INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis has been picked to win the 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) championship in the sport of men’s lacrosse, the Conference office announced after a vote by the league’s seven head coaches.
UIndy received four first-place votes and 34 points, while Rockhurst University (1) and Lindenwood University (2) shared the remaining top picks with 30 and 29 points, respectively. Maryville University earned 19 points and selected fourth, with Lewis University right behind in fifth and 18 points. Newcomer Davenport University is slotted sixth in the poll with 11 points, while Quincy University received six points and finished seventh.
The Greyhounds enter the 2021 campaign as two-time defending GLVC champions, winning the 2018 and 2019 tournaments at their home in Key Stadium. Head coach Greg Stocks returns for his sixth season, bringing with him previous All-Conference selections Austin Barnett, Jack Belobrajdic, Drew Billig, Josh Jackson, Jordan McKenzie, and Brian Robb. The 2019 GLVC Coach of the Year, Stocks has a career record of 82-57 and a 43-23 mark since starting the program at UIndy in 2015. The Greyhounds will begin ranked No. 10 in the USILA national coaches poll.
The 2020 GLVC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, squashing UIndy's chances of claiming the league title for a third straight season.
Rockhurst head coach Kevin Kelley returns for his ninth season, leading the Hawks to double-digit wins in three of the past four seasons, with the team finishing 6-1 in 2020. All-GLVC Attacker Sam Lindahl leads the Hawks’ returnees, with middies Blake Bellinger and Sal Valdivia also back for their senior seasons. Rockhurst has been tabbed No. 16 in the preseason USILA poll.
Lindenwood, ranked No. 14 in the preseason national coaches poll, received the remaining two first-place votes. Head coach Jim Lange begins his eighth season in St. Charles, Mo., after guiding the Lions to a 5-0 start a year ago. The Lions won their lone GLVC contest in 2020, defeating Maryville, 18-9.
Reigning GLVC Freshman of the Year Jayden Fraser of Maryville returns for his junior campaign in 2021, as Scott Starks joins the head coaching ranks after previously spending four seasons as an assistant at Lindenwood.
The 2021 GLVC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament will feature the top four finishers in the league standings and will be held at Hunter Stadium on the campus of Lindenwood University from May 7-9. The semifinals will be played on Friday, May 7, and the Championship decided on Sunday, May 9.
The complete 2021 GLVC Men’s Lacrosse preseason Coaches Poll follows below.
2021 GLVC MEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (first-place votes) |
| 1. |
Indianapolis |
34 (4) |
| 2. |
Rockhurst |
30 (1) |
| 3. |
Lindenwood |
29 (2) |
| 4. |
Maryville |
19 |
| 5. |
Lewis |
18 |
| 6. |
Davenport |
11 |
| 7. |
Quincy |
6 |