Men's Lacrosse Picked To Finish Fourth In NEC Preseason Poll

Men's Lacrosse 01.26.26

Men's Lacrosse Picked To Finish Fourth In NEC Preseason Poll

Senior Jackson Ewald and the Titans were slated for fourth in the NEC.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (1/26/2026) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's lacrosse team is projected to head back to the postseason as the Northeast Conference released its annual Coaches Poll on Monday.

The Titans were selected fourth behind LeMoyne, LIU, and Robert Morris, with the Sharks (2) and Colonials (6) earning the most first-place votes. VMI, Cleveland State, Mercyhurst and Wagner round out the poll.

The top four teams will qualify for the NEC Championship, with the regular-season winner hosting the event, and the victor will earn the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

The Titans finished fourth last year at 6-7 overall and 4-3 in league play. UDM then ousted the top seed LeMoyne in the NEC semifinals before dropping the championship to RMU.

During the season, the red, white and blue tied a school record by winning five in a row.

Detroit Mercy returns 26 letterwinners, including the NEC Rookie of the Year in attackman Marcus Thundercloud, First Team defender Kyle Grant, Second Team defensive midfielder Jackson Ewald, and three NEC All-Rookie Team members in defenseman Ian Greenwell, faceoff specialist Canton Lanham, and midfielder Andrew Parker.

UDM will start the season on Sunday when it visits Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes were picked to finish third in the Big Ten.

2026 NEC Men's Lacrosse Poll

1. Robert Morris (6)
2. LIU (2)
3. Le Moyne
4. Detroit Mercy
5. VMI
6. Cleveland State
7. Mercyhurst
8. Wagner

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Players Mentioned

#88 Jackson Ewald: MF/DM; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Kyle Grant: D; 6' 5"; Junior

#13 Marcus Thundercloud: A/MF; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#28 Ian Greenwell: D; 6' 2"; Freshman

#18 Canton Lanham: FO; 5' 10"; Freshman

#81 Andrew Parker: MF; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#88 Jackson Ewald
: 5' 10"; Junior
: MF/DM

#4 Kyle Grant
: 6' 5"; Junior
: D

#13 Marcus Thundercloud
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: A/MF

#28 Ian Greenwell
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: D

#18 Canton Lanham
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: FO

#81 Andrew Parker
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MF