Orange No. 2 in Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Poll
John Desko is one of two active coaches with at least four NCAA Championships.
1/5/2009 6:24:14 PM
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Syracuse Orange is ranked second in the 2009 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Top 20 rankings that were released on Monday, Jan. 5. The defending national champions boast seven preseason All-Americans and return five starters from last year's 16-2 squad.
NCAA semifinalist Virginia claimed the top spot in the poll followed by Syracuse, Maryland, Cornell and Johns Hopkins. Georgetown begins the year sixth. Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame and UMBC round out the top 10.
Syracuse head coach John Desko enters his 11th season at the helm of the program. Desko is 118-40 and has won four national championships in his first 10 years. He was named the USILA Division I Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Orange to a school-record tying 16 victories and the NCAA title in 2008.
The Orange begins the 2009 regular season at the Carrier Dome on Sunday, Feb. 15 against Providence.