via press release    Spartans unanimously chosen to win a fourth league championship MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Tampa is the unanimous No. 1 in the 2017 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Men’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Poll. The 2016 SSC regular season and tournament champs received 25 total votes and all five possible first place votes from opposing coaches. Rollins College finished second in poll voting with 19 total votes and received the remaining first place vote. Florida Southern College sits third in the poll with 15 total votes. Saint Leo University, Florida Tech, and Lynn University round out the poll at fourth, fifth, and sixth. Tampa (15-3, 5-0) won their third consecutive SSC regular season and tournament titles in 2016. The Spartans earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA regional tournament where they traveled to and defeated Mercyhurst. Tampa ended the season in a, 13-10, national semifinal loss to top-seeded Limestone. UT ranks No. 4 in the 2017 USILA and Lacrosse Magazine Division II preseason polls. Rollins (10-6, 3-2) finished as conference regular season runner-up in 2016. The Tars were also SSC tournament runners-up after falling to Tampa, 11-8, in the championship final. RC begins 2017 ranked No. 20 in the USILA preseason poll. Sunshine State Conference play opens up on March 24 with Saint Leo hosting Florida Southern. The SSC Championship will take place on April 28th and 30th at a non-predetermined site. The NCAA Division II postseason for Men’s Lacrosse begins on Saturday, May 13th at non-predetermined sites and concludes Sunday, May 28th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. 2017 SSC MEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON COACHES POLL  

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6

School (FPV) Tampa (5) Rollins (1) Florida Southern Saint Leo Florida Tech Lynn

Total Votes 25 19 15 14 10 8

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