SYRACUSE, NY — Syracuse is No 2 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Top 20, which was announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Orange return four of their top five scorers and all but one member of its starting defense from last year’s squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
North Carolina was picked No. 1 in the preseason rankings, followed by the Orange. Maryland, Northwestern and Boston College round out the top five. Princeton was picked No. 6, followed by Virginia, Michigan, Penn and USC.
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had five teams in the preseason top 20 as Notre Dame came in at No. 11.
Syracuse posted a 16-5 overall record last season and earned the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange advanced to the quarterfinals for the sixth time in eight years.