The Lakers of Mercyhurst College, the defending Division II
National Champions, maintained their hold on the No. 1 ranking in
the Preseason Top Ten released this week by Inside Lacrosse
Magazine. The Lakers held off a furious Adelphi rally in the
closing minutes to claim championship trophy, the third in a row
won by a member of the East Coast Conference. They have three
returning All-Americans to help solidify their spot at the top.
Mercyhurst is joined in the Top Ten by four other ECC
institutions, led by the C.W. Post Pioneers at No. 4. C.W. Post
fell victim to Mercyhurst in last year’s national semi-final,
ending their run of consecutive national championships at two.
Checking in just behind the Pioneers at No. 5 are the Golden Lions
of Dowling College. Behind them are the Mercy College Mavericks,
coming off a strong season to claim the No. 7 spot in the poll.
Rounding out the rankings for the ECC is NYIT, who begin the season
holding the No. 9 spot nationally.
