Lenoir-Rhyne is No. 1 in USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Preseason Top 20

Fresh off a Division II national championship, Lenoir-Rhyne enters the new season where it ended the last. The Bears are No. 1 in the USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Preseason Top 20, announced Tuesday by USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Preseason Top 20 is put together by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors with input from coaches around the country.

Continue below to see the full Top 20, and read further for a breakdown on each team.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II MEN’S
PRESEASON TOP 20

1. Lenoir-Rhyne
2. Adelphi
3. Limestone
4. Wingate
5. Rollins
6. Tampa
7. Mercyhurst
8. Saint Anselm
9. Mercy
10. UIndy
11. Florida Southern
12. Bentley
13. Colorado Mesa
14. Pace
15. Seton Hill
16. Frostburg State
17. Newberry
18. Barton
19. Lewis
20. Belmont Abbey

Also considered (alphabetical order): Anderson, Chestnut Hill, Rockhurst

TOP 20 BREAKDOWNS

1. Lenoir Rhyne

Lenoir-Rhyne has plenty of roster turnover to deal with, but in the end, the kings stay the kings. 

2. Adelphi

The last team standing among the NE-10’s three giants in Division II, the Panthers are talented and aggressive all over the field. NE-10 coaches actually pegged the Panthers as the No. 3 team in the preseason coaches poll, but it was a tight race at the top with Saint Anselm and Bentley.

3. Limestone

The Saints proved their haters wrong last season by rattling off two six-game winning streaks before falling to eventual Division II champion Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA semifinals. 

4. Wingate

The Bulldogs are looking to run it back with Willie Grieco, but they will want to adjust the ending of their season to a more positive one. 

5. Rollins

Rollins climbed the ranks a year ago with impressive wins in Florida. Shahe Katchadurian, Mikey Berkman and Grant Hansen will try to lead them on a deep tournament run in 2024.  

6. Tampa

Tampa’s offense will have some new faces this year after Harry Kilkowski and Daniel Fitzpatrick graduated. Penn State transfer Canyon Birch could have a larger role, and Owen Miller will be a focal point. Matthew Beddow returns as one of the top defenders in the nation. 

7. Mercyhurst

Graduation hit this team hard, but there is still quality talent at multiple key positions. The defensive talent, in the midfield in particular, is excellent. Ethan Landymore will be a leader on the offense. 

8. Saint Anselm

The Hawks have one less rival gone with Le Moyne’s ascension to the Division I ranks, and they also bring back defensive player of the year Ryan Slattery with a host of their top scorers.   

9. Mercy

The Mavericks followed their appearance in the 2022 NCAA title game with a 14-4 season during which they went punch for punch against Saint Anselm in the tournament but fell a goal short.   

10. UIndy

Now an established Top 20 team, how will the Greyhounds respond to the loss of talismanic players Drew Billig on offense and Kyle Basch on defense? 

11. Florida Southern

The Mocs ran off an eight-game winning streak in 2023, routinely hanging 20 on other teams. Matt Flammenspeck is back off a 50-plus goal season to keep Florida Southern in the mix in the ultra-competitive Sunshine State Conference.  

12. Bentley

Finally breaking through and making the tournament, Bentley had a banner year in 2023. They handed Adelphi its first loss of the season, and then beat the Panthers again in the NE-10 tournament. It’s the toughest conference in Divisioni II, and Bentley will need big years from Cam Bartolomeo facing off and Nathan Alviti in the midfield. 

13. Colorado Mesa

AJ Switzer and Jed Brummet combined for 100 goals a year ago, and both return. Also returning is Dylan Checketts, one of the nation’s best faceoff specialists. Colorado Mesa will be a heavy favorite to win the RMAC. 

14. Pace

Pace is well coached and returns some quality players. But their top weapon in 2023, Anthony Caputo, is playing Division I this season. New leaders will step up, and Pace will not be an easy out, even in the exceptionally deep NE-10. 

15. Seton Hill

The Griffins had a rough start to the season, losing three of their first six games in 2023, but bounced back to go undefeated in the conference. They are looking to stay in the national picture long term this spring.  

16. Frostburg State

Frostburg got everyone’s attention last year by starting 8-0, including a win over then-top-ranked Tampa. Graduation hit Frostburg hard, so it’ll need big efforts from new faces to challenge Mercy in the ECC. 

17. Newberry

The Wolves announced themselves in the SAC with a 6-3 record and recorded wins over everyone save the big three of Wingate, Limestone and Lenoir-Rhyne.  

18. Barton

Barton caught fire at the end of 2023 and pushed tits way into the Top 20 by winning the Conference Carolinas tournament. Senior-heavy last year, can Barton still carry the momentum into 2024? Logan Wheeler is a player to watch. 

19. Lewis

For a program that has only been around for three full seasons, the Flyers have made impressive gains as they earned their Top 20 ranking with a 10-6 record and the best win in program history — a 12-11 win over UIndy in the GVLC tournament.  

20. Belmont Abbey

This may be too low of a rank for a team with a 10-5 record, but this squad enters the 2024 season with revenge on the mind for how last season ended with back-to-back losses.