Rice, Mullins Named to Preseason All-ACC Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Syracuse senior attackman Kevin Rice and redshirt junior defenseman Brandon Mullins were named to the 2015 Preseason All-ACC Men's Lacrosse Team in a vote by the league's five head coaches, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Monday, Dec. 15. Rice and Mullins both were All-ACC performers in 2014 and tabbed preseason first-team All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse last week.

Rice started all 16 games for the Orange last year and led the team in points (80), assists (44) and was second in goals scored (36). He tallied at least one point in every game and recorded six games of at least seven points. Rice enters 2015 seventh among active Division I players in career points per game (3.29).

Mullins started every game on close defense a year ago and collected 36 ground balls, while forcing 17 turnovers.

In addition to the preseason all-conference team, the ACC also released the results of its annual preseason coaches' poll Monday. Syracuse was picked to finish second, earning two first-place votes and 22 points. Notre Dame, last year's NCAA runner-up, garnered three first-place votes and 23 total points to edge the Orange as the conference preseason favorite. North Carolina (13 points) was third in the voting, followed by reigning national champion Duke (10 points) and Virginia (7 points).

All six ACC teams are ranked in the top 10 of Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 poll. Notre Dame (No. 2), Duke (No. 3) and Syracuse (No. 4) are all in the top five. North Carolina is sixth and Virginia is No. 10.

2015 ACC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
1. Notre Dame (3 first-place votes, 23 points)
2. Syracuse (2 first-place votes, 22 points)
3. North Carolina (13 points)
4. Duke (10 points)
5. Virginia (7 points)

2015 Preseason All-ACC Team
Attack
Matt Kavanagh, Jr., Notre Dame
Kevin Rice, Sr., Syracuse
Joey Sankey, Sr., North Carolina

Midfield
Deemer Class, Jr., Duke
Myles Jones, Jr., Duke
Chad Tutton, Sr., North Carolina

Defense
Brandon Mullins, R-Jr., D, Syracuse
Austin Pifani, So., D, North Carolina
Tanner Scales, Jr., D, Virginia

Goalie
Kieran Burke, Jr., North Carolina

Faceoff Specialist
Stephen Kelly, So., North Carolina

LSM
Ryan Kilpatrick, Sr., North Carolina

SSM
Will Haus, Sr., Duke

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brandon Mullins

Kevin Rice

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