COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's lacrosse team is No. 5 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III preseason top-20, according to rankings released Thursday by US Lacrosse Magazine.
This marks the highest preseason ranking in program history for the Bears, who ended the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with their loftiest in-season ranking; Ursinus checked in at No. 6 in the final United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll. Coach Gary Mercadante's squad were a perfect 7-0 when the conference season was canceled.
Ursinus came in behind only Salisbury, Tufts, RIT, and Wesleyan in the preseason rankings. Cabrini was No. 6, followed by Williams, Denison, Gettysburg, and Union to round out the top-10. Franklin & Marshall (No. 14) joined the Bears and Bullets as Centennial Conference squads to appear in the top-20.
The Bears have plenty of talent back from the undefeated 2020 squad, including senior attack Hakan Atillasoy and sophomore defenseman Chase Rondeau; Atillasoy was a fourth-team Maverik Media All-America selection, while Rondeau earned a spot on the Inside Lacrosse Division III All-Freshman Team.