Powellfan
Renowned lacrosse analyst
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Perhaps the best part of the college lacrosse season ending is that you get to look ahead to next year. Especially if your favorite team didn't win the whole shebang. At least this is something to do bid our time in a long offseason. Anyways, before I get influenced by publications that know more than me, I wanted to try and put together what I think is the 2024 Top 20, as things stand right now. There are going to be a lot of good teams next year, but lots of them have pretty big holes to fill. One thing for certain is that this list will certainly be wrong by the end of next season. Last year I did not do such a great job (Georgetown at #1, Notre Dame at only #6, Harvard and Penn in the top 10, Hopkins not ranked at all, etc). Alas, I'll give it my best shot. I made some assumptions about players coming back, and tried not to let rumored transfers sway my mind. After the offseason I'm sure this list will look quite different. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to people's disagreements.
1. Notre Dame - Tough call for me, as I had pegged Duke at preseason #1 for most of the postseason. But Notre Dame handled Duke twice this past year so it's really difficult to rank them higher than the Irish. ND returns a very good offense headlined by the Kavanaugh brothers, Eric Dobson and Jake Taylor. Their defense returns tournament MVP Liam Entenmann and LSM Will Donovan. Their main FOGO Will Lynch, who put a great tournament together returns. That said, ND losses a lot, especially on defense with Chris Fake, Chris Conlon, SSDM Quinn McCahon all exhausting eligibility. On offense Brian Tevlin and Jack Simmons depart. Fake and Tevlin especially feel like gigantic losses. We take it for granted that ND will reload on defense, but that's no sure thing this year. There isn't an obvious replacement for Fake in the transfer portal as of yet. I'm sure the Irish will get some really good transfers so I'm baking that in a little bit to this ranking (Devon McLane is already rumored). I think it's really close between the top three ACC schools from last year this, but with the Kavanaugh brothers coming back, I feel like I have to give the edge, as of now, to Notre Dame.
2. Duke - the Blue Devils return a ton next year, including potential Tewaarton winner Brennan O'Neil and the rest of the attack. They get back the best FOGO in the country (championship game excluded) in Jake Naso. They lose their goalie, a PLL draft pick in Garret Leadmon from the midfield, a really good defenseman in Wilson Stephenson and a pair of second line middies (Owen Caputo and Tommy Schelling). But pretty much everyone comes back and they bring in a number of five star freshmen in Mac Christmas, Tomas Delgado and Benn Johnston. One issue for Duke is that their midfield looks a little light at least compared to typical Duke teams. Rumors of them getting some transfers could change that, but for now it does seem like an issue. While it didn't happen often, it really seemed like Duke's offense didn't function well at all if O'Neil was struggling. They'll have to fix that. The biggest question is the goalie position as they lose their starter and backup from this season. If Duke grabs Chayse Irelan and some midfielders, I could see them leapfrogging Notre Dame.
3. UVA - the first one out of the playoffs from the big three gets the lowest ranking coming into next year. UVA losses a lot, Petey LaSalla, Cade Sausted, Xander Dickson, Thomas McConvey, Evan Zinn, etc. The biggest question mark is face-off where the Cavs seem to have only one player on the roster at that position (Gable Braun) and no incoming recruits. That said they return Conor Shellenberger, one of the best players in the country who battled injuries last year. It seems like UVA really hasn't had to reload much the last few years, but this year feels like an exception. Will they hit the portal harder than usual? They have a great group of freshmen from this year that they largely redshirted. Also they welcome McCabe Millon the top recruit in this years class. Should be very interesting to see who gets that third spot next to Shellenberger and Peyton Cormier
4. Maryland - despite the early first round exit, the Terps will welcome back a ton of talent especially on offense. Kyle Long is pretty much the only loss on offense, with Eric Malever coming back after being injured all of last season. Of defense they lose Brett Makar which is big for them since he seemed to be the "heartbeat" of the team. That said they get back Ajax Zapatello and pretty much everyone else. At goal they get back tournament MVP Logan McAnaney. They also are set at face-off with Luke Weirman. Maryland does seem to lack explosiveness on offense which seemed to hold them back this past year. They get a lot of returning players but nothing like Bernhardt/Rambo/Wisnaskus that they are used to.
5. Penn State - What a year for the Nittany Lions, one blown call away from the title game. They lose some good players in Kevin Winkoff and Jack Traynor but I think they get everyone else back including their star goaltender Jack Fraycon. Starting defender Jack Posey could be a loss as he was injured in the tourny. I guess the big question is whether TJ Malone returns since he's listed as a grad student but due to injuries I think he has an extra year left. They did not face-off well last year so should be interesting to see if they address that again in the portal.
6. Johns Hopkins - pains me to say but the Jays are coming off a really good season and don't lose much at all. Defensively Alex Mazzone is a huge loss, but they get everyone else back including Scott Smith. Offensively the Jays only lose Garrett Degnon. The big question is goal where Hopkins has long struggled. Apparently returning starter Tim Marcille comes back but he ended the season on a downward trajectory. They are apparently in the running for Irelan which would be huge for them. They are incredibly solid, but can they get to that next level? Struggled with whether to rank them over the Lions. Getting the right goalie or Malone not coming back might leapfrog them.
7. Michigan - I seem to be grouping conferences together don't I? The Wolverines return a ton from a team that got hot at the right time last year. They lose one half of their two headed face-off juggernaut in Nick Rowlett and other key pieces in Bryce Clay, Peter Thompson and Andrew Darby. But they also get back their top three scorers from this season and their starting goalie.
8. Army - the Black Knights had a great season last year and get pretty much everyone back minus their goaltender. That said Army always seems to have a good goalie. The Knights also seem to have a very good FOGO for the first time in a long time. The Knights could be very dangerous next year. Breakout freshman Evan Plunket really looks like a player to watch. His brother Hill should join the team next year I believe.
9. Syracuse - I am perhaps overly optimistic about the Orange next year, as they still have a lot of unconfirmed holes on the roster (faceoff). But I love what they bring back on offense and what they've added through the portal so far (English and Stevens). They have one of the better goalies in the country in Will Mark. Perhaps I am putting too much into Riley Figuerias back, but I have to imagine the defense improves next year. It sounds like they have a FOGO but not knowing who it is, it's hard to know how much better they will be at that spot. Also the Orange desperately need help at short stick. Still, I think the Orange should be in the hunt for a final four spot next year.
10. Yale - I really don't know what to do with the Ivy League next year. Yale returns a ton on offense including their starting attack which put up a ton of points. That said their defense was really really bad last year. They do seem to return a lot but will have to fix things on that side of the ball somehow. If they can solve their defense, watch out.
11. Cornell - The same issues at Yale seem to apply to the Big Red. Cornell returns CJ Kirst but the defense seemed to really struggle late last year and they lose Gavin Adler and Irelan. Hard to see how they improve that department with those losses. Offense needs to find other options besides Kirst. They do have an intriguing recruiting class coming and should be strong at the face-off X.
12. Princeton - The Tigers lose a lot from this year including English, Stevens, Alex Slusher, Beau Pederson, etc. But they have Coutler Mackesy and Michael Gianforcaro coming back, and they played very well last year despite suffering a ton of injuries. I don't like factoring in freshmen classes in too much but Princeton seems to have a good one coming in next year with five top 25 players.
13. Denver - This feels pretty high for the Pios, but looking at their roster, if fifth years decide to return, they have a ton coming back. They should be the team to beat in the Big East. First year post Bill Tierney should be interesting.
14. UNC - I didn't expect to put the Tar Heels quite this high, but I'm not sure there are tons of teams behind them who are better. They return some good players and get a great recruiting class in, but talent doesn't seem to be the issue on Chapel Hill. Dom Petro returns from injury. Logan McGovern put up really good numbers last year. They do lose some good players in Conor Mahar, Sean Goldsmith, Evan Egan, etc. Also Matt Wright is in the portal. Will be intersting to see if Joe Breshi hits the portal hard.
15. Utah - brings back everyone on offense from a NCAA tournament team, including two 50+ points scorers in Jordan Hyde and Tyler Bradbury. They could really be a team to watch next year.
16. Richmond - Curious if Dalton Young returns as the Spiders could be very good if he does. They have some really good talent with Lance Madonna and Aidan O'Neil. Their FOGO who won 50% returns and they have a strong goalie returning.
17. Rutgers - the Scarlett Knights return some good players in Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch but their defense took a big graduation hit. Will they be as aggressive in their use of the portal? Has that strategy finally caught up with them? It does seem like their window has closed.
18. Boston University - The Terriers lose third leading scorer Timmy Ley, but if fifth year players come back they could once again be very good on offense with Vince D'Alto and Louis Perfetto (both 60+ points) leading the way. Roy Meyer is one of the best LSMs in the country. Patriot League doesn't look very good outside of Army once again so BU could pile up wins.
19. Bryant - If the Bulldogs get their leading scorer back for his fifth year, they could be a really exciting team to watch. Kevin Groeninger led the team with 68 points but they could also get their other four top leading scorers back. They did not look good at all against Hopkins in the tournament but they should be very good next year.
20. Penn - It came down here to the Quakers and Georgetown. The Hoyas return some good players but they just lose so much all over the field. Obviously losing Sam Handley is huge. But the Quakers might be better off from a team standpoint as Handley seemed to direct everything (he had more than 20 points than Penn's second leading scorer). They return a good goalie in Emmett Carol and a really good recruiting class.
It really feels like there are two top groups of teams - the top three ACC teams made up of Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia, then a second grouping that includes the top Big Ten Teams, Army and Syracuse. After that it really feels like a toss up. The Ivy League has some good teams but they lose an awful lot this season and its hard to know where they will end up at the end of the year. I struggled with the last six or so teams as it does not seem like there are many mid major teams like Delaware last year. The American East seems to be really below par these days. The Patriot League also looks really weak next year - I am intrigued by teams like Navy and Loyola but just couldn't quite justify picking them. I really felt like I struggled with ranking teams like Penn, Harvard and Georgetown but I just couldn't find other teams to rank above them.
1. Notre Dame - Tough call for me, as I had pegged Duke at preseason #1 for most of the postseason. But Notre Dame handled Duke twice this past year so it's really difficult to rank them higher than the Irish. ND returns a very good offense headlined by the Kavanaugh brothers, Eric Dobson and Jake Taylor. Their defense returns tournament MVP Liam Entenmann and LSM Will Donovan. Their main FOGO Will Lynch, who put a great tournament together returns. That said, ND losses a lot, especially on defense with Chris Fake, Chris Conlon, SSDM Quinn McCahon all exhausting eligibility. On offense Brian Tevlin and Jack Simmons depart. Fake and Tevlin especially feel like gigantic losses. We take it for granted that ND will reload on defense, but that's no sure thing this year. There isn't an obvious replacement for Fake in the transfer portal as of yet. I'm sure the Irish will get some really good transfers so I'm baking that in a little bit to this ranking (Devon McLane is already rumored). I think it's really close between the top three ACC schools from last year this, but with the Kavanaugh brothers coming back, I feel like I have to give the edge, as of now, to Notre Dame.
2. Duke - the Blue Devils return a ton next year, including potential Tewaarton winner Brennan O'Neil and the rest of the attack. They get back the best FOGO in the country (championship game excluded) in Jake Naso. They lose their goalie, a PLL draft pick in Garret Leadmon from the midfield, a really good defenseman in Wilson Stephenson and a pair of second line middies (Owen Caputo and Tommy Schelling). But pretty much everyone comes back and they bring in a number of five star freshmen in Mac Christmas, Tomas Delgado and Benn Johnston. One issue for Duke is that their midfield looks a little light at least compared to typical Duke teams. Rumors of them getting some transfers could change that, but for now it does seem like an issue. While it didn't happen often, it really seemed like Duke's offense didn't function well at all if O'Neil was struggling. They'll have to fix that. The biggest question is the goalie position as they lose their starter and backup from this season. If Duke grabs Chayse Irelan and some midfielders, I could see them leapfrogging Notre Dame.
3. UVA - the first one out of the playoffs from the big three gets the lowest ranking coming into next year. UVA losses a lot, Petey LaSalla, Cade Sausted, Xander Dickson, Thomas McConvey, Evan Zinn, etc. The biggest question mark is face-off where the Cavs seem to have only one player on the roster at that position (Gable Braun) and no incoming recruits. That said they return Conor Shellenberger, one of the best players in the country who battled injuries last year. It seems like UVA really hasn't had to reload much the last few years, but this year feels like an exception. Will they hit the portal harder than usual? They have a great group of freshmen from this year that they largely redshirted. Also they welcome McCabe Millon the top recruit in this years class. Should be very interesting to see who gets that third spot next to Shellenberger and Peyton Cormier
4. Maryland - despite the early first round exit, the Terps will welcome back a ton of talent especially on offense. Kyle Long is pretty much the only loss on offense, with Eric Malever coming back after being injured all of last season. Of defense they lose Brett Makar which is big for them since he seemed to be the "heartbeat" of the team. That said they get back Ajax Zapatello and pretty much everyone else. At goal they get back tournament MVP Logan McAnaney. They also are set at face-off with Luke Weirman. Maryland does seem to lack explosiveness on offense which seemed to hold them back this past year. They get a lot of returning players but nothing like Bernhardt/Rambo/Wisnaskus that they are used to.
5. Penn State - What a year for the Nittany Lions, one blown call away from the title game. They lose some good players in Kevin Winkoff and Jack Traynor but I think they get everyone else back including their star goaltender Jack Fraycon. Starting defender Jack Posey could be a loss as he was injured in the tourny. I guess the big question is whether TJ Malone returns since he's listed as a grad student but due to injuries I think he has an extra year left. They did not face-off well last year so should be interesting to see if they address that again in the portal.
6. Johns Hopkins - pains me to say but the Jays are coming off a really good season and don't lose much at all. Defensively Alex Mazzone is a huge loss, but they get everyone else back including Scott Smith. Offensively the Jays only lose Garrett Degnon. The big question is goal where Hopkins has long struggled. Apparently returning starter Tim Marcille comes back but he ended the season on a downward trajectory. They are apparently in the running for Irelan which would be huge for them. They are incredibly solid, but can they get to that next level? Struggled with whether to rank them over the Lions. Getting the right goalie or Malone not coming back might leapfrog them.
7. Michigan - I seem to be grouping conferences together don't I? The Wolverines return a ton from a team that got hot at the right time last year. They lose one half of their two headed face-off juggernaut in Nick Rowlett and other key pieces in Bryce Clay, Peter Thompson and Andrew Darby. But they also get back their top three scorers from this season and their starting goalie.
8. Army - the Black Knights had a great season last year and get pretty much everyone back minus their goaltender. That said Army always seems to have a good goalie. The Knights also seem to have a very good FOGO for the first time in a long time. The Knights could be very dangerous next year. Breakout freshman Evan Plunket really looks like a player to watch. His brother Hill should join the team next year I believe.
9. Syracuse - I am perhaps overly optimistic about the Orange next year, as they still have a lot of unconfirmed holes on the roster (faceoff). But I love what they bring back on offense and what they've added through the portal so far (English and Stevens). They have one of the better goalies in the country in Will Mark. Perhaps I am putting too much into Riley Figuerias back, but I have to imagine the defense improves next year. It sounds like they have a FOGO but not knowing who it is, it's hard to know how much better they will be at that spot. Also the Orange desperately need help at short stick. Still, I think the Orange should be in the hunt for a final four spot next year.
10. Yale - I really don't know what to do with the Ivy League next year. Yale returns a ton on offense including their starting attack which put up a ton of points. That said their defense was really really bad last year. They do seem to return a lot but will have to fix things on that side of the ball somehow. If they can solve their defense, watch out.
11. Cornell - The same issues at Yale seem to apply to the Big Red. Cornell returns CJ Kirst but the defense seemed to really struggle late last year and they lose Gavin Adler and Irelan. Hard to see how they improve that department with those losses. Offense needs to find other options besides Kirst. They do have an intriguing recruiting class coming and should be strong at the face-off X.
12. Princeton - The Tigers lose a lot from this year including English, Stevens, Alex Slusher, Beau Pederson, etc. But they have Coutler Mackesy and Michael Gianforcaro coming back, and they played very well last year despite suffering a ton of injuries. I don't like factoring in freshmen classes in too much but Princeton seems to have a good one coming in next year with five top 25 players.
13. Denver - This feels pretty high for the Pios, but looking at their roster, if fifth years decide to return, they have a ton coming back. They should be the team to beat in the Big East. First year post Bill Tierney should be interesting.
14. UNC - I didn't expect to put the Tar Heels quite this high, but I'm not sure there are tons of teams behind them who are better. They return some good players and get a great recruiting class in, but talent doesn't seem to be the issue on Chapel Hill. Dom Petro returns from injury. Logan McGovern put up really good numbers last year. They do lose some good players in Conor Mahar, Sean Goldsmith, Evan Egan, etc. Also Matt Wright is in the portal. Will be intersting to see if Joe Breshi hits the portal hard.
15. Utah - brings back everyone on offense from a NCAA tournament team, including two 50+ points scorers in Jordan Hyde and Tyler Bradbury. They could really be a team to watch next year.
16. Richmond - Curious if Dalton Young returns as the Spiders could be very good if he does. They have some really good talent with Lance Madonna and Aidan O'Neil. Their FOGO who won 50% returns and they have a strong goalie returning.
17. Rutgers - the Scarlett Knights return some good players in Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch but their defense took a big graduation hit. Will they be as aggressive in their use of the portal? Has that strategy finally caught up with them? It does seem like their window has closed.
18. Boston University - The Terriers lose third leading scorer Timmy Ley, but if fifth year players come back they could once again be very good on offense with Vince D'Alto and Louis Perfetto (both 60+ points) leading the way. Roy Meyer is one of the best LSMs in the country. Patriot League doesn't look very good outside of Army once again so BU could pile up wins.
19. Bryant - If the Bulldogs get their leading scorer back for his fifth year, they could be a really exciting team to watch. Kevin Groeninger led the team with 68 points but they could also get their other four top leading scorers back. They did not look good at all against Hopkins in the tournament but they should be very good next year.
20. Penn - It came down here to the Quakers and Georgetown. The Hoyas return some good players but they just lose so much all over the field. Obviously losing Sam Handley is huge. But the Quakers might be better off from a team standpoint as Handley seemed to direct everything (he had more than 20 points than Penn's second leading scorer). They return a good goalie in Emmett Carol and a really good recruiting class.
It really feels like there are two top groups of teams - the top three ACC teams made up of Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia, then a second grouping that includes the top Big Ten Teams, Army and Syracuse. After that it really feels like a toss up. The Ivy League has some good teams but they lose an awful lot this season and its hard to know where they will end up at the end of the year. I struggled with the last six or so teams as it does not seem like there are many mid major teams like Delaware last year. The American East seems to be really below par these days. The Patriot League also looks really weak next year - I am intrigued by teams like Navy and Loyola but just couldn't quite justify picking them. I really felt like I struggled with ranking teams like Penn, Harvard and Georgetown but I just couldn't find other teams to rank above them.
