Many men's lacrosse experts and fans point to Salisbury University during the conversation of the best in the Capital Athletic Conference. And it's not surprising that the CAC coaches would do the same in a pre-season poll, considering the Sea Gulls have won 14 conference championships and played in 12 national championship games (winning eight titles) in the last 16 years.
The Sea Gulls, ranked among the top four in two national pre-season magazine/website polls, gained seven first-place votes and 63 total points to lead the CAC pre-season coaches poll, in which coaches could not vote for their own team. SU, with several returning All-CAC and All-Americans returning to the lineup, are the team to beat.
But York has steadily climbed up the national radar under fourth-year coach Brandon Childs and is seen as the top challenger for Salisbury. The Spartans, who played in the 2014 CAC title game and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history, received two first-place votes in the pre-season CAC poll and ranks second with 58 points.
Frostburg State and Christopher Newport, both relative newcomers to the CAC, are also gaining confidence and respect. The Bobcats, in just their fifth varsity season, ranked third in the conference pre-season poll with 48 points while the Captains, second-year members of the CAC, are fourth in the CAC poll with 39 points.
St. Mary's, just two seasons after upsetting top-seeded Salisbury in the CAC title game, and Mary Washington, an NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2014, both figure to battle the top four teams for home playoff games in the 2015 CAC postseason. With 37 points in the pre-season poll, St. Mary's ranked fifth, just two points behind CNU, while Mary Washington gained 30 points to place sixth in the poll.
The challengers for playoff positions are led by Marymount, which collected 25 points in the preseason poll, followed by Wesley (16 points) and second-year member Southern Virginia (8 points).
2015 CAC Men's Lacrosse Pre-Season Coaches Poll
1. Salisbury (7 first-place votes) 63 points
2. York (Pa.) (2 first-place votes) 58 points
3. Frostburg State 48 points
4. Christopher Newport 39 points
5. St. Mary's (Md.) 37 points
6. Mary Washington 30 points
7. Marymount (Va.) 25 points
8. Wesley 16 points
9. Southern Virginia 8 points