Titans fourth in PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Land five on league's players to watch list

2/4/2026 2:55:00 PM

TRAFFORD, Pa.--The Westminster College men's lacrosse program was picked fourth in this year's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Wednesday along with the league's annual Players to Watch List.

The preseason coaches' poll was voted on by the PAC's 10 head coaches. Led by fourth-year head coach Anthony Accardi, Westminster totaled 58 points in the poll.

Grove City earned nine of 10 first-place votes and 81 total points to claim the poll's top spot. The Wolverines won their sixth-straight PAC title in 2025. Chatham was second with the final first-place vote and 70 points followed by Saint Vincent in third with 67 points and Westminster in fourth. Allegheny was fifth (46), Franciscan was sixth (44), Washington & Jefferson was seventh (30), Bethany was eighth (24), Hiram was ninth (18) and Thiel was tenth (12).

In 2025, Westminster entered the PAC Championship Tournament as the No. 4 seed and fell to top-seeded Grove City 26-7 in the semifinals, finishing the season 10-9 overall and 5-3 in the PAC. It was the program's sixth-straight year advancing to the league's four-team championship tournament and third-straight year winning 10 games.

This year's Players to Watch List features 20 returning All-PAC selections, including four who were First Team picks a year ago.

Senior Jahiem Hawkins (Huntington Station, N.Y., Huntington), junior Anthony Trella (Coraopolis, Pa., Moon) and sophomores Tanner Crosby (Park City, Utah, Park City), Ethan Kurtz (Hummelstown, Pa., Lower Dauphin) and Jack Poller (Huntington, N.Y., Harborfields) were also recognized.

A three-time All-PAC selection, Hawkins recorded a team-best 36 caused turnovers and ranked third in the PAC in caused turnovers per game (1.89) in 19 games played. A short-stick defensive midfielder, he added 60 ground balls, on goal and six assists. Hawkins had a career-high eight ground balls and three caused turnovers in a win over Hiram on March 1. He earned PAC weekly honors twice last season (Specialist Feb. 24, Defensive April 14).

Trella, a midfielder, was named an All-PAC selection for the first time in his career last May (Honorable Mention). He totaled seven goals and 32 assists with 19 starts. He ranked sixth in the PAC in assists per game (1.68). Trella added 18 ground balls and four caused turnovers. He had a career-high five assists in a win over Muskingum on March 5.

A defender, Crosby was named a 2025 Honorable Mention All-PAC selection. He totaled 20 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls and he made starts in 18-of-19 games played. Crosby caused a career-high four turnovers in a win over Thiel on April 19 and had a career-high five ground balls in a win over Allegheny on April 26.

Kurtz, an attacker, was named the 2025 PAC Newcomer of the Year. He started all 19 games and totaled 49 goals and 17 assists with seven man-up goals and five game-winners. He added 12 ground balls and two caused turnovers. Kurtz's 2.58 goals per game ranked in the top ten in the PAC. The three-time PAC Newcomer of the Week recorded a hat trick eight times in his first year as a Titan.

Poller, a long-stick midfielder, made appearances in 18 games last season. He totaled one assist and added seven caused turnovers and 21 ground balls. Poller recorded a career-high four ground balls in a win at Bethany on April 2.

The men are scheduled to play a full nine-game round robin conference schedule in 2026. The league moves to a six-team championship tournament with the top two seeds getting byes this year for the first time. The Tournament opens Saturday, April 25 with the quarterfinals with the semifinals slated for Wednesday, April 29th and the championship game set for Saturday, May 2. The winner of the PAC Championship Tournament will receive the league's automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship.

Westminster opens its season Saturday, Feb. 14 in Latrobe against PAC rival Saint Vincent (9-8, 6-2 PAC in 2025). The opening faceoff from UPMC Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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