Bulldogs finish season with #19 ranking

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's lacrosse team, after posting its most impressive season to date, earns the No. 19 ranking in the final 2012 Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, as announced Tuesday.

The Bulldogs finished with a 14-4 overall record, including an unblemished 7-0 mark at home and 4-1 mark within the Northeast Conference, winning the NEC Tournament Championship for the first time in 2012. Bryant, which has garnered national respect all season long in both major Division I polls, is the only NEC squad to earn a national ranking in the year-end list and is one of just four regional teams to make national cut, joining NCAA tournament qualifiers No. 10 UMass and No. 12 Yale as well as No. 17 Fairfield.

The Bulldogs return in 2013 with an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament on the line, as the Northeast Conference tournament victor will earn the league's first berth into the national playoff.