Michael Mann runs up field with the ball.

Men's Lacrosse 5/7/2023 10:29:00 PM Alan Babbitt

Men's Lacrosse Headed to Virginia for NCAA Division III Championships

Junior Michael Mann, pictured

The Hope College men's lacrosse team will open the NCAA Division III Tournament with a second-round game in Newport News, Virginia, this weekend.

The MIAA Tournament champion Flying Dutchmen will face fourth-ranked host Christopher Newport University on Friday, May 12, at a time to be announced.

Christopher Newport also is hosting a second-round game between Scranton University (Pa.) and Gettysburg College (Pa.). Friday's winners will meet in a third-round game on Saturday, May 13.

Led by head coach Michael Schanhals, Hope (13-5 overall) is making its third trip to the NCAA Championships and the third appearance in five years.

The Flying Dutchmen earned the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's berth after winning at top-seeded Albion College, 23-14, in the MIAA Tournament title game on May 6.

Hope avenged a 21-12 regular-season loss at Albion on April 12 and was seeded second for the MIAA Tournament.

This is Hope's first meeting against Christopher Newport (16-2), which received an at-large berth. The Captains lost in the championship game of the Coastal Lacrosse Conference to second-ranked Salisbury University (Md.), 9-4, on Sunday.

The NCAA Championships have a 38-team field. There are 28 automatic berths and 10 at-large ones.

All-time, Hope is 1-2 in NCAA postseason play.

In 2021, the Flying Dutchmen made their deepest run in the NCAA Championships after defeating Benedictine University (Ill.), 22-17, in the first round, and losing to host Illinois Wesleyan University, 18-14, in the second round.

In 2019, Hope made its first postseason appearance and lost to John Carroll University (Ohio), 7-6 in overtime, in Rochester, N.Y.

The Flying Dutchmen are on a seven-game winning streak that started with a 19-2 victory at MIAA rival Trine University on April 15. Two of those victories came in last week's MIAA Tournament, beginning with a 16-7 home semifinal victory against third-seeded Adrian College on May 3.

Head coach Michael Schanhals owns a career NCAA record of 112-51 in 11 seasons with the Flying Dutchmen. He recorded his 100th career NCAA victory on March 1 when Hope defeated Aurora University (Ill.), 9-6, on Hope's home turf. Schanhals has a long association with the Flying Dutchmen program, first as a student-athlete, then as coach of the college's club team from 2000 to 2012, and now as head coach of Hope's NCAA program since 2013.

The Flying Dutchmen have a model of success under the guidance of Schanhals, recording winning records in nine of 11 seasons, including the past seven in a row, and posting double-digit wins in six of the past seven. The lone recent season Hope did not reach the 10-win streak was in 2020, when the Flying Dutchmen started 3-0 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. Hope won a program-best 15 games in 2021.

Eight Flying Dutchmen earned All-MIAA honors this season, including four who were first-team honorees: midfielder David Brace, attacker Michael Mann, defender Tucker Martinez and long pole Luke Wierengo. Four made the second team, all for the first time: face-off mid Caden Brainard, defender John Foster, midfielder Alex Goodall and short pole Marco Mularoni.

Junior Michael Mann leads the Flying Dutchmen with a career-high 57 goals and 82 points. The public accounting and business major also has collected 25 assists. Mann ranks third all-time in Hope single-season history in goals, trailing only Gunnar Elder's 64 in 2016 and Luke Elder's 51 in 2021. Mann has scored at least one goal in every game this season.

Senior Colin Stecco tops the Flying Dutchmen with 42 assists in his first season on the team. The business major needs two more assists to rank in the Top 10 all-time in Hope history. Stecco ranks second all-time in single-season assists, trailing only Jack Radzville's 48 in 2021. Stecco also has scored 29 goals this season and ranks second with 71 points. This winter, the East Grand Rapids, Michigan, native, helped the Flying Dutchmen American Collegiate Hockey Association team finish as national runner-up and reach the Division III national title game for the third consecutive season. Hope was ACHA national champion in 2022 and 2021.

The Flying Dutchmen have two more players with at least 20 goals. Sophomore business major David Brace has totaled a career-high 30. Senior civil engineering major Alex Goodall has a career-best 23 games despite being limited to 11 games due to injury.

Senior goalie John Shea is challenging for the Flying Dutchmen's single-season goals-against average with a 10.15 GAA heading into the NCAA Championships. The business major and first-time starter owns a .493 save percentage in 898 minutes of action this season. With 148 saves, Shea ranks third all-time at Hope for a single season, trailing only Nick Schanahls, who made 183 in 2019, and Ian Bosman, who had 153 in 2022.

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