Genesee Earns National Tournament Bid

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GCC Men's Lacrosse Team

BATAVIA, NY (05/07/2012)(readMedia)-- For the second straight year the Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team has been selected to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament.

The Cougars, the number four seed, will travel to Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York and play Onondaga Community College, the tournament's number one seed and the nation's top-ranked team, on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.

Genesee finished the regular season with a 14-2 record, losing only at Onondaga Community College in their first game of the season and No. 3 Community College of Baltimore County-Essex on the road in April. The Cougars were 1-1 in the Region III playoffs, defeating Finger Lakes Community College 20-0 in the quarterfinals and falling to Monroe Community College 12-11 in the semifinals.

"We've had our best season in school history. We played everyone in the region and took games against some of the top teams in the country," said GCC Head Coach Dave Hoover. "We have a big challenge with Onondaga. They are undefeated but we are going to prepare as hard as we can to give them the best game we can," Hoover said.

Genesee will look to knock off the three-time defending National Champions with an attack that includes two preseason All-Americans and two of the top three scorers in the country. Sophomores Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) and Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) are second and third respectively in total points. Latimer has scored 66 goals and added 49 assists and Printup has scored 62 goals and assisted on 52 this season.

In their season-opening meeting on March 10th, Onondaga defeated Genesee 24-9. The nine goals however, were the most scored on the Lazers this season.

"When we played them even strength, we played them well," Hoover said. "We need to play a smart, disciplined game and stay out of the penalty box. We are looking forward to the challenge."

Nassau Community College and the Community College of Baltimore County-Essex represent the other NJCAA Final Four matchup, with the winner advancing to take on the winner of Genesee vs. Onondaga for the National Championship on Sunday, May 13th.

For further information and pictures go to Genesee's Athletic webpage, which is updated regularly with game results, team rosters, photographs and information about Genesee's overall athletic program. http://www.genesee.edu/athletics