After completing the best season in program history, and making its first appearance in the Sunshine State Conference Championship, Florida Tech’s men’s lacrosse team garnered the No. 12 spot in the final Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Poll. (FIT Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – After completing the best season in program history, and making its first appearance in the Sunshine State Conference Championship, Florida Tech’s men’s lacrosse team garnered the No. 12 spot in the final Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
This is the first time in Florida Tech history that the men’s lacrosse team finished the season ranked in the national polls.
FIT joins No. 8 Tampa as the only members of the SSC to appear in the final rankings.
The Panthers ended the 2015 season with a 12-4 record, including 3-2 in the SSC to claim the No. 2 overall seed in the SSC Tournament.
Florida Tech defeated Rollins College in the semifinal round of the tournament to advance to the championship game against Tampa.
In the final, the Panthers battled hard throughout but eventually fell to the Spartans 11-8.
Ryan McAleavey
“This was the best season in the four year history of the program,” said head coach Ryan McAleavey.
“We were ranked in the national polls for all but one week this season, the first one. It’s a great accomplishment for our players and really something to build off of for the future.”
FIT graduated 12 seniors in 2015, including the program’s all-time leading single-season points getter, Zach Wynne, all-time leading scorer, Andrew Conley, best takeaway defender, Jordan Carlock, and starting goalie, Eric Biller.
Despite the loss of key contributors from last season, 2016 will not be a rebuilding year for the Panthers.
FIT returns five of its top seven scorers, including the leading goal scorer, Jason Terry, and the team’s top midfielders, and captains, Brian Bacarella and Nick Wynne.
Also returning to the Crimson and Gray is its most productive face-off specialist, Travis Wunder, and best lock-down defender, Tom Filipow.
Also taking into consideration the addition of 11 National Letter of Intent signees and several top transfers to next season’s squad, the best may be yet to come for the Florida Tech men’s lacrosse program.
