Four Tewaaraton finalists return, there’s a sharpshooter with the keys to a Maryland repeat and a borderline 100-point scorer who has prognosticators giving Duke all sorts of No. 1 love.

Narrowing it down to four, however, US Lacrosse Magazine has named Trevor Baptiste (Denver), Connor Fields (Albany), Connor Kelly (Maryland) and Ben Reeves (Yale) as finalists for Warrior Division I Men’s Preseason Player of the Year.

We've named the four finalists for @warriorlax Division I Men's Preseason Player of the Year. Vote and read more https://t.co/tdeXOn7KCN

CC: @DU_MLAX @UAlbanyMLax @TerpsMLax @YaleLacrosse

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) January 2, 2018

The magazine’s staff will select a winner to be published in its February NCAA preview edition. Fans are encouraged to vote on Twitter, but the results will not determine the preseason player of the year.

Certainly you could make the case for Pat Spencer (Loyola) and/or Justin Guterding (Duke) in this mix. Throw in some dark horses on the defensive side of the field like Ben Randall (Ohio State) and a host of sophomore sensations like Michael Sowers (Princeton), Tre LeClaire (Ohio State), Jeff Teat (Cornell), Ethan Walker (Denver) and Jared Bernhardt (Maryland), and you soon get a sense of how the player of the year race will widen.

More on the finalists for Warrior Division I Men’s Preseason Player of the Year:

Trevor Baptiste
Denver

The career accolades are already hefty for Baptiste (74.4 percent, 178 ground balls in 2017), who owns a national title ring and three first-team All-American selections in his career. It’s not difficult to envision him going 4-for-4 so long as he can remain healthy. Could he become the first faceoff specialist to win the Tewaaraton?
— Patrick Stevens

Connor Fields
Albany

A Tewaaraton finalist as a junior despite being the unquestioned top option on Albany’s potent attack, Fields (55 goals, 62 assists) is back for one last run. He already ranks in the top four in school history in goals, assists and points, and figures to be even more dangerous with the return of Justin Reh and the addition of Tehoka Nanticoke.
— Patrick Stevens

Connor Kelly
Maryland

The monkey is off Maryland’s back. Where will the Terps turn next? It’s a pretty good bet they’ll look directly to Kelly, a senior and returning first-team All-American who keeps getting better. Coming off a season in which he led Maryland and all Division I midfielders with 46 goals, Kelly is one of just two current collegians on the 48-man U.S. training team. Baptiste is the other.
— Brian Logue

Ben Reeves
Yale

Reeves, a two-time Tewaaraton finalist, is a strong candidate for another year, and rightfully so. The senior attackman should lead the Yale offense and best his totals (42 goals, 37 assists) from last season, during which he missed a few games due to injury.
— Matt Hamilton