ATLANTA – After winning its first MCLA Division I national championship last spring, South Carolina has been installed as the favorite in the 2020 New Balance Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday.
The Gamecocks (21-2 in 2019) captured 19 of the 24 first-place votes to retain a 14-point edge over their closest competition. South Carolina will open the season in Baton Rouge, La., with games against No. 25 LSU (7-8) and Texas A&M (2-0 in 2020).
California (17-1), which fell to South Carolina in the 2019 title game, is comfortably in second place. The Golden Bears grabbed the remaining five first-place votes and were 28 points clear of third-ranked Chapman (17-3).
In Division II, St. Thomas has been tabbed the favorite in the 2020 New Balance Division II Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday.
The Tommies (11-4) snagged 21 of the 23 first-place votes, keeping them well ahead of second-ranked Dayton (12-4). The Flyers lost to St. Thomas in last year’s championship game.
Minn.-Duluth (12-2) – the top-ranked squad heading into the 2019 postseason – sits in the third chair while North Dakota State (7-8) follows in fourth. College of Idaho (14-1), which broke through to the semifinals last year, rounds out the top five.
To compare to US Lacrosse Magazine's MCLA rankings, click here for Division I and here for Division II.
MCLA 2020 New Balance Division I Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank |
Team |
FPV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 19 |
| 2 | California | 5 |
| 3 | Chapman | 2 |
| 4 | Georgia Tech | |
| 5 | Liberty | |
| 6 | Colorado | |
| 7 | Arizona State | |
| 8 | Florida State | |
| 9 | New Hampshire | |
| 10 | Cal Poly | |
| 11 | Concordia-Irvine | |
| 12 | Michigan State | |
| 13 | Brigham Young | |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | |
| 15 | Connecticut | |
| 16 | Utah Valley | |
| 17 | Santa Clara | |
| 18 | Clemson | |
| 19 | Arizona | |
| 20 | Minnesota | |
| 21 | Grand Canyon | |
| 22 | Boston College | |
| 23 | Oregon | |
| 24 | Stanford | |
| 25 | LSU |
MCLA 2020 New Balance Division II Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank |
Team |
FPV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Thomas | 21 |
| 2 | Dayton | 2 |
| 3 | Minn.-Duluth | 2 |
| 4 | North Dakota State | |
| 5 | College of Idaho | |
| 6 | Grand Valley State | |
| 7 | St. John's | |
| 8 | Kennesaw State | |
| 9 | North Florida | |
| 10 | Montana | |
| 11 | Northern Arizona | |
| 12 | UC Davis | |
| 13 | Utah State | |
| 14 | Montana State | |
| 15 | Florida Gulf Coast | |
| 16 | Bridgewater State | |
| 17 | UC San Diego | |
| 18 | Loyola Marymount | |
| 19 | Missouri State | |
| 20 | UNC - Charlotte | |
| 21 | San Diego | |
| 22 | Rhode Island | |
| 23 | Central Conn. State | |
| 24 | Wake Forest | |
| 25 | Western Oregon |