Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Ranked No. 10 in Inside Lacrosse Coaches' Poll
12/8/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Dec. 8, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. --Coming off a Patriot League championship season and a heartbreaking overtime loss to eventual national champion Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, the Bucknell men's lacrosse team has now been ranked in the top 10 in a preseason poll for the first time. The Bison drew a No. 10 ranking in Inside Lacrosse's 2012 preseason coaches' poll. Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook has Bucknell No. 15 in its preseason rankings.
Virginia, which rallied to beat Bucknell 13-12 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before going on to win the national title, is ranked No. 1 in the preseason by both the coaches and Inside Lacrosse.
Following Virginia in the top 10 in the coaches' poll are Duke, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Cornell, North Carolina, Denver, Maryland, Notre Dame and Bucknell. There was one other Patriot League team in the rankings, as Colgate came in at No. 20. The Bison topped the Raiders in the 2011 Patriot League championship game.
Bucknell also had one player recognized in the Face-Off Yearbook's preseason All-America listings, as junior defenseman Mike Huffner earned an Honorable Mention nod. Huffner was a First Team All-Patriot League selection in 2011 after keying a defense that ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 7.2 goals per game. He was also a Patriot League All-Tournament selection after the Bison allowed only eight goals in two tourney games, including just three in a 10-3 win over high-powered Colgate in the final.
Bucknell returns seven starters and a number of key reserves from last year's 14-3 team. The Bison were ranked as high as No. 7 in the national rankings last season, the highest ranking in program history. The 2012 campaign begins Feb. 11 at home against Delaware.
