Spartans Top 2020 SSC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. – For the seventh consecutive season, Sunshine State Conference coaches select the University of Tampa as the preseason favorite. With 48 points and six first-place votes in the poll, the Spartans are expected to recapture the league's regular-season championship.

Saint Leo University finishes second in the poll with 40 points, while Lynn University edged Rollins College for third place, 36 to 34 points, respectively. However, the Tars received two first-place votes from conference coaches. Rounding out the preseason ranking are Florida Tech (23 points), Florida Southern College (22 points), Palm Beach Atlantic University (13 points), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (8 points).

Last season, Lynn became the third program to win the SSC regular-season championship since men's lacrosse became a sponsored sport in 2014. Tampa, nonetheless, maintained its stranglehold on the league's postseason title, winning the SSC tournament for a sixth consecutive season. Following the conference tournament, the Spartans hosted and defeated Wingate University in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Tampa then traveled to Gaffney, South Carolina, where they lost a double-overtime national quarterfinal battle to Limestone College.

The 2020 season opens up with Tampa hosting the Queens College Royals on February 8. The SSC Championship will take place on April 23rd and April 26th at campus sites. The NCAA Division II postseason for men's lacrosse will be held at non-predetermined sites for the First Round on Saturday, May 9th, and the Semifinals on Sunday, May 17th. The championship final returns to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, May 23rd. Championship selections and seeding will be announced by the NCAA on Sunday, May 5th, here.

Tampa is returning two All-Americans from last year's season. Ross Dickerson was named a Second-Team USILA All-American, and he also earned First-Team All-Sunshine State Conference. Jake Mosher McGraw was also a Second-Team USILA All-American for the Spartans. Mosher McGraw additionally earned First-Team All-Sunshine State Conference as he ranked 12^th in the SSC in goals per game. Colin White is the top returning scorer for Tampa, as he finished sixth in the conference with 2.5 goals per game and third for total goals with 50. 

Below are the full results of the 2020 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

SSC Men's Lacrosse History: Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | All-Americans