WATERBURY, Conn. -- As Post University Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Pat Yannarelli enters his first season at the helm of the Eagles, the expectations are set high for his team who gets their 2024 season underway this weekend in a neutral site game against Wheeling University in Sparks, Maryland. In this morning's CACC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Post was slated to finish fourth in the conference, up a spot from a year ago, as announced by the league office. 

The Eagles are coming off their first winning season in program history at 10-6 and first season with an above .500 record in conference play at 5-2. They would advance to the CACC Semfinals against top-seeded Georgian Court University before faltering late and dropping the matchup, 16-14, which ended their season having advanced father than ever before in program history in the CACC Tournament. 

Heading into 2024, the new-look Eagles see Pat Yannarelli take over their program as he comes from Lourdes University in Toledo, Ohio after nine seasons with the Gray Wolves where he was named the 2016 NAIA national Coach of the Year and led the team to an 80-50 record. Yannarelli replaces John Jez who left earlier in the year to lead the Men's Lacrosse program at Embry-Riddle University in Florida.

After having a 36-man roster last season, Yannarelli's squad will feature 25 players who are mostly returners from the 2023 team outside of three incoming freshman in Nick Gallery, Mike Keane, and Rob Terelli. All three come from New York with Gallery and Terelli both hailing from Ossining while Keane comes from Somers. 

The offense, which scored a program record 237 goals last season, will be returning most of their goal scorers from a season ago outside of Braden Lockyer who led the team with 47 goals and joined the 100 Point Club last season before transferring to Seton Hill University this year. 

However, fellow 100 Point Club member and Post University's all-time point leader in Dylan Heald is back after his 43-goal, 24-assist season last year along with Robbie McGrayne who was the third 40-goal scorer on the Eagles last season. 20-goal scorers Tim Keefe and Leighton Cooke are back as well with Hayden Hindman (19 goals) and Ryan Denike (15 goals) also entering the mix for another year. 

In the faceoff circle, sophomore Jaxon Holden will be back after leading the team with 80 ground balls and having a 46.6 faceoff percentage (171-for-367). All those marks were new single-season records for the program and put him on the brink of setting the all-time record for most career faceoff wins and in prime position to set the program record for faceoff percentage when his career at Post is all set and done. 

On defense, the Eagles will have a veteran group of guys with six combined seniors and juniors returning in Reid Hannan, Nolan Carfagna, Malcolm Nordquist, Nate Dowd, and Cam Beckett. Sophomore Anthony Esposito is back as well and the one new defensive addition comes in Gallery. As a team, Post allowed 177 goals and only 29 man-up goals while forcing 340 turnovers compared to only 282 team turnovers. 

The 2024 season gets underway on Saturday at 4:00 PM against Wheeling University in Sparks, Maryland. Post's first home game comes on Saturday, March 9th against St. Thomas Aquinas College at 2:00 PM on LaMoy Field.