BETHLEHEM, Pa. ­– Loyola University Maryland men's lacrosse was picked as the team to best in the Patriot League this season, Ryan McNulty was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and he was joined by five of his teammates on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
 
Loyola garnered 13 of the possible 16 first-place votes in the preseason poll for 125 points. The Greyhounds were followed by Army West Point, Lehigh, Navy and Boston University in the top-five, while Bucknell, Holy Cross, Colgate and Lafayette rounded out the rankings.
 
McNulty was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in as many seasons, and he did nothing during the shortened 2020 season to reduce that billing.
 
In Loyola's six games, he amassed 23 ground balls and a team-leading 11 caused turnovers while helping the Greyhounds defense rank seventh nationally in scoring defense (8.67 goals allowed per game).  Over the course of his career, the 2020 Inside Lacrosse Second-Team All-American has posted 145 ground balls, 51 caused turnovers, eight goals and six assists in 42 games.
 
He was one of six Greyhounds named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team where he was joined by attackers Kevin Lindley and Aidan Olmstead, midfielder Peter Swindell, defender Cam Wyers and short-stick defensive midfielder Matt Higgins.
 
Lindley led the Greyhounds with 19 goals last season, and early during the year he became the 11^th player in school history to score 100 career goals. With 116 in 40 games, Lindley ranks sixth all-time at Loyola.
 
Over the last three seasons, Olmstead has been one of the most multi-tooled attackers in the conference and nation as he has compiled 55 goals and 53 assists for 108 points in 38 career games. Last year, he had an even spread of his team-high 22 points with 11 goals and 11 assists.
 
Swindell has been key to the Greyhound's success since coming to Loyola in 2017, playing on offensive midfield units, wings of faceoffs and as a defensive midfielder. Last year, however, Swindell asserted himself as one of the top offensive middies in the game, posting nine goals and seven assists in six games, five of which were multi-point efforts.
 
Wyers continued to show that he is one of the top cover defenders around in his second season as a starter. He helped Loyola's defense rank seventh nationally in scoring defense, and he had five caused turnovers and five ground balls for Loyola.
 
Higgins has been a big part of the Loyola defense since 2017 as a short-stick, and his skills continued to shine as he was a top player at the position in 2020. Had seven ground balls, three caused turnovers and an assist in the six games last year. On the wings of faceoffs, he also helped Loyola win more than 68 percent of faceoffs.
 
The Greyhounds are slated to open their 2021 season on Saturday, February 13, when they head south to play at Richmond in a non-conference game.