MCLA Preseason Poll Press Releases
via the MCLA press releases/websites
UF #8, FSU #14 in D1
ATLANTA – Virginia Tech came up just short of the national championship last spring, but the Hokies are the favorite to snare their first title according to the 2024 New Balance MCLA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Wednesday.
Virginia Tech (17-3), which rolled to the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) title, gobbled up 25 of the 27 first-place votes to leave the Hokies comfortably clear of the field.
ALC rival Liberty (15-4), who advanced to the national semifinals last spring, sits in the second chair, helped by the remaining pair of first-place votes. Chapman (17-4), another semifinalist and the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) champ, is slotted third.
Georgia Tech (15-4) and Georgia (13-3), a pair of SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) rivals, round out the top five, respectively.
2024 New Balance MCLA Preseason Division I Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1st VOTES |
| 1. | Virginia Tech | 669 | 25 |
| 2. | Liberty | 630 | 2 |
| 3. | Chapman | 628 | |
| 4. | Georgia Tech | 601 | |
| 5. | Georgia | 542 | |
| 6. | Utah Valley | 539 | |
| 7. | Brigham Young | 524 | |
| 8. | Florida | 472 | |
| 9. | Boston College | 446 | |
| 10. | Simon Fraser | 404 | |
| 11. | Northeastern | 398 | |
| 12. | South Carolina | 397 | |
| 13. | UC Santa Barbara | 345 | |
| 14. | Florida State | 285 | |
| 15. | Texas | 281 | |
| 16. | San Diego State | 263 | |
| 17. | Cal Poly | 249 | |
| 18. | Arizona State | 244 | |
| 19. | California | 187 | |
| 20. | Colorado | 152 | |
| 21. | Oregon | 122 | |
| 22. | Arizona | 99 | |
| 23. | Southern Methodist | 63 | |
| 24. | Boise State | 62 | |
| 25. | Auburn | 55 |
Others receiving votes: Michigan State (33), Colorado State (30), Grand Canyon (25), Minnesota (7), Santa Clara (7), USC (6), LSU (2), Utah (2), Missouri (2), Clemson (1), NC State (1), Connecticut (1), West Virginia (1).
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FGCU #13, FAU #14, Miami #26 in D2
ATLANTA – After capturing its second title last spring, Dayton has been installed as the unanimous favorite to take home a third according to the 2024 New Balance MCLA Division II Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday.
The Flyers (13-5) hardly looked like championship contenders last year, stumbling to a 2-3 start, but Joe Venturella’s troops figured it out mid-year. Dayton won 11 of its last 13 contests to grab the hardware. The Flyers amassed all 27 first-place votes.
Checking in at No. 2 is St. Thomas (14-3). The Tommies handed Dayton two of its five losses during the season – including the UMLC championship contest – but fell to the Flyers in the national championship game, 6-5.
The remaining semifinalists from ’23 start in a tie for third in the New Balance poll. Air Force (16-2) and Cal State San Marcos (12-2) are knotted up in the third chair.
Grand Valley State (9-4) rounds out the top five, narrowly edging out Rhode Island (15-2) by eight points.
Led by Dayton, the Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) posted six teams in the Top 25 while the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) had four representatives. The Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC), the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC), the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) and the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) all had three apiece.
2024 New Balance MCLA Preseason Division II Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1st VOTES |
| 1. | Dayton | 675 | 27 |
| 2. | St. Thomas | 633 | |
| 3t. | Air Force Academy | 603 | |
| 3t. | Cal State San Marcos | 603 | |
| 5. | Grand Valley State | 535 | |
| 6. | Rhode Island | 527 | |
| 7. | UNC-Charlotte | 515 | |
| 8. | Montana State | 496 | |
| 9. | Montana | 462 | |
| 10. | Missouri State | 404 | |
| 11. | UC San Diego | 402 | |
| 12. | Kennesaw State | 361 | |
| 13. | Florida Gulf Coast | 335 | |
| 14. | Florida Atlantic | 329 | |
| 15. | Minn.-Duluth | 306 | |
| 16. | North Dakota State | 261 | |
| 17. | Utah State | 231 | |
| 18. | Wake Forest | 224 | |
| 19. | Western Washington | 179 | |
| 20. | Coastal Carolina | 115 | |
| 21. | Northern Arizona | 104 | |
| 22t. | St. John’s | 103 | |
| 22t. | College of Idaho | 103 | |
| 24. | Northwest Nazarene | 91 | |
| 25. | UC Davis | 64 |
Others receiving votes: Miami (50), Maine (15), San Diego (11), Arizona DII (8), Denver (7), Texas A&M DII (7), Georgia Southern (4), Tulane (3), Loyola Marymount (2), Bridgewater State (2), MSU Denver (2), Virginia Tech DII (2), Saint Mary’s (1).
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2024 SELC Division I Preseason Coaches Poll
ATLANTA – After rolling to the conference championship last spring, Georgia Tech has been voted to repeat the accomplishment this spring in the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC), according to the preseason coaches poll.
The Yellow Jackets (15-4), which fell in the quarterfinals of the 2023 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance to eventual champ Concordia, were awarded five of the 10 first-place votes cast.
After spending three weeks as the No. 1 team in the country last spring, Florida (12-3) checks in at No. 2 in the preseason poll. The Gators, which have made two straight trips to nationals, grabbed a first-place vote.
Georgia (13-3) snapped its seven-year nationals drought, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2023. The Bulldogs garnered a pair of top votes to place them third in the poll.
Fourth-ranked South Carolina (8-10) and fifth-ranked Florida State (10-5) also grabbed a first-place vote.
2024 SELC Division I Preseason Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1st VOTES |
| 1. | Georgia Tech | 14 | 5 |
| 2. | Florida | 19 | 1 |
| 3. | Georgia | 27 | 2 |
| 4. | South Carolina | 29 | 1 |
| 5. | Florida State | 37 | 1 |
| 6. | Auburn | 46 | |
| 7. | South Florida | 55 | |
| 8. | Vanderbilt | 57 | |
| 9. | Alabama | 65 | |
| 10. | Central Florida | 70 |
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2024 SELC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll
ATLANTA – Two-time defending conference champion Kennesaw State has been installed as the favorite to win a third straight Division II SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) crown, according to the preseason coaches poll.
The Owls (10-4), which has made four consecutive trips to the MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance, were awarded half of the first-place votes in the eight-team conference.
Florida Atlantic (5-7), which fell to Kennesaw State in the SELC semifinals last spring, grab the second chair heading into 2024. The Owls snagged three of the first-place votes two leave them just two points behind KSU.
In a bit of a surprise, Miami (5-6) jumped into the third spot. The Hurricanes were three points ahead of No. 4 Florida Gulf Coast (10-2), which has finished as the runner-up to Kennesaw the past two season, losing by a goal in both finals.
The Eagles, who grabbed the final first-place vote, have earned a bid to nationals the past two seasons.
2024 SELC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1st VOTES |
| 1. | Kennesaw State | 8 | 4 |
| 2. | Florida Atlantic | 10 | 3 |
| 3. | Miami | 20 | |
| 4. | Florida Gulf Coast | 23 | 1 |
| 5. | Georgia Southern | 29 | |
| 6. | North Florida | 31 | |
| 7. | Tampa | 42 | |
| 8. | Middle Tennessee State | 53 |
