Men's Lacrosse Ranked First in Three Preseason Polls
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA The Virginia men’s lacrosse team is ranked first in three of the four major preseason polls, and second in the other, entering the 2009 season.
The Cavaliers sit atop the preseason polls of Nike/Inside Lacrosse, Face-Off Yearbook and Lacrosse magazine. They are second in the USILA coaches poll.
Head coach Dom Starsia’s squad features 30 returning lettermen, including seven starters, from last year’s team that posted a 14-4 record and advanced to the national semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Syracuse in double overtime.
Last season the Cavaliers were third in the preseason polls according to Face-Off Yearbook, Nike/Inside Lacrosse and USILA.
UVa opens its season this Saturday (Feb. 14) against Drexel at Klckner Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
A composite grid of the preseason rankings is below. Virginia’s 2009 opponents are in bold.
| No. | School | Nike/Inside Lacrosse | Lacrosse magazine | Face-Off Yearbook | USILA | Avg. Rank |
| 1 | VIRGINIA |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1.25 |
| 2 |
Syracuse |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1.75 |
| 3 |
Maryland |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3.00 |
| 4 |
Johns Hopkins |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
4.50 |
| 5 |
Cornell |
6 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
5.00 |
| 6 |
North Carolina |
5 |
5 |
8 |
8 |
6.50 |
| 7 |
Duke |
7 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
7.00 |
| 8 | Georgetown | 8 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 8.00 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8.75 |
| 10 | Navy | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10.50 |
| 11 | UMBC | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10.75 |
| 12 | Princeton | 12 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 11.00 |
| 13 | Brown | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14.00 |
| 14 | Hofstra | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14.25 |
| 15 | Albany | 13 | 18 | 12 | 18 | 15.25 |
| 16 | Denver | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15.50 |
| 17 | Loyola | 17 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 17.25 |
| 18 | Colgate | 18 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17.50 |
| 19 | Ohio State | 19 | 14 | NR | 19 | 18.25 |
| 20 | Bucknell | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19.50 |