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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 Pol​l

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 Pol​l

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