ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team has been selected to finish ninth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, the SAC office announced Friday.

The Pioneers have six Preseason Players to Watch for the 2026 season: junior attacker Luke Bowen, junior midfielders Ben Royer and Tysen Fontenla, junior defender Aiden Paczek, junior faceoff specialist Jayden Rios and sophomore defender Aiden Lyman.

Tusculum finished 5-11 overall and went 1-9 in the SAC last season, but returns 96.1 percent of its scoring offense and 14 players who started at least one game for head coach Mike Brisbin, who begins his third season on the sidelines for the Pioneers.

Bowen (Edmonton, Alta.) was the team Most Valuable Player in 2025 in debut season after setting program single-season records for assists (45) and points (75) while adding 30 goals. Bowen was third in the SAC and 13th in Division II with 4.56 points per game, and third in the SAC and fifth in Division II with 2.69 assists per game.

Royer (Edmonton, Alta.) was second on the team in goals (31), assists (36) and points (67) and ranked fifth in the SAC and 16th in Division II with 2.06 assists per game. Royer ranked ninth in the conference with 3.94 points per game, and in two seasons at Tusculum has 35 goals and 43 assists for 78 points in 19 games.

Fontenla (Nanaimo, B.C.) led the Pioeners with 34 goals last season, of which a team-high seven goals came with the man advantage. Fontenla also had 31 ground balls and scored at least one goal in 15 of the Pioneers' 16 matches, with seven games of three goals or more.

Paczek (Ottawa, Ont.) started all 16 matches for the Pioneers and was third on the team with 17 caused turnovers, to go along with 34 ground balls. Paczek has played 27 matches in his Tusculum career, collecting 40 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers along with a goal and three assists.

Rios (Stony Point, N.Y.) was first-team All-CACC last season at Felician after ranking second in Division II with 10.23 ground balls per game. Rios had a .638 faceoff winning percentage to rank 15th in Division II, winning 166 faceoffs and picking up 133 ground balls while scoring 20 goals with 10 assists. In two seasons at Felician, Rios won 328 faceoffs and had 255 ground balls along with 44 goals.

Lyman (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) started nine matches and played in all 15 games for the Pioneers, collecting 26 ground balls and registering six caused turnovers.

Wingate had seven first-place votes to take the top spot in the preseason poll, followed by Anderson in second with two first-place votes and Lenoir-Rhyne in third with the other first-place vote. Newberry is ranked fourth, followed by Catawba in fifth and Coker in sixth place. Mars Hill is ranked seventh, with Lincoln Memorial, Tusculum and Emory & Henry rounding out the poll.

The Pioneers are scheduled to host Emmanuel in their season opener on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Field.

2026 SAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank              School (first place votes)            Points

1.                    Wingate (7)                                   104

2.                    Anderson (2)                                  97

3.                    Lenoir-Rhyne (1)                            96

4.                    Newberry                                       87

5.                    Catawba                                        76

6.                    Coker                                            65

7.                    Mars Hill                                        59

8.                    Lincoln Memorial                            56

9.                    Tusculum                                      44

10.                  Emory & Henry                               36

2026 SAC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Players to Watch

Anderson: Radyn Badraun, Ryan Bitterman, Brayden Bushnoe, Aiden Dixon, Garrett Krsul, Adin Laughlin
Catawba: Owen Conway, Steven Hernandez, Kier McKnight, Tanner Stout, Garrett Simi, Peyton Turner
Coker: Lennon Connolly, Michael Jensen, Brandon Calidonio, Ryan Forehand, Kaleb Hiltz, Elijah Utz
Emory & Henry: David Mewes, Jackson Jones, Gavin Starling, Brayden Hall, Jacob Mills, Noah Parrish
Lenoir-Rhyne: Donovan Powell, Morgan Madish, Matt Mancini, Jarrett Huff, Zack Salo, Parks Painter
Lincoln Memorial: Jenson Jones, Koen Burdette, Beckett O'Shea, Dominico Moscato, Connor Blondin, Lucas Weaver
Mars Hill: Sam Arendt, Jake Lynch, AJ Howland, Lukas Kight
Newberry: Brian Lake, Liam Vollans, Jaiden Terry, Ryan Morrison, Gage Vigar, Scott Williams
Tusculum: Luke Bowen, Tysen Fontenla, Aiden Lyman, Aiden Paczek, Jayden Rios, Ben Royer
Wingate: Kyle Spence, Joey Moran, Jaxon Grant, Graham Tillett, Quad Williams, Sam Goss