SEASON PREVIEW: Tampa Predicted to Win 2022 SSC Season in Preseason Coaches Poll

TAMPA, Fla. – For the ninth consecutive season, Sunshine State Conference men's lacrosse coaches select the University of Tampa as the preseason favorite. With 49 points and seven first-place votes in the poll, the Spartans are expected to repeat as the league's regular-season champion.

Lynn University is the top challenger to the Spartans in 2022 with 42 points and the final first-place vote in the ranking. Rollins College lands in third place for the second consecutive year with 36 points from the coaches. Florida Southern College and Florida Tech finished neck and neck for fourth and fifth with 27 points and 26 points, respectively. Saint Leo University (24 points), Palm Beach Atlantic University (11 points), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (9 points) round out this year's preseason poll.

SSC teams played between eight and 11 games in 2021 due to another COVID-19 shortened season. After finishing undefeated (6-0) in conference play, Tampa emerged as the regular-season champion. It stands as the first title for the Spartans since 2017, fifth overall. No regular-season trophy was awarded in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Tampa is the only SSC school with a postseason contest under their belt since 2019, with a bid into the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Tournament. The Spartans defeated Mount Olive in the opening round before ending their season on a narrow loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in the national quarterfinals. Thanks to the pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 SSC postseason tournaments did not occur, keeping Tampa as the defending SSC tournament champion after winning the 2019 title.

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For the Spartans, a new era has begun at Naimoli Family Athletic Complex for the University of Tampa Men's lacrosse team. Head coach J.B. Clarke is the second coach in program history for the Spartans. Coach Clarke is entering his 25th season as a head coach. His career record is 321-92 with a winning percentage of 77.7%. 

Preseason D-II poll from USA lacrosse magazine puts the Spartans at number four in the country. The Spartans continue the streak of being preseason ranked since their inaugural season in 2014. 

The season kicks off against Lynn University on February 5, in Boca Raton. They've met a total of nine times. The Spartans record is 8-1 against the Fighting Knights, and Tampa has won the last two meetings.

An early season test for the Spartans is February 19 in Savannah, Ga. Tampa will face Lenoir-Rhyne who are preseason ranked number two in the country according to the USA lacrosse magazine poll. This will be the seventh time the two teams have met. The Spartans lead the all-time series against the Bears 4-2. The last time they met was in 2021, where the Spartans fell 16-15 in overtime in the NCAA tournament in Hickory, N.C.

Conference play officially opens on March 26 against Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on the road. The Spartans conclude the season April 23, in Sparks, Md. against Seton Hill before the Sunshine State Conference tournament begins.

Below are the full results of the 2022 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches may not vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

SSC Men's Lacrosse History: Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams | All-Americans | Record Book