single-season program record 72 points on 50 goals and 22 assists. He recently set the single-game points record with 10 in the regular-season finale vs. NEC and also holds the single-game goals record (7). He earned GNAC Second Team All-Conference honors at attack.
• Junior attack Thomas Quigley (Marblehead, Mass.) became the Saints all-time leader in assists in the GNAC Quarterfinal win over Norwich and now has 70 career helpers. He's enjoying a strong campaign with 64 points on 35 goals and 29 assists and broke his own single-season assists record in the GNAC Championship game. He earned Third Team All-Conference honors at attack.
• First year middie Cole Cloney (Medfield, Mass.) was named the GNAC Rookie of the Week three times during the regular-season and currently leads the Saints while ranking third in the GNAC with 52 goals, a new EC single-season record. He earned First Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team accolades as a midfielder.

MMA:

• Grad student Jayden Wilson (Lewiston, Maine) leads the Mariners in points (107), goals (67) and assists (40). He's one of only nine players in the country to enter the NCAA tourney with over 100 points and one of only three players in the country with at least 60 goals and 40 assists this season.
• Sophomore middie Sam Nichol (Concord, N.H.) enters the tourney with 73 points on 44 goals including 10 man-up scores to go along with 29 helpers.
• First year attack Jacob Hintermaier (Macon, Georgia) is the third Mariner with over 70 points on the year with 52 goals and 19 assists for 71 points. He also leads the team in penalty minutes with 15:00.

BETWEEN THE PIPES:

EC senior goalie Randy Castle (Boxford, Mass.) is enjoying one of the best statistical seasons in net in the program's history. He currently boasts a 64.8 save percentage to lead the GNAC and rank second in the nation and has made 241 saves to top the GNAC and is a new EC single-season saves record. He's now 15-3 on the year, tying the single-season victories mark and was named the 2023 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year while being honored on the All-Conference First Team.

MMA junior Garrett Ruszkowski (Saugus, Mass.) has played in/started 11 games this year, posting a 9-2 record with a 10.04 goals against average over 538+ minutes. He's made 113 stops on the year and has established the starting spot after a time share in net earlier in the year with junior Zach McCarthy (Malvern, Pa.) who has appeared in seven games with four starts and a 3-1 record.

COACHES' CORNER:

Trevor Craven - Emmanuel College
In his 11^th overall season at Emmanuel and sixth as Head Coach, Craven has been an integral part of the programs growth. He came on board as an assistant coach under the inaugural coach Brendan McWilliams and took over the helm in 2017 after leaving for one season to serve as the Head Coach at Becker. Craven is enjoying his best year as a Head Coach with a 15-5 record this season including a 9-1 mark in the GNAC and was named the 2023 GNAC Coach of the Year. He is 23-22 all-time in GNAC regular-season action with Emmanuel.

Brandon Melville – Maine Maritime Academy
Since joining the staff in August 2019 Melville has led the Mariners to a 28-12 overall record in four seasons, including two shortened seasons due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He's guided the Mariners to back-to-back NAC Championships. Before MMA, he was the Head Coach at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon in 2019, coaching the Hornets to a 13-7 record with only 17 student-athletes to make his collegiate head-coaching record stand at 41-19 overall.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:
Wednesday's meeting will be the first contest between the two sides.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
The Saints have never played an NCAA tournament game before in the state of Maine. Their three previous NCAA tournament games were all played in Medford, Mass. at Tufts University in 2014, 2015 & 2016.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Emmanuel makes its fourth NCAA tournament appearance following the GNAC Championship. The Saints are 0-3 all-time in the big dance, with all three losses coming at the hands of national powerhouse Tufts University. The Saints fell to the Jumbos 24-2 in their tourney debut in 2014, followed by a 21-6 loss in 2015 and a 25-5 setback in 2015.

MMA made its first NCAA appearance last season after a historic performance in the 2022 NAC tournament, upsetting the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in the field to go dancing. The Mariners faced off in the opening round vs. GNAC foe Norwich University, falling to the Cadets by a 20-12 final score in Northfield, Vt.

COVERAGE
Wednesday's NCAA Tournament game will be streamed live on the web with LiveStats available. To tune into the live action, click on one of the links below:

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

TICKETING & SPECTATOR INFORMATION

Adults will be charged $5.00 and students and children above age 2 will be charged $3.00. Cash only please.

Artificial noisemakers are prohibited by the NCAA.

Items that can be held by one individual, reflect good sportsmanship and do not block the view of other ticketed patrons are permitted. No flags or banners are permitted. No signs, flags or banners may be affixed to the facility.

Concessions will be available for spectators outside of the main gate. Cash only please.

NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship merchandise and apparel will be sold outside of the main gate. Credit card purchases only please.

NCAA Digital Program

PARKING

Spectators can park in the spaces along the west end of Ritchie Field or the Stevens Street Lot. The Academy is not presently in session. Street parking is also available on public roads around Ritchie Field. Please observe any signs on the public ways. Spectators do not need to heed parking space designations in campus lots.