via the SSC web site  

Author’s Note:  At the SSC web site, as part of this story, is a video clip of each school’s preview, produced by the members of the conference.  We will bring you these videos separately, 2 at a time, for 4 separate articles.  Tampa does not have one listed at the website currently.

  MELBOURNE, Fla. – Sunshine State Conference men’s lacrosse coaches select the University of Tampa as the preseason favorite to win the 2018 league title. The 2017 SSC regular season and tournament champs received 49 total votes and seven first-place votes. Florida Southern College, Florida Tech, and Saint Leo University tied for second place in the poll at 33 total votes apiece. Rollins College narrowly missed the tie for second place after garnering 29 total votes, which lands them fifth in the poll. Lynn University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University round out the ranking in sixth, seventh, and eighth positions. VIDEO: 2018 Men’s Lacrosse Season Outlook interviews with Head Coaches Tampa (15-5, 5-0) won their fourth consecutive SSC regular season and tournament titles in 2017. The Spartans earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA regional tournament where they traveled to and defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University 11 to 8. Tampa ended its season in a 12-10 national semifinal loss to top-seeded Limestone. Sunshine State Conference play opens up on March 17th with Palm Beach Atlantic hosting Embry-Riddle. The SSC Championship will take place on April 27th and April 29th at a non-predetermined site. The NCAA Division II postseason for men’s lacrosse will start at non-predetermined sites Friday, May 11th and concludes Sunday, May 27th in Boston, Massachusetts. Below are the full results of the 2018 SSC preseason coaches’ poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses). 2018 SSC MEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON COACHES POLL  

Rank 1 T2 T2 T2 5 6 7 8

School (FPV) Tampa (7) Florida Southern Florida Tech Saint Leo (1) Rollins Lynn Palm Beach Atlantic Embry-Riddle

Total Votes 49 33 33 33 29 27 12 8