US Lacrosse Magazine announced Monday its 2021 Division I Men’s Preseason All-Americans, part of the magazine’s immersive coverage leading to the upcoming spring season.
Thirteen student-athletes from 10 schools make up the preseason list, headlined by likely 2020 Tewaaraton favorite Michael Sowers and two-time finalist TD Ierlan. Continue below for breakdowns of each player selected.
US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-Americans
Division I Men
Name |
School |
Pos. |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Gray | North Carolina | Attack |
| Jeff Teat | Cornell | Attack |
| Michael Sowers | Duke | Attack |
| Brendan Curry | Syracuse | Midfield |
| Sam Handley | Penn | Midfield |
| Connor Kirst | Rutgers | Midfield |
| TD Ierlan | Yale | Faceoff |
| Ryan Terefenko | Ohio State | SSDM |
| Jared Conners | Virginia | LSM |
| Arden Cohen | Notre Dame | Defense |
| Chris Fake | Yale | Defense |
| JT Giles-Harris | Duke | Defense |
| Drake Porter | Syracuse | Goalie |
Attack
Chris Gray totaled 27 goals and 21 assists in seven games during his first season at North Carolina. He also caused two turnovers and corralled 15 ground balls.
Cornell’s Jeff Teat is back for a fifth and final season after putting his National Lacrosse League career on hold. He posted 12 goals and 15 assists in 2020.
Princeton transfer Michael Sowers comes to Duke after claiming Princeton’s all-time points crown (302). He led Division I with 9.40 points per game and 6.2 assists per game.
Midfield
The top midfielder on arguably the best midfield, Brendan Curry anchors Syracuse. In five games, Curry notched 14 goals and five assists while also shooting 36.8 percent.
Sam Handley missed most of 2020 but made his impact known in one game played, scoring three goals with two assists.
Connor Kirst transferred to Rutgers to follow in his late father’s footsteps. The Villanova product scored 84 goals with 42 assists in four years with the Wildcats.
Specialists
TD Ierlan holds countless NCAA faceoff records and is back for a final collegiate season. The standing neutral grip will make the faceoff a constant talking point this year, but Ierlan won 84 of 110 faceoffs and dominated last year.
Ohio State’s Ryan Terefenko, the top short stick in the country, played in all seven games in 2020 and finished with 30 ground balls, four assists and two goals.
Jared Conners of Virginia dominates as a long pole. In 2020, he contributed three goals and one assist to go with his 28 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
Defense
Arden Cohen, Notre Dame’s senior defender, totaled 13 ground balls and six caused turnovers in 2020, highlighted by his effort against No. 16 Denver (five ground balls, three caused turnovers).
Chris Fake was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List in 2020 after starting in all four games for Yale. He scored his first career goal on Feb. 22 against Penn State.
JT Giles-Harris is one of the top lockdown defenders in the country. He’s put his football dreams on hold to continue playing for head coach John Danowski.
Goalie
Drake Porter led the ACC with a .577 save percentage, which ranked 12th nationally. He ranked second in the ACC in saves per game (12.8) and goals against average (9.65).