Often times with the Way-Early rankings, the reigning champion finds itself at the top. It’s a bit of a “what have you done lately” philosophy, but it’s not entirely inaccurate when it comes to the world of Division II men’s lacrosse.
In the past decade alone, we’ve had three different teams (C.W. Post, Limestone, Merrimack) repeat as Division II champions.
While Merrimack would be an easy bet for No. 1 Division II in 2020, the Warriors will make the move to Division I, thus leaving the top spot up for grabs. National runners-up, Limestone, seems like a logical choice for No. 1 in our Way-Early rankings. The Saints didn’t appear in our Way-Early 2019 Top 10, and finished the season with its lone loss in the national title game. We missed the mark on Limestone.
There are a number of contenders that could easily find themselves at No. 1 next year, including perennial powers Adelphi and Le Moyne. The usual suspects find themselves in the top 10, so let’s see how this shakes out.
Way-Early 2020 Rankings
Division I Men
No. 25-No. 21
No. 20-No. 16
No. 15-No. 11
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division I Women
No. 25-No. 21
No. 20-No. 16
No. 15-No. 11
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division III Men
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division II Women
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
Division III Women
No. 10-No. 6
No. 5-No. 1
10. Queens (N.C.)
The future looks bright for a Queens (N.C.) team that advanced to the NCAA tournament and fell to Indianapolis in overtime. Seven of the top eight scorers return, but the bigger questions surround the defensive unit. LSM Griffin Stechmiller graduates, along with two starters on the defensive line. Can Queens maintain its top 10 defense and get contributions from the veterans on the other end?
9. Mercy
Mercy had a historic season in 2019, climbing up the rankings and advancing to the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed in the North. There will be some attrition due to graduation — Ryan MacSpadyen and Bobby Chillianis on offense and Max Littleton on defense, especially. But much of the midfield remains mostly intact, as well as the top-ranked defense, which only loses Max Littleton.
8. Mount Olive
Mount Olive struggled down the stretch of the 2019 season, losing three of its final seven games. However, the Trojans bring back three All-Americans and three of its top five scorers from last season. Brady Elbin was one of the top SSDM in Division II, as was defenseman Jacob Williams and goalie Andrew Avarello. This team could be in store for a strong season in 2020.
7. Seton Hill
Seton Hill, like Mercyhurst in the GMAC, will bring back much of its roster from 2019. The top five scorers return for the Griffins (57.4 percent of scoring between them), as do plenty of role players in the midfield. The biggest loss is All-America LSM Brett Craig, who was a stalwart for Seton Hill over the past few seasons. With the roster that’s returning, 2020 could be a year Seton Hill makes a jump.
6. Tampa
Andrew Kew, the heart and soul of the Tampa offense for four seasons, has graduated as the school’s second all-time leading scorer. Matt Vetter, who sat behind Kew on the Spartans offense, is also not returning. However, Tampa does bring back faceoff star Ross Dickerson, who sat third in the nation in faceoff win percentage. Jake Mosher McGraw will also return to help ease the loss on the offensive end. The defense remains relatively intact minus the loss of All-American Jack Tyrrell.