MEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE: Bears to make history by facing Tampa on Saturday

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Lenoir-Rhyne University’s first men’s lacrosse postseason match is Saturday at 2 p.m.. at home against Tampa. PHOTO COURTESY OR LRU SPORTS INFORMATION

HICKORY – The Bears are a few hours removed from a history-making day for the Lenoir-Rhyne University men’s lacrosse program.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., LRU (12-2) will play in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time. The opponent is Tampa (14-4) at Moretz Stadium.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for students and ages 12 and under and senior citizens get in free.

The Bears, ranked No. 7 in the nation, are the No. 2 seed in the South Region while the eighth-ranked Spartans are seeded third.

Saturday’s winner will face the winner of No. 9 Wingate (13-3) and top-ranked Limestone (18-1) in the national semifinals. They meet in Gaffney, S.C., at noon on Saturday.

The semifinals are scheduled May 21 and the national title match is May 28 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., at 2 p.m.

LRU, a two-time defending South Atlantic Conference (SAC) regular season champion, has a 12-match win streak. They are led by senior attacker Mike Hanlon of Haymarket, Va., and freshman midfielder Eric Dickinson of Charlotte.

Hanlon is the 2017 SAC Player of the Year and the Bears’ all-time leading scorer with 193 points while Dickinson set the school single-season record for goals scored (49). Both Hanlon and Dickinson are tied for second in the league in points scored with 66.

Tampa is no stranger to the playoffs and advanced to the national semifinals in 2014 and 2016. This year, the Spartans are led by Andrew Kew of Oakville, Ontario and Conor Whipple of Tampa, Fla.

Kew has set an NCAA Division II single-season record with 81 goals while Whipple is the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. Whipple has 35 goals, 56 assists and 91 points for the Spartans, this year’s league regular season and conference tournament champions.

The Spartans lead the all-time series with the Bears 2-0 with victories in both 2012 (11-10) and 2013 (13-11).

  • Reported by LRU Sports Information

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