2005 CCLA Division B Preseason Poll

[Sonny]

B Division:
1. Calvin College (9)
2. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
3. Grove City College
4. Taylor University
5. Grand Valley State University
6. Hope College
7. Ferris State University
8. U of M - Dearborn
9. Ball State University

[brick15]

Do you guys really think calvin is going to be that dominant over the rest of division B in the ccla this year?

[defense_wins_championship]

No. While Calvin still has most off their talent from last year they lost their goalie who was unbeleivable. If they had him back it would be a differrent story. They are still a very good team but I would say that they will have some closer games, especially after the expansion of the league.

[gcclax33]

I think that the CCLA B Division is going to be extremely competitive. All 3 teams in the top 20 have a legitimate shot at the conference title, but I would certainly give the edge to Calvin.

Indiana U of PA has always had a great set of attackmen. They possess the ball and can play great 1 on 1 offense. They play physical on defense, but don't play team defense that well. I would expect them to give Calvin a game, but I would expect Calvin's midfield to be the difference-maker that allows them to handle IUP. I've only heard about them from word of mouth, but I hear Calvin has midfielders who can put the ball in the net - something that I'm not sure IUP has.

As for Grove City, we feel like we have the deepest team we've ever had here. We returned all of our defenders and all of our starting attack, including our leading scorer from the past two seasons (who is only a junior). I'm too biased to say how we'll fare against brand new CCLA competition, but I will say that I feel our preseason ranking is not undeserved based on our talent-level.

Does anyone have anything to say about Taylor, Grand Valley St., Hope, or any other contenders in the conference? Obviously, we're unfamiliar, and will be studying the stats sheets rather closely.

[champlaxer]

Calvin: Midfield has a strong veteran core with a first team all-american to lead them. The Defense is experienced and has enough depth to keep their legs as fresh as they need to be. The attack is very fast and also developed more depth this year with some very promising freshman from the east coast. The goalie situation has been taken care of... at least that's the word on the street.

Hope: Average team, could be a contender. Lost a few key seniors.

Taylor: An extremely roller coaster team. They play up, they play down... they can run with the big teams, they can't run with the big teams. Never underestimate them.

Grand Valley: Usually not conditioned enough to play a full game. These guys could be good if they practice hard, but they don't. They get lazy and frankly their heart doesn't seem in it.

Ball State: This team is a bit of a mystery.

[naptownlax]

how do things look this year between iup and gcc?...i know that they've had some close ones over the past couple years and they're both gettin guys back again this year, but don't know what the freshmen situation is like. from what i know of those two teams it definitely sounds like they won't have too much of a problem with most of the teams. i think the picture will be a bit clearer even after the first week of the season to just see how the new teams do. but it seems at this point that those games btwn gcc, iup and calvin are going to be the big ones to watch.

[brick15]

IUP is looking forward to having a solid team this year. We have 2 out of our 3 attack back this year and they are looking to dominate with 2 freshman attack looking to fill the third spot. Overall our offense has improved since last year. we have a large crop of freshman in this year with a lot of talent. On our defensive side we are definantly improved from last year. we have 4 defensemen back as well as some real solid freshman defensemen. this year we are focusing a lot more on team defense and it seems to be working so far from what ive seen in practice. along with many new players this year we have a coach for the first time, which is definantly helping us out with playing as a team instead of individuals. along with our regular coach we also have a conditioning coach that is keeping us in shape so we are strong all four quarters. we are hoping to have a real solid season and are real happy to be in the ccla.

[gcclax33]

Naptown,

Your specific question referred to the freshmen situation at both of our schools. I can answer it in two ways, first by telling you about the players who can step right in, and then talk about how a small school like ours develops talent.

We have a pretty strong freshmen class this year. We picked up two experienced midfielders who will vie for 2nd line time. They both played attack all four years in high school, but because of a logjam there for the next couple of years, we're going to develop them as middies.

Additionally, we just got a transfer student who played 1 year of lacrosse in high school, but has a ton of athletic ability. He was recruited to play football here at Grove City, and will be balancing both during the season. We're looking to use him as a short stick defensive middie, and he'll be very effective in that role.

To be honest, those three freshmen are the three that will contribute to our success right away, which is plenty because we are specifically lacking depth at midfield, but not necessarily any particular position in our starting lineup.

The second part of the answer is that at a school like Grove City, a tiny school in the middle of Pittsburgh and Erie, we have to develop athletes into lacrosse players. Right now, we are developing a defenseman who lettered in three sports in high school, but decided against playing football and baseball in College - and we think he can be a stud even by the end of the year. We have a soccer player, who quit after his freshman year, who was a star, and will be by far the fastest player on our team. We picked up a cross-country/track runner who decided to not to run in the spring and play lacrosse instead. These are just a few examples...

So you see we have some freshmen who are ready to step in, and some who are being developed for the future. That's our lot as a small school, and the only way we can compete with a school that's a little bigger like IUP.

[laxfan25]

While good for discussions, ranking the CCLA B teams before the season is a total crapshoot. I personally think that Ferris State will be much improved this year. Hope College, as a newbie, should be further down the list from what I've seen lately. Having a coach, and a good one, will certainly help them tho.
Calvin College, while having an impressive roster and good coaching, is going to be walking around with a big target on their back all season...
It'll all be fun - and why we play the games!!