FSC and Tampa Jointly Named 2023 Favorites in SSC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Head coaches give the Moccasins and Spartans equal points and first-place votesMELBOURNE, Fla. – Sunshine State Conference women’s lacrosse coaches vote Florida Southern and Tampa as the preseason favorites in 2023. The Spartans are expected to repeat as regular-season champions for the third year in a row, while the Moccasins are looking to repeat for the program’s seventh SSC regular-season title. Both squads pulled in 46 points and four first-place votes from conference coaches.
Rollins collects 35 points and lands in third place, while Lynn receives 30 points and sits fourth, the highest rank in program history. Saint Leo (27 points), Embry-Riddle (18 points), Florida Tech (15 points), and Palm Beach Atlantic University (7 points) round out the preseason ranking.
Last season was the first since 2019 that the SSC recognized a regular-season and tournament champion in women’s lacrosse due to COVID-19. Tampa picked up its third consecutive regular-season title, the first outright, following a 6-1 record in league play. Florida Southern took the postseason tournament title, the program’s fourth, by besting Rollins in the semifinals and UT in the championship final.
The Spartans and Moccasins earned a bid to the NCAA tournament, where Tampa fell to Queens University, and FSC defeated Wingate in the first round. The Moccasins’ season ended in the national quarterfinals following a narrow loss to Queens. Previously, FSC took home the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse trophy in 2016 and finished as national runners-up in 2017 and 2018.
The 2023 season begins on Saturday, February 4th, with Florida Tech hosting Young Harris. Conference play starts on Saturday, March 25th, with Tampa visiting Florida Tech. US Lacrosse Magazine’s 2023 preseason ranking has Florida Southern, Tampa, and Rollins as Top-10, at seven, nine, and ten, respectively. The ranking also lists Lynn at No. 14 and Embry-Riddle at No. 16. Fans can find the composite schedule for 2023 here.
Below are the full results of the 2023 SSC preseason coaches’ poll. Coaches may not vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
2023 SSC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank | School (FPV) | Total Points |
| T1 | Florida Southern (4) | 46 |
| T1 | Tampa (4) | 46 |
| 3 | Rollins | 35 |
| 4 | Lynn | 30 |
| 5 | Saint Leo | 27 |
| 6 | Embry-Riddle | 18 |
| 7 | Florida Tech | 15 |
| 8 | Palm Beach Atlantic | 7 |
SSC Women’s Lacrosse History: National Champions | Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | All-Americans | Record Book
Previous SSC Women’s Lacrosse Polls and Champions
| Year | Predicted Winner (Actual Finish) | Regular Season Champ (Preseason Prediction) | Tournament Champ (Preseason Prediction) |
| 2022 | Florida Southern (2nd) / Rollins (T3rd) | Tampa (3rd) | Florida Southern (T1st) |
| 2021 | Florida Southern (T1st) | FSC (1st) / Tampa (2nd) / Rollins (3rd) | Not Awarded Due to COVID-19 |
| 2020 | Tampa (N/A) | Not Awarded Due to COVID-19 | Not Awarded Due to COVID-19 |
| 2019 | Florida Southern (T1st) | FSC (1st) / Rollins (2nd) / Tampa (3rd) | Tampa (3rd) |
| 2018 | Florida Southern (1st) | Florida Southern (1st) | Florida Southern (1st) |
| 2017 | Florida Southern (1st) | Florida Southern (1st) | Florida Southern (1st) |
| 2016 | Rollins (2nd) | Florida Southern (2nd) | Florida Southern (2nd) |
| 2015 | Florida Southern (1st) | Florida Southern (1st) | Rollins (2nd) |