ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT men's lacrosse team is ranked third in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike 2016 Pre-Season Coaches Poll. The Tigers, advanced to the NCAA national semifinals for third straight season, lost to two-time national Tufts, finishing 2015 with a program-record 21-1 record wins. RIT won its fourth straight Liberty League Tournament title, sixth straight conference title, and made its 17th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Seventh year head coach Jake Coon, the 2013 Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLA) Coach of the Year, returns a wealth of talent in 2016, including Division III Attackman of the Year, Ryan Lee (Sharon, Ontario/The Hill Academy) and Long-Stick Midfielder and Division III Player of the Year, Matt Hossack (Port Perry, Ontario/Port Perry).

Lee, the 2015 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year, led the team in scoring with 98 points on 60 goals and 38 assists. The Lt. Col. J.L. (Jack) Turnbull Award winner for the most outstanding attackman in Division III, Lee tallied a season high eight points on five goals and three assists versus Stevenson to open the season. He has scored at least one point in 40 of 41 career games, and currently sits 14th all time at RIT in scoring with 172 points on 107 goals and 65 assists. Lee's 60 goals in 2015 were the sixth most in a season at RIT, while his 98 points were second best in a season.

Hossack, the Iroquois Nationals Award for Division III's Outstanding Player of the Year, 2015 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-American and Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year started all 22 games in 2015. He led the team with 52 caused turnovers and 122 ground balls. He chipped in offensively, finishing eighth on the team in scoring with 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists. Hossack tallied six goals, grabbed seven ground balls, caused three turnovers and won 8-of-13 face-offs in the 2015 Liberty League title game versus Union, earning Tournament MVP honors.
 
RIT kicks off the season on Saturday, Feb. 27 with a game at Stevenson University. RIT will play two games at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University, versus SUNY Cortland on March 9, and Middlebury on March 30. The Tigers home opener is Saturday, March 5 when they face Montclair State. In all, RIT faces nine teams ranked in the pre-season coaches poll, including top-10 selections No. 2 Lynchburg, No. 7 Stevenson, No. 8 SUNY Cortland, No. 9 Middlebury, and No. 10 Stevenson.