The Denver Pioneers will look to win the ECAC Lacrosse Conference for a third year in a row when they begin the 2012 season on Feb. 19. The team won the regular season title in 2010, its first year in the league, and then took the regular season title and the conference tournament in 2012. The team made it all the way to the Final Four before a loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the semifinals.
The ECAC coaches believe the Pioneers, who went 15-3 (6-0 ECAC), will defend their title successfully this season. They received seven of eight-first place votes to finish as the No. 1 team in the preseason poll.
The Pioneers dominated the preseason awards. Attacker Mark Matthews, midfielder Cam Flint and Chase Carraro and goalkeeper Jamie Faus made the All-ECAC Preseason Team. Carraro also made it as the specialist, as he is one of the top faceoff guys in the nation.
Matthews was selected as the preseason offensive player of the year; Faus the preseason defensive player of the year; Wes Berg, a freshman attacker, as preseason rookie of the year; and Carraro as the preseason specialist of the year.
The Pioneers start the season this Sunday against Ohio State. The game will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network at 12:00 p.m. MT.
| Rank | Team | Points | 2011 |
| 1 | Denver (7) | 61 | 1 |
| 2 | Loyola | 54 | 2 |
| 3 | Fairfield | 46 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State (1) | 45 | 4 |
| 5 | Air Force | 29 | 5 |
| 6 | Hobart | 27 | 6 |
| 7 | Bellarmine | 18 | 7 |
| 8 | Michigan | 8 | N/A |
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