University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Picked 18th By Lacrosse Magazine
December 25, 2005 | Men's Lacrosse
Dec. 25, 2005
BALTIMORE, MD. - The University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team has earned the No. 18 spot in the preseason rankings compiled by Lacrosse Magazine for the upcoming 2006 season.
Four defending national champions, including all three women's NCAA champions, will repeat as title-winners in 2006, according to Lacrosse magazine's annual preseason college rankings, released last week.
According to the magazine's preseason rankings the Tar Heels will have the opportunity during the season to play their way up in the rankings. Carolina's schedule looks like a who's who of the poll and includes No. 1 Duke, No. 2 John Hopkins, No. 3 Maryland, No. 7 Navy and No. 10 Notre Dame.
UNC also plays No. 15 Denver, No. 16 Hofstra and No. 20 Fairfield this coming season.
The rankings, compiled by Lacrosse magazine staff with consultations from coaches and other members of the press, predict the women's teams of Northwestern, Stonehill and The College of New Jersey to repeat as champions of NCAA Divisions I, II and III, respectively, and Herkimer to repeat as the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) men's champion.
Duke, an NCAA finalist in 2005, ranks atop Division I, ahead of defending champion and preseason No. 2 Johns Hopkins. Le Moyne, which qualified for the four-team Division II tournament in 2005, was picked to win the championship this season. No. 2 New York Institute of Technology won the title last season. In Division III, 2005 finalist Middlebury was picked to end No. 2 Salisbury's run of three straight NCAA crowns.
The rankings appear below and in the January/February issue of Lacrosse magazine.
NCAA Division I Men Preseason Top 20
1. Duke
2. Johns Hopkins
3. Virginia
4. Maryland
5. Syracuse
6. Cornell
7. Navy
8. Georgetown
9. Massachusetts
10. Notre Dame
11. Penn State
12. Towson
13. Army
14. Princeton
15. Denver
16. Hofstra
17. Delaware
18. North Carolina
19. UMBC
20t. Fairfield
20t. Stony Brook
