2026 Division I Preseason Top 20 Rankings
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Hawknate144
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I did predictions back in June and ended up getting 19 out of 20 correct, with no team sans Ohio state bein g more than 2 spots off( this was before Melendez transferred in and before Marnier was announced to be coming back.
The team I missed was BU, I had Denver ranked instead
The team I missed was BU, I had Denver ranked instead
Zack80
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USA lacrosse magazine full top 20:
1. Maryland
2. Syracuse
3. Princeton
4. Georgetown
5. North Carolina
6. Cornell
7. Notre Dame
8. Duke
9. Penn State
10. Richmond
11. Ohio State
12. Harvard
13. Virginia
14. Army
15. Rutgers
16. Boston University
17. Johns Hopkins
18. Towson
19. UAlbany
20. Michigan
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bryant, Denver, Fairfield, High Point, Villanova, Yale
1. Maryland
2. Syracuse
3. Princeton
4. Georgetown
5. North Carolina
6. Cornell
7. Notre Dame
8. Duke
9. Penn State
10. Richmond
11. Ohio State
12. Harvard
13. Virginia
14. Army
15. Rutgers
16. Boston University
17. Johns Hopkins
18. Towson
19. UAlbany
20. Michigan
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bryant, Denver, Fairfield, High Point, Villanova, Yale
Zack80
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Tiffany has added his blurbs to the UVa roster. They seem a little shorter this year.
Terenzi
2026 – "seek-and-destroy playing style as he treats his body like a crash-test dummy … elite communicator binds us all tightly together … healthy."
Brendan Millon
2026 – "always probing in the quest for an open teammate … sophisticated stickwork and dodger … highly developed IQ and skills."
Hopper
2026 – "defies norms with his elaborate stickwork … quick to prove his prowess with scheme comprehension … carries a competitively advantageous edge."
Crann
2026 – "vigorous dodger and playmaker … sparkplug on offense … tenacious competitor that does not have an off switch."
Sean Browne
2026 – "exploding in front of our eyes this fall … confidence and production are definitely up … powerful dodger with multiple shot release options."
Terenzi
2026 – "seek-and-destroy playing style as he treats his body like a crash-test dummy … elite communicator binds us all tightly together … healthy."
Brendan Millon
2026 – "always probing in the quest for an open teammate … sophisticated stickwork and dodger … highly developed IQ and skills."
Hopper
2026 – "defies norms with his elaborate stickwork … quick to prove his prowess with scheme comprehension … carries a competitively advantageous edge."
Crann
2026 – "vigorous dodger and playmaker … sparkplug on offense … tenacious competitor that does not have an off switch."
Sean Browne
2026 – "exploding in front of our eyes this fall … confidence and production are definitely up … powerful dodger with multiple shot release options."
orange79
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Hop behind BU and Rutgers - wow
I wouldn't read too much into any of it. Hard to know preseason much of anything.
I think Hop could certainly be miles ahead of Rutgers by the end of the season, but it really depends on how the new lineups shake out. Boston has the pieces to be really good but they will certainly be tested.
Top 6 feel like the most sure things, but I can see UNC making a jump and Georgetown taking a slight slide.
7-20, who knows. I have a gut feeling that Harvard is being underrated and Penn St might take a step back. I think ND may still be a problem and Duke isn't playing a contender until conference play starts - we won't know much about them until about a month left in the season.
UVA could jump significantly or continue to spiral.
If Hop plays tough this year and steals a few wins, that'd be a good season for them. Expectations are pretty low.
Rutgers and Ohio State - can all the new players play like a team? Might take some time.
The title is there for the taking for the Orange. Can they out HHH the Terps? Can they match Princeton's energy? Can they combat UNC's swagger?
Respect to all the teams on the schedule, but those three feel like the teams most likely to give Cuse a hard time.
Powellfan
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Curious why you think this ... ? I can't tell if the UNC recruiting hype from this summer carrying over to this spring (and those players are obviously not suiting up for the Heels this spring). Obviously UNC has a ton of talent, but they've faded this last two years and their best player has yet to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. I was surprised to see them ranked fifth.
I'm not sure if Georgetown has any obvious holes, except perhaps depth. Good on defense, face-offs, good goalie and get a boost on offense with the Colgate transfers. I think they are properly ranked at four, but maybe I am missing something.
DoctahLexus
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Main question mark for UNC is goalie and who can replace Barton as the top close defender. They also lose a quality SSDM in Andrew O'Berry who transferred in from Harvard and had a great year. Overall their defense was solid last year, and they may be able to move English to ssdm full time with the new freshman additions on offense.
Duffy and Petro have struggled staying healthy, but they have also proven they are top quality when healthy. It is maybe the best 1-2 punch in the nation at the attack spot next year if they can stay healthy. That is a fairly big if, but it gives them a high ceiling. Then on top of that middie could go from a weakness to a strength if the young guns break out. I think it is extremely likely that at least one of Raio, Merrill, and Luke Bair has a major impact out of the gate. Raio and Merrill are both quality athletes and it would not be too surprising for both of them to have a strong freshman year. Charlie Pope from UVM is a solid transfer addition. They also have arguably the best FOGO in lacrosse with Wambach.
I think they are a high ceiling and low floor sort of team next year, but the ceiling is really high. I think 5 is about right.
nyclax
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i like gtown but ive come down on them a bit lately. the connor bros are good but they lose caroll (50 gs and 77 pts last year) and bayman, its not 100% clear that the connors will be significant upgrades on those two, coming in from the patriot league and new to the system...more likely could be an even 2 for 2 replacement than something thats supposed to power them to their first final four in 27 years...
my top 10 would be somethin like
1 umd
2 cuse
3 princeton
4 cornell
5 psu
6 unc
7 gtown
8 nd
9 osu
10 richmond
I agree with this and with DL on UNC.
I still think Georgetown will be very good. Definitely top 10. And I wouldn't bump them much. They've got a tough schedule and I imagine will play their opponents tough, but do they have the depth to make it work across a whole season?
DL is on the money (imo) with UNC. Could be a top 4 team. Could be 10-15. Could dominate the regular season and lose first round. Could struggle to put it together and squeak into the playoffs to make a run. Can they stay healthy? Can Breschi coach? How will the personalities and expectations translate to performance, whether there's success or adversity?
UNC got punked by Richmond in the first round despite all that talent everyone brags about nonstop. Just through sheer inertia caused by other teams losing players from last year that they should be ranked top 10. I'm just one idiot on a message board but they don't get the benefit of the doubt from me until they prove otherwise.
Zack80
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I think Dan Arestia has the ACC pegged right. For the Big Ten, his calling PSU the darkhorse in the Big Ten seems a little questionable as they are ranked #9 in the poll above, while OSU is at #11. To me, it seems like Princeton is the favorite in the Ivy League, and Cornell the runner-up.
OrangeXtreme
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nyclax
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ya you cant call psu a "disrespected dark horse" when theyre going to be in everyones top 10 and prob ahead of osu in most rankings...a better dark horse for the b1g would be rutty or hop. as much as i hate rutty they were young last year and showed some promise...and for hop it seems like they tend to do p well when no one is talking about them and they bring back a lot on offense...
DMVCuseLax
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Great write up by Dan. Clearly Cuse only has one guy worth mentioning. How do we compete with UNC? lol
Zack80
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USA lacrosse has started doing a series of write-ups on their top 20:
#20 Michigan
www.usalacrosse.com
#19 UAlbany
www.usalacrosse.com
#20 Michigan
NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 20 Michigan May Have a New Goalie Whisperer
Hunter Taylor has a new mentor in Liam Entenmann and is poised for a star turn as a senior. How good can he be? It's one of three burning questions in Ann Arbor.
www.usalacrosse.com
#19 UAlbany
NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 19 UAlbany Giving Vintage Dane Train Vibes
A Tewaaraton dark horse, stalwarts at every position, several marquee non-conference games and an enthusastic senior class have UAlbany trending toward a deep run.
www.usalacrosse.com
OrangeXtreme
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Zack80
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They didn't seem to know that Deere was out.
They didn't mention that Terenzi was returning for UVa. That could be significant for a team that likes to play a running style.
Not much mention of face-offs, except for Wambach at UNC.
Hawknate144
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with regard to Deere, I haven't seen anything outside of this message board regarding him, so I am not shocked they wouldn't know.
OrangeXtreme
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NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 18 Towson Gets Back 6-Foot-6 Behemoth
Joaquin Villagomez is healthy, and that's big for Towson in more ways than one. The Tigers' attack unit is shaping up to be one of the best in the country.
www.usalacrosse.com
NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 17 Johns Hopkins Looks for Fresh Start
Sole junior captain Quintan Kilrain anchors the JHU defense, but the Blue Jays have to imprpve on offense
www.usalacrosse.com
FloridaCuse
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As we all know, there are many non SU fans who are lurkers of this board so I would not be surprised it it surfaces in the lacrosse media world before being officially confirmed.
OrangeXtreme
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NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 16 Boston U Hopes to Raise Standards
“We’re just trying to figure a way to get over the hump,” head coach Ryan Polley said.
www.usalacrosse.com
NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 15 Rutgers' Upward Progression
Will the Scarlet Knights, who last played in the NCAA tournament in 2022 when they reached the semifinals, be able to continue their upward progression?
www.usalacrosse.com
FloridaCuse
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Some unknown person posted it on X last night. He attributed it to "reputable sources". Probably read it on here. I've chosen not to post it here since I don't know who the person is and we already know.
Hawknate144
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yeah, I have seen a couple of those, I meant more so anyone who anyone would pay attention to, not faceless randos on the internet.
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