Penn State, which brings back nearly the entirety of a high-octane offense that propelled the Nittany Lions to the final four, is the top-ranked team in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20. The rankings are published in the January edition of US Lacrosse Magazine, which drops Jan. 2.

There may not be a hungrier team in the land than Penn State, which rode the No. 1 offense (17.94 goals per game) to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and its first-ever postseason victories, but could not come all the way back from a nine-goal deficit in a 21-17 NCAA semifinal loss to Yale at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Tewaaraton finalist Grant Ament (NCAA-record 96 assists) returns alongside his favorite target, Mac O’Keefe (78 goals). That’s not to mention Dylan Foulds (43 goals) and Jack Kelly (42 goals). The Nittany Lions also are rock-solid on faceoffs with Gerard Arceri and in goal with Colby Kneese.

Defending NCAA champion Virginia will start the 2020 season in the No. 2 spot. The Cavaliers’ prolific starting attack of Michael Kraus, Ian Laviano and Matt Moore returns intact, while midfielder Dox Aitken will be in the Tewaaraton conversation.

Yale, Maryland and Duke round out the preseason top five.

Rankings are compiled by US Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors, with input from college coaches. The full list of teams appears below.

Check back to uslaxmagazine.com as we roll out our preseason rankings and players of the year for Division I, II and III men’s and women’s lacrosse and look for an extensive NCAA preview in the upcoming editions of US Lacrosse Magazine — an exclusive benefit for US Lacrosse members. Join today to start your subscription.

Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

Also considered (alphabetical order): Delaware, Georgetown, High Point, Michigan, Princeton, Richmond