SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's lacrosse team will start the 2024 season ranked in all three national preseason polls, while several student-athletes have been named to Preseason All-American lists.
 
After finishing the 2023 season nationally ranked in all three polls, Union was ranked 10th nationally in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll and also sits 12th in the preseason rankings of both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and Inside Lacrosse. Union has been nationally ranked in every poll since April 1, 2019, encompassing every week of the tenure of fifth-year head coach Derek Witheford '11. Only six Division III teams (Cabrini, Gettysburg, RIT, Salisbury, Tufts, York) have a longer current streak of consecutive national rankings than Union.
 
In addition to the team rankings, several Union players were recognized with preseason honors by the USILA, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.
 
Senior Matthew Paolatto earned preseason honors from all three organizations, earning second-team Preseason All-America honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine, third-team Preseason All-America honors from the USILA, and honorable mention recognition from Inside Lacrosse. He ranked seventh in Division III by winning 66.1 percent of his faceoffs last season and set a school single-season record with 166 ground balls to rank 19th in the country, and over the last two seasons as posted the top-two single-season faceoff percentages in program history. He earned USA Lacrosse Magazine third-team All-America honors and was a USILA All-America honorable mention a year ago.

Classmate Zach Davis also was recognized by all three outlets to begin the season, nabbing a USILA Preseason All-America second-team spot, a third-team nod from USA Lacrosse Magazine, and honorable mention recognition from Inside Lacrosse. As a junior, Davis led Union in scoring with 39 goals and 14 assists for 53 points while also ranking seventh on the team with 30 ground balls and causing nine turnovers to rank sixth. He was named to the USILA All-America second team and was a USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America honorable mention in 2023.
 
Fellow senior Dan Donahue was recognized as the first-team Preseason All-American goalie from USA Lacrosse Magazine and also earned a spot on the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American second-team. In his third season as a starter, he posted a 9.97 goals against average and .592 save percentage in 2023, ranking 18th in Division III in save percentage to go with his 11-7 record on the way to a second-straight USILA All-America honorable mention.

Another senior, Peter Kip, was named a preseason honorable mention for the second year in a row after earning the honor from both Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. As a junior, he tied for second on the team in scoring with 28 goals and a team-best 19 assists for 47 points in 2023.
 
Union will kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, February 24 when the team hosts #19/20 Babson College at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium. The 2024 slate features seven games against teams in the USILA preseason national poll and 10 games total (out of 15) against teams receiving votes in the first USILA poll of 2024.