Virginia is No. 1 in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20

Virginia, which returns seven All-Americans from last spring’s roster, is No. 1 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced Tuesday.

The Cavaliers return Tewaaraton finalist Connor Shellenberger among a smattering of other top-tier talent and also welcome in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, according to Inside Lacrosse. Matt Moore, the school’s all-time leading scorer, is the only multi-game starter from 2022 who is not back in Charlottesville.

Head coach Lars Tiffany also added Thomas McConvey, the No. 1 NLL draft pick who was the America East offensive player of the year last spring at Vermont, and former Stanford football captain Ricky Miezan in the transfer portal.

Virginia had its moments last season, but it also showed some flaws. The Cavaliers ranked just 41st in the country in scoring defense, giving up almost 12 goals per game. Virginia also converted 50 percent of its man-up chances, but got just 30 opportunities all year, tied for 70th out of 72 teams in the country. Tiffany told USA Lacrosse Magazine that the step back last year was a motivating factor in the fall.

Maryland, the undefeated national champion last season, checks in at No. 2. The Terps’ top four scorers all graduated, and their fifth-best scorer, Eric Malever, is out for the season after an injury sustained during fall ball. Still, Maryland boasts an incredibly talented roster with anchors at every position.

Georgetown suffered one of the worst losses of 2022, falling at the hands of Delaware early in the NCAA tournament, but the Hoyas are No. 3 in the Preseason Top 20 after adding Syracuse transfer Tucker Dordevic. Cornell, the national runner-up to Maryland, checks in at No. 4, and Princeton — another NCAA semifinalist — is No. 5.

Continue below to see the full Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S PRESEASON TOP 20

1. Virginia
2. Maryland
3. Georgetown
4. Cornell
5. Princeton
6. Notre Dame
7. Duke
8. Yale
9. Penn
10. Rutgers
11. Ohio State
12. Brown
13. Denver
14. Delaware
15. Harvard
16. Boston University
17. North Carolina
18. Jacksonville
19. Navy
20. Saint Joseph’s

Also considered (alphabetical order): Johns Hopkins, Richmond, Syracuse, Utah, Villanova