Dec. 23, 2008
Center Valley, Pa.--Three Patriot League teams are ranked in the top 20 of Lacrosse Magazine's annual preseason college rankings, which were released Monday. Navy, which finished 10-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2008, is ranked 10th by the magazine. Colgate, which finished 11-6 and won the Patriot League title, is ranked 19th. Bucknell, which closed the 2008 season with a 10-5 record and advanced to the Patriot League Championship, is ranked 20th.
Navy finished the 2008 regular season tied with Army atop the Patriot League standings with a 5-1 mark. The Mids upset North Carolina, 8-7, in the NCAA first round before falling to eventual national runner-up Johns Hopkins in the national quarterfinals. The Mids will return five All-Patriot League players from last year's squad, including First-Team Pre-Season All-American Geoff Leone.
Colgate upset Navy and beat Bucknell in the Patriot League Championship to advance to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Raiders were edged by Notre Dame in overtime, 8-7. Colgate will welcome back three All-Patriot League selections from a year ago, including first-team honoree Brandon Corp, who was also named a First-Team Pre-Season All-American.
Last season, Bucknell registered its second consecutive season with at least 10 wins for the first time in program history. The Bison defeated top-seeded Army to advance to the title game of the Patriot League Tournament for the first time in school history. Bucknell will have all three of its All-Patriot League representatives back from last season.
Virginia was dubbed the top team in the nation, according to the poll. Defending national champion Syracuse was picked second.
NCAA Division I Men
1. Virginia
2. Syracuse
3. Maryland
4. Johns Hopkins
5. North Carolina
6. Cornell
7. Notre Dame
8. Duke
9. Princeton
10. Navy
11. Georgetown
12. UMBC
13. Brown
14. Ohio State
15. Hofstra
16. Loyola
17. Denver
18. Albany
19. Colgate
20. Bucknell
