PRINCETON, N.J. – Following a 2019 campaign that featured Ivy League lacrosse as one of the strongest and deepest conferences in the country, the league is poised to showcase another nationally-successful season with three teams ranked inside the preseason top-15 rankings.
 
Yale, which came within a game of its second consecutive national championship in 2019, was selected as No. 3 in both the Inside Lacrosse Face-off Yearbook and the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll. Penn was picked No. 5 in the Face-off Yearbook Top 20, while Nike/US Lacrosse slotted the Quakers No. 10, while Cornell is No. 12 in both major polls.
 
The Bulldogs, which fell to Virginia in the national championship title game a season ago, are led by the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year and Tewaaraton Finalist TD Ierlan and his unparalleled faceoff ability, winning over 75 percent of his attempts at the X. The core of offensive talent remains with its top three scorers returning — Matt Gaudet (51 goals), Matt Brandau (50 goals) and Jackson Morrill (46 goals).
 
Despite losing senior captains Reed Junkin and Simon Mathias to graduation, the reigning Ivy League champions return four USILA All-Americans from a year ago, including 2019 Rookie of the Year Sam Handley, face-off specialist Kyle Gallagher and defenseman Mark Evanchick. Adam Goldner, who paced the offense with 56 goals is back for his senior campaign.
 
After finishing third in the Ivy League a season ago, Cornell returns seven starters who are primed to help the Big Red make a run for the League title and return to the NCAA tournament for the second time in the last three years.
 
The Big Red is led by a quartet - Jeff Teat, Brandon Salvatore, Jonathan Donville and Connor Fletcher – who earned All-Ivy status. Teat, a Tewaaraton Award nominee, paced the Cornell offense with 34 goals and 36 assists.
 
The 2020 Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse season will get underway on Friday, Feb. 15 with six games on tap, highlighted by No. 5/10 Penn’s trip to No. 4/4 Maryland.