Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/25/08
Defending Division II National champion West Chester is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll by Lacrosse Magazine while Division I runner-up Penn is ranked sixth.
West Chester is followed in the rankings by C.W. Post and Adelphi. In Division I, Penn is ranked behind four-time defending champion Northwestern, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and Princeton.
The Rams are led by coach Ginny Martino, who recently was named the FieldTurf Division II Coach of the Year for the second straight year. Now entering her 11th season on the sidelines, Martino led the Rams to a 20-1 season, finishing the year with 20 straight wins and her second national crown.
In Division III, Franklin & Marshall – featuring Player of the Year selection Jen Pritchard (Penncrest) – is ranked No. 1 behind Hamilton. The Diplomats were the 2007 champions.
For the men, Virginia is the preseason choice for No. 1, followed by defending champion Syracuse, Maryland, Johns Hopkins and Syracuse.
In Division III, Cabrini is No. 3 behind two-time defending champion Salisbury and Gettysburg. Haverford College is ranked No. 10.
