Baltimore, Md. – Le Moyne College graduate student midfielder Ben McCreary (Cicero, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy-Syracuse) has been named USA Lacrosse Magazine's Division II Preseason Player of the Year, as released by the publication recently.

"Ben is everything Le Moyne lacrosse stands for," said head coach Dan Sheehan. "Hard-nosed, 100% all the time, a terrific teammate, awesome person."

McCreary receives the recognition after being named USA Lacrosse Magazine's Preseason Midfielder of the Year and to the publication's All-America First Team earlier in the week.

McCreary is coming off a senior season in which he was selected to the USILA All-America, USILA East Region and Northeast-10 Conference All-Conference First Teams. He recorded a career-best 28 points on a career-high 26 goals, including a pair of goals in the national championship game, and two assists over 14 games. After moving into the starting lineup for the NE10 semifinals, he tallied 12 goals over the team's final five games. The only Dolphin to score in every game played, he scored multiple goals in eight games, including a career-best three goals four times, three of which came in the postseason. He finished the season ranked fifth in the NE10 in goals scored.

He enters his final season with 52 career points on 45 goals and seven assists over 47 games in his four seasons as a Dolphin.

McCreary and the Dolphins, who return 43 letterwinners from last year's 15-0 national championship-winning squad, including 14 who started at least one game, while adding three transfers and 14 freshmen, are slated to open the 2022 season in mid-February.