SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Two-time defending champion Western New England University has been selected as the favorite to win the 2014 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's lacrosse championship after receiving seven first place votes and a total of 79 points in the CCC preseason coaches' poll. Endicott College, the 2013 runner-up, placed second after earning the other two first place votes and a total of 74 points. Roger Williams University claimed third with 63 points, while the University of New England was slated fourth after receiving 52 points to round out the top four. Wentworth Institute of Technology received 44 points, which puts the Leopards fifth.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's nine head men's lacrosse coaches.

The No. 1 and No. 2 selections in the 2014 preseason poll faced off for the CCC title a season ago. The Golden Bears used a strong second half to upend the top-seeded Gulls 9-5 to capture the 2013 championship. The 2013 title was Western New England's fourth CCC crown since joining the conference in 2008.

The Golden Bears went on to make their seventh appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament after earning the CCC's automatic bid. Western New England earned a 16-10 victory as they played host to Eastern Connecticut State in the first round. The Golden Bears then recorded a 15-12 comeback victory to upset nationally ranked Nazareth on the road in the second round. WNE ended its tournament run in the quarterfinals with a 12-7 loss to top-ranked Cortland.

Coming off its finest season in program history, the Wentworth Institute of Technology (11-7, 3-5 CCC) men's lacrosse team looks to continue its success from a season ago and make a run for the CCC title. Third-year head coach Dan Russo will return his top eight scorers and an All-CCC goalie from a team that advanced to the finals of the ECAC tournament in 2013. The Leopards will rely on experience and depth to carry them through the 2014 season. On attack, Ryan Coakley, Steve Glover, and Nick Parent return after combining to score 175 points a year ago. Coakley, who was an All-CCC selection a season ago, led the way with 73 points (26 G, 47 A), with Glover's 69 (55 G, 15 A) and Parent's 33 (26 G, seven A) helping the offense.

Midfielder Michael Cushera tallied 44 points (27 G, 17 A) as a sophomore, en route to being named All-CCC and he will be joined by Chris Kipp, who had 32 points last season, and Dillon Lynch, who had 27 points. At the faceoff X, Tim Parlato, an All-CCC selection a season ago, returns after picking up a school-record 131 ground balls, causing 21 turnovers, and winning 137 face-offs. Parlato also scored 20 points. Among those returning on defense are Michael Rottler, James Caldwell, and Bryan Barker. All-CCC goalie Jared Proulx returns after posting a 7.72 goals against average and a .624 save percentage last season.

All nine CCC men's lacrosse teams will kick off their quest for the 2014 conference title within the next two weeks. The top six teams in the regular-season conference standings will qualify for the conference tournament, which will begin on Saturday, April 26 with first round action between seeds 3-6. The top two seeds will then host semifinal games on Wednesday, April 30 and the championship game will be held on Saturday, May 3 at the highest remaining seed.

Wentworth opens its season on Wednesday, February 26, with a home game against Becker at 7:00 p.m.

2014 CCC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll

(Portions of this release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference office)