Breaking Down Each Team in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20

Tampa, the defending national champion, is No. 1 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Preseason Top 20, but there are plenty of challengers for the throne in 2023.

With the Division II season at least partially underway, now is a good time to take a deeper look at each of the teams in our Preseason Top 20 before the first rankings update goes live on Monday, Feb. 13.

1. Tampa

Tampa remains atop the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 and has reloaded. Unbeaten in 2022, Tampa will have no shortage of offensive firepower back, including Harry Kilkowski at attack. On the other end, Matthew Beddow returns to lead the defense with goalie Blake Ulmer. Beddow and Ulmer will both be popular picks for player of the year at their respective positions.

2. Mercy

Mercy packs a deep stable of weapons that could dethrone Tampa. Attackman Brady Kearnan and midfielder Jack Gibbons are back for grad years, and both are among the best in the nation at their positions. Jack Kipnes, also back for a grad year, will lead the defense in front of one of the best goalies in the country, Tommy Umano.

3. Wingate

Led by the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year Willie Grieco, Wingate will look to avenge an NCAA tournament loss to Limestone from a year ago. Wingate also returns midfielder Danny Riley, who had 58 points a year ago. The one-two punch of Grieco and Riley is as strong a top two as there is in lacrosse. 

4. Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst returns 226 points from its top three scorers: Ethan Landymore, Bryce Johnson and Myles Hamm. It also returns Shawn Doran, who should tilt the field with his dominance facing off. Braden McCard at SSDM is as good as having a fifth pole on the field. 

5. Adelphi

The reigning champs of arguably the most competitive conference in Division II, Adelphi looks poised for a run to the Final Four after losing in the quarters a year ago. Joseph Duchnowski could crack the All-American first team as the leader of the offense, while Kyle Steinbach should be dominant in the midfield. Dylan Renner saved 58 percent of the shots he saw last year and is one of the best in the business. There will be no shortage of challengers to Adelphi on the NE10 throne, as five teams from that conference appear in the Preseason Top 20. 

6. Limestone

Limestone dropped just two games last year, one early season loss to Wingate and a Final Four loss to Tampa. Outstanding underclassmen Chris Erneston IV and Mike McGarry, both off 50-plus point seasons, highlight the attack. Kyle Keesee looks poised for a big year after an excellent SSDM campaign as a freshman.

7. Lenoir-Rhyne

The Bears only suffered five losses a year ago, four of them coming against top five teams in Tampa and Limestone. Toron Eccleston returns off a 40-goal campaign. Evan Voss is another player to watch after 40 points as a freshman. Victor Powell is one of the best defenders in the nation and will lead the close defense. Lenoir-Rhyne had the best conference record in the SAC a year ago, but in a conference with this much depth, it’ll be a battle to repeat that feat. 

8. UIndy

Drew Billig and Wyatt Auyer return after a year as the top two scorers for UIndy. Kyle Basch is also back as one of the best SSDMs in the nation. UIndy lost by a goal to Lenoir-Rhyne to end 2022 after beating them by a goal to start the season. 2023 should be another year of UIndy standing toe-to-toe with top 10 teams. 

9. Le Moyne

Le Moyne will have a lot of new faces on the field this year. Nine of their top 10 scorers a year ago were seniors. The exception was freshman Ryan Eisenmann with 18 points. Some are back for grad years, like attackman Kevin Sheehan and midfielder Sam Lambert, but there will be plenty of new faces in major spots. The defense, led by Nick Noel and SSDM John Galimi, should be solid. 

10. Saint Anselm

Last year, the season ended with an NCAA first-round loss to Le Moyne. It was the third loss to Le Moyne of the year for Saint Anselm, and no doubt it’ll be looking for revenge this year. Ryan Slattery returns as one of the best defenseman in Division II, while Jack Robinson and Jack Andrew should lead the offense. 

11. Pace

Pace had an excellent senior attack class a year ago and may need to fill some gaps. The biggest, literally at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, returner from that group is Kyle Casey for a grad year. He scored 59 points a year ago, and that number should balloon in 2023. Pace will have its sights set on a tournament spot if it can make some noise in the NE10 this year. 

12. Seton Hill

Seton Hill found itself right on the cusp of victory against a number of excellent teams last year but unable to close. It lost to Mercy twice by a combined three goals, Tampa by three goals and Mercyhurst by two. Senior heavy a year ago, it’ll be up to some new faces to push Seton Hill over the top. Andy Davis and Peyton Gensler should both see expanded roles in the offense. 

13. Belmont Abbey

Belmont Abbey loaded up its schedule in the front end a year ago and got off to a slow start at 0-4 with losses to Limestone, Florida Tech, Florida Southern and Lenoir-Rhyne. It went 10-1 the rest of the way. With Austin Hasen and Noah Hass returning at attack, and Thomas Sullivan returning in the goal, Belmont Abbey is a favorite pick to win Conference Carolinas. 

14. Bentley

Bentley dropped six games last year, with four of them coming against Adelphi, Le Moyne and Mercy. Bentley returns top scorer Luke Jaber to lead the offense. Two talented freshmen from a year ago, attackman Nathan Alviti and LSM Alex Parton, look ready for breakout sophomore campaigns. 

15. Florida Tech

Florida Tech has no shortage of quality opponents in the Sunshine State. Last year, Tech played Tampa three times and Rollins twice, but all five of those games ended in a loss. This year, Florida Tech returns its top two scorers, Zach Rozgonyi and Collin Stewart, to try and turn those close in-state losses into wins to climb into the Top 10.

16. Colorado Mesa

The four top scorers a season ago were all sophomores. James Steinke, the scoring leader, registered 58 points as a midfielder, although he’s versatile enough to play midfield or attack. The talented offense will have plenty of opportunities thanks to faceoff specialist Dylan Checketts, who’s one of the best in the nation. He won 72.4 percent of his faceoffs last season. 

17. Florida Southern

Jeff Atlas and Sean Nolan both return as the top two scorers from 2022, bringing their 176 combined points with them. Like the other Sunshine State schools, the season may come down to how well the Mocs handle their in-state schedule. Last year, Florida Southern notched two wins over Rollins but dropped three games against Tampa and one against Florida Tech. With that much returning talent, the Mocs will push to improve that record. 

18. Newberry

Newberry went 6-4 in the SAC a year ago, with the season ending in a conference tournament overtime loss to Queens. Newberry returns Baker Westmoreland, a bright young offensive talent who registered 68 points last year. With the four top scorers all returning from 40-plus point seasons, Newberry should not be overlooked. 

19. Rollins

Rollins may be looking up at its Sunshine State opponents for now, but it may not stay that way for long. Rollins had two freshmen in its top five scorers a year ago, Jack Johnstone and Grant Hansen, both of whom return to lead the midfield. Mikey Berkman joins Rollins from Syracuse through the transfer portal. Justin Isenhour is the player to watch on defense. 

20. Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill avenged a regular-season loss to Wilmington by closing out the season with a win against them. Liam McCann from Edmonton, a freshman a year ago, is back following a 50-goal season. Dan Grubb also returns to lead the defense. Last year, the 6-foot-3, 230 pound defenseman caused 27 turnovers.

Also considered (alphabetical order): Anderson, Mount Olive, Rockhurst, Wilmington