Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/18/19
From Press Release
Penn State men’s lacrosse is ranked first in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 and is second in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Top 20, both of which were released on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions top the US Lacrosse poll and are followed by Virginia, Yale, Maryland, and Duke in the top five. Five of the six Big Ten teams are ranked in the poll as Johns Hopkins (8), Ohio State (13), and Rutgers (16) join Penn State and Maryland. Michigan is listed as “also considered.”
In the Inside Lacrosse poll, Penn State is behind defending national champion Virginia and one spot ahead of 2018 national champion Yale. Maryland and Penn round out the top five. Other Big Ten teams listed in the poll include No. 9 Ohio State and No. 13 Johns Hopkins.
Penn State debuts near the top of both polls after an outstanding season in 2019. The Nittany Lions went 16-2, won the Big Ten regular season title, won the Big Ten Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history.
The Lions lost two All-Americans to graduation, but return seven, including Tewaaraton finalist and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Grant Ament, and the NCAA’s top goal scorer, Mac O’Keefe. Other All-Americans that are back include Gerard Arceri (FO), Jack Kelly (M), Colby Kneese (G), Tommy Wright (LSM), and Nick Cardile (D).
Penn State opens the 2020 season with a home game against Lafayette on Saturday Feb. 1, at noon.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20
- Penn State
- Virginia
- Yale
- Maryland
- Duke
- Notre Dame
- Syracuse
- Johns Hopkins
- Denver
- Penn
- North Carolina
- Cornell
- Ohio State
- UMass
- Loyola
- Rutgers
- Villanova
- Lehigh
- Towson
- Army
Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Top 20
1 Virginia
2 Penn State
3 Yale
4 Maryland
5 Penn
6 Duke
7 Notre Dame
8 Syracuse
9 Ohio State
10 Denver
11 North Carolina
12 Cornell
13 Johns Hopkins
14 Loyola
15 Army
16 Georgetown
17 High Point
18 Towson
19 UMass
20 Lehigh
